Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Wordiezett So much average

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

ma-cortes Thrilling and thoughtful film dealing with a rich compound besieged by walls and security electric system to guard the inhabitants agains the violent exterior characterized by poorness , chaos and misery . Set in Mexico D.F. , when a billboard falls on the wall it creates a breach in which three tiny delinquents enter into the enclosed neighborhood .But it results to be a location that is impossible to getaway and they find caught-up in the wrong place and the wrong time ; then things go awry for the three unfortunate crooks . The residents turned Vigilantes to be aware the enemy invasion and relentlessly pursue the small time thieves . A stirring and violent film that delves the real confrontation between social classes shocked by crimes and misdemeanors: The upper class and the lower class , as well as the police corruption and many other things . It shows the dark atmosphere of paranoia , tyranny , and mass hysteria of the wealthy people surrounded by strict surveillance system to protect against the poor slums and even organizing militias , acting as judges , juries and executioners . There are good acting by a decent cast , such as Daniel Gimenez Cacho as a council member who takes law on his own hands , Maribel Verdu as a mother who attempts help and guard his son , Carlos Bardem as a violen neighbour , as well as the veteran Blanca Guerra . Special mention for the newcomer duo teen : Chavez as the escaped boy hiding within the neighborhood's borders , at a basement , and Daniel Tovar as Alejandro , the good teen who brings him food and a pair of trainers and he tapes his story on his videocamara .It contains an atmospheric and adequate cinematography by Emilio Villanueva . And an evocative and intriguing musical score by Fernando Velazquez who has composed a lot of successful soundtracks with such international hits as The impossible, A monster calls , The orphanage, Crimson Peak , Gernika and The invisible guardian .Compellingly produced by Mexican/Spanish prducers as Alvaro Longoria , Pilar Benito , Rafel Cuervo , Ricardo Fernandez and Rodrigo Pla himself .The motion picture was well written, produced and directed by Rodrigo Pla. He is a fine craftsman who has directed nice shorts and full feature films as Desierto Adentro , A monster with a thousand heads and La demora .

thejesus-4 Rodrigo Pla's debut is certainly stylistically sound, beautifully depicting the disparity between the eponymous zone and the surrounding area through security monitoring-style footage and beautiful shots of the well-manicured oasis-suburb. In fact, the set up--both the fist scene and the very concept--is perfect. A storm brings a billboard crashing down on a concrete wall, impairing the community's advanced surveillance systems, cutting the power, and allowing access to three opportunistic intruders. And so the stage is set for a either a scathing critique of Mexico's apartheid-like class separation, an exciting thriller about a community's manhunt, or a psychodrama delving into witch-hunt dynamics. Unfortunately, the film never makes up its mind. It schizophrenically skips between these modes, never satisfying or examining them nearly enough. A large ensemble cast does well to intrigue us, but not enough to engage in any meaningful character study. The lead detective, for instance, is so ill-defined that he must dwell in the realm of stereotype, somewhat the renegade fighting against institutional corruption, somewhat the emotional, maverick loose cannon with a tendency toward violence. But we never find out much more about the guy. And so when the film neatly tidies itself up at the 90 minute mark with a Spike Lee-like incitation, an act of violence that is meant to shock and draw sympathy, it hardly delivers the punch it should. Because like the community La Zona follows, there is a decided lack of humanity in the storytelling.

lmontijo OK. So I just saw La Zona @ SFIFF, and I must say... BRAVO!! Another big success for Mexican cinema, and well earned indeed. Rodrigo Pla's first feature delivers a harsh social and political critique about Mexican social classes and fundamental morality within a gripping and thrilling narrative. As another Mexican film about social contrasts, I must say, it proves originality. La Zona (or The Zone) delves further into character development and the consequences of moral judgment. Pla's film remains interesting because it touches upon a broader universal theme: the human struggle to choose between right and wrong. With an engaging narrative, inventive setting and well developed character arcs, La Zona gets its point across, and makes us think… This film delivers recurring themes in Mexican cinema but with a much fresher and more creative perspective, not to mention exciting…Much 'props' to Villanueva's enthralling cinematography and to Zaragoza's performance as the chief of police…8 out of 10. I really liked it.

rasecz In any large city of Latin America or the rest of the third world, wealth and poverty coexist side by side, not uncommonly separated by just a thin high wall. In typical fashion the rich appropriate the bulk of the country's wealth, a few of the poor reclaim a tiny portion back through robbery and muggings, and the rich react in turn by protecting themselves and even striking back. It's low intensity class warfare.La Zona is an enclave, a walled-city with massive iron gates, widely scattered security cameras and around-the-clock monitoring. It's the modern equivalent of the medieval castle. Laying siege is a slum, where live the nemeses of the inhabitants of La Zona. They have come to this enclave out of fear, for protection against further assaults, to enjoy the good life in a secure haven. Many are angry. Some have been victims. Some are vengeful.The story begins when, during a storm, the wall is breached and electrical power is lost. A threesome from the slum takes advantage to penetrate the enclave and steal a few things. The temporary invasion does not go well. Shots are exchanged. People die. That event sets the wheels of the thriller in motion.The typical characters are present. The honest police investigator whose work is subverted by a corrupt police department. The good bad-guy, the bad bad-guy, the good good-guy and the bad good-guy. They are all there, some in multiple copies. It's formulaic, but effective.