Powerful crime thriller in which an armored car carrying six prisoners, in the middle of a heavy snowfall, is attacked by a strange man who has only one goal: to get one of the prisoners out alive in order to bring justice.
Filmmaker Lluís Quílez has achieved success with the premiere of Bajo cero ( Below Zero) on the Netflix platform. Streaming service that increasingly offers more and more Spanish productions in its catalog, many of them well-made thrillers.
Lluís Quílez began making short films, several of which received awards and good reviews. Although in 2014 he released the film Out of the Dark, of the supernatural genre, starring Hollywood actors Julia Stiles and Scott Speedman , but received many bad reviews,
That's how the world of cinema is, a director can have good works and others not so good. Quílez had the idea of this film for a long time, when he was a child he lived near a prison, so he heard stories about prisoner transfers, read articles about how these transfers were made, and there germinated the idea, writing the script of the film with Fernando Navarro.
One thing that stands out is the good photography. The story takes place, for the most part, during a whole night, with many scenes in the dark, but we see and understand all the details. The excellent cinematographer Isaac Vila returns to work with his friend Quílez and does a high quality job. Vila made his name with the filmmaker's short films, including Grafiti , and the film Out of the Dark. He has also done the photography of outstanding TV series, such as El Ministerio del Tiempo and, more recently, in the miniseries El Desorden que dejas, where he did a nice job of photography.
The result has been a good police thriller, with a plot of survival, revenge and violence. There are some common stereotypes in this genre, but the film is very enjoyable and according to Netflix has had a successful viewing.
What is the plot of Bajo Cero?
Martin is a policeman who complies with the rules of his job, one winter night he is assigned along with Montesinos to carry out a transfer of six prisoners from one of the prisons. Among the detainees are a corrupt accountant, one serving time for drugs, a Romanian, a Latino and a gypsy. During the transfer, the armored car and the patrol that escorts it will be attacked by a mysterious man who wants one of the prisoners, but not to rescue him. He has another objective. Martin must deal with the ambush, survive inside the van with the detainees who have taken control and prevent the strange man from getting the doors open. Martin is willing to do his duty, the criminals want to escape alive and the strange man will not stop until he achieves his goal. A cold night that will be a nightmare, suspense, action and survival. Who is the man who attacked the van? Why does he want this prisoner named Nano alive?
An armored car, six criminals, two policemen, a stranger seeking justice and a snowfall that has the temperature below zero, is all the high tension cocktail that will keep us on edge throughout the film.
Martin's character is the typical correct, honest, non-corrupt cop, doing his job the best he can. His partner in the transfer job is Montesinos, the opposite of him. Montesinos is a cop who breaks the rules and likes to impose his authority on the prisoners. Two opposing characters, but who must work as a team for a few brief moments, before everything goes to hell.
The sequence of the whole procedure of the transfer of prisoners is really good, in the style of American films, with the successful direction of photography on that road during the snowfall, accompanied by the music composed by Zacarías M. de la Riva, are raising the tension and intrigue every minute. We know that something very bad is going to happen, the van driven by Martín is heading towards a death trap.
Composer Zacarías M. de la Riva is known for his work in Tadeo Jones, the lost explorer, as well as for numerous audiovisual projects of different genres. Other films in which he has composed the music include Black Snow, The Nun and Nightfall.
The tension felt on the road is not enough. Inside the armored van are the six prisoners, arguing among themselves, insulting the policeman Montesinos. The interactions and conflicts inside the van add to the tension that builds up. They don't know what awaits them, at first they think they can escape, but soon they realize that they will be victims of this strange man who only wants one of them.
Ramis is the gypsy, who has his own plans to escape during the transfer. Mihai believes that the attacker in the van is his brother, who promised him not to let him rot in jail. Rei sees an opportunity to escape, he is in jail for leaving the man who raped his sister in a coma. Pardo is the accountant, involved with politicians, who was jailed for corruption. Golum is the junkie who has a drug conviction and Nano, the youngest of the detainees, who realizing who the aggressor is, will do desperate things. He is the target, the man who attacks the van wants him. But for some reason he wants him alive and will do anything to get him.
The attacker has a name: Miguel. He knows perfectly well how the transfers work, he knows the track and how the van works. The only key that can open the door where the detainees' area is, is in the possession of Martin, who will be locked up with the criminals. Miguel only wants Nano, if they hand him over, he will let the others go free, but Nano will not let himself be handed over so easily. After the attack, the film takes a turn towards the survival genre. Martin must survive with the prisoners in command. The prisoners must survive the madman who takes the van and drives off in an unknown direction and all must survive the adverse conditions of the snowfall, with freezing temperatures.
The last act of the film if there is a drop in tension and the scenes I notice them more conventional, is the part in which we discover the motives that Miguel has to attack the van, and we are given some clues, in a part of the film, when Montesinos discovers the car of the attacker and sees what he has inside. It is the most predictable part of the whole film, but the journey has been intense and exciting, never mind that little detail in the scene between Miguel and Martin.
Martin's character will undergo a transformation. He starts the film being a correct cop, who follows the rules of the system. But everything he will experience that night and the discovery that justice is really a farce, will make him change his way of thinking, making a crucial decision that will have consequences for him. In the end he will no longer be the same man.
The cast is made up of pure men, all are excellent in their roles, representing within the van a microcosm where each of the criminal stereotypes are represented. The politician, the murderer, the drug addict, the thief, the immigrant, and so on. Each one with his own interests, but all wanting to escape, but not counting on the presence of an idealistic cop like Martin.
The excellent actor Javier Gutiérrez, winner of two Goya awards, one for his extraordinary role in the film La Isla Mínima and the other for starring in the film El Autor. He is one of the best Spanish actors today, this acting talent can do comedy or drama with ease and has in his career works in film and television of resounding success. He is in charge of playing Martín, the main protagonist and central axis of the story, the right-wing policeman who must survive the worst night of his life.
Gutiérrez, like Mario Casas, is working hard and it is constant to see him in thrillers on the Netflix platform. Last year we saw him playing a stalker psychopath in the movie Hogar, which is available on the streaming platform.
Luis Callejo plays Ramis, the dangerous criminal who has his own escape plans and will take advantage of the van attack to execute the plan. A renowned actor who impressed me with his work in the movie Tarde para la Ira, which I recommend you to watch. He is an actor with tough features, the criminal roles fit him very well.
Isak Férriz is an actor and film director, he plays Montesinos, the other cop, more experienced in making transfers. His presence in the film is not very long, but it is important, he discovers who the aggressor is and will do everything possible to stop him. He knows Miguel's motives, but he must stop him from continuing with this revenge that is leaving dead people everywhere. We have seen his work in the series Gigantes.
Florin Opritescu plays Mihai, the criminal who thinks they are coming to rescue him, but he is totally wrong. His performance is all about having a powerful physical presence, which conveys danger. Florin is a Romanian actor who works in Spanish productions, always in supporting roles, among his most important works is playing Vlad Dragic in the Antena 3 series: Mar de Plástico.
Édgar Vittorino is the Colombian actor who plays Rai, the Latin American imprisoned for beating his sister's rapist. This actor became known in Spain for his character Caiman in the successful series Vis a Vis. He also had a lot of recognition for playing the soccer player Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama in the series La selección. Another of his latest works was in the series Vivir sin Permiso. In Bajocero he plays the role of a dangerous Latino delinquent, a very secondary role.
The actor Miquel Gelabert plays Pardo, the corrupt politician, who will be one of the first victims of the aggressor. This actor has a long career in film and television, and we have also seen him in the series Gigantes. One of his most memorable works was in La Vida Libre.
Andrés Gertrúdix, Goya-winning actor, plays Golum. The actor gives him the necessary character to play the drug convict, the tone of voice and his expressions easily identify him as a drug addict. Another supporting role, but like the others, it is of vital importance to the development of the story and raise the tension in the actions performed by each of the characters.
Patrick Criado plays Nuno, the target of the attacker. He is the cause of all this hell. Something this young man did in the past that Miguel wants him alive at all costs. And Nuno is not willing to let himself get caught so easily. He knows who Miguel is and what he wants. This actor became known in Spain with his characters in Águila Roja and Mar de Plástico, but lately he is getting more important jobs. It is worth noting that I saw him recently in the successful miniseries Antidusturbios, one of the best productions of last year and there he did a very good job. The young man when well directed, excels in his characters.
The great antogonist of the story is played by three-time Goya award winner Karra Elejalde, a successful Spanish film director, actor and screenwriter, who has numerous works in his career. He has worked in all genres, many know him from the blockbuster film Ocho Apellidos Vascos and last year I saw him as the lead in Alejandro Amenabar's film Mientras dure la Guerra. Karra plays Miguel, the van attacker who will not rest until he gets what he wants from Nuno, even if he has to kill whoever gets in his way.
Bajo Cero ( Below Zero ) is an entertaining and exciting crime thriller that keeps us on edge for most of the film. A group of actors doing a high quality job, a direction with an agile pace, a music that helps to raise the tension and a beautiful photography work, where the night and the landscapes where the armored van travels are an element that stands out, raising the quality of the film.
It is available on Netflix and I recommend it.
My Ranking: 3.7/5
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