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Nicotina (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 47
Fresh: 21
Rotten:26
Average Rating: 5.6/10
Theatrical Release:Aug 20, 2004 Limited
Box Office: $800,371
Synopsis: From the producers of "Amores Perros" comes "Nicotina", a highly stylized crime caper set in Mexico City about a simple exchange that goes awry, causing the lives of nine unsuspecting characters to... From the producers of "Amores Perros" comes "Nicotina", a highly stylized crime caper set in Mexico City about a simple exchange that goes awry, causing the lives of nine unsuspecting characters to explode in one tumultuous night over a fortune in diamonds. Diego Luna stars as computer hacker Lolo, who is infatuated with his neighbor Andrea (Marta Belaustegui) and catalogs her every move via high-tech peeping devices. Lolo teams with amateur criminals Tomson (Jesús Ochoa) and his younger counterpart Nene (Lucas Crespi) in a deal with a Russian mobster (Norman Sotolongo) that involves the exchange of diamonds for computer access to Swiss bank accounts. But the deal goes terribly wrong after Lolo's attempts to spoil Andrea's romantic trysts spiral out of control. Down the street, the irritable pharmacist Beto (Daniel Giménez Cacho) and his fed-up wife Clara (Carmen Madrid) inadvertently become entangled in the exchange, along with the humble barber Goyo (Rafael Inclán) and his domineering other half Carmen (Rosa María Bianchi). Infected with diamond lust, these characters become obsessed with the intoxicating possibility of an easy life and their greed quickly transforms into fiery desperation. When the haze finally clears, computers have been hacked, people have been whacked and lives have gone up in a cloud of smoke. "Nicotina" features a stellar ensemble cast of international veteran actors including Diego Luna ("Y Tu Mamá También"; Spielberg's "The Terminal"), Rafael Inclán ("I Murder Seriously"; TV's "La Jaula" (The Cage)), Daniel Giménez Cacho (Pedro Almodóvar's upcoming "La Mala Educación"), Jesús Ochoa ("Man on Fire"), Enoc Leaño (TV's upcoming mini series "Zapata"), as well as Rosa Maria Bianchi, Marta Belaustegui, Carmen Madrid, and Lucas Crespi. Mexico's highest grossing film of 2003, "Nicotina" recently dominated the 46th Ariel Awards, garnering six of Mexico's top film prizes including Best Actor (Rafael Inclán), Best Actress (Rosa Maria Bianchi), Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Giménez Cacho), Best Editing (Alberto de Toro), and Best Original Screenplay (Martin Salinas). The film also topped the 2004 MTV Movie Awards Mexico, receiving five out of the fifteen awards, including Favorite Movie and Favorite Actor (Diego Luna). Marking the first major release by Arenas Entertainment as an independent studio, "Nicotina" was directed by Hugo Rodriguez and produced by Laura Imperiale and Martha Sosa from a script written by Martin Salinas. -- © Arenas Entertainment [More]
Starring: Diego Luna, Lucas Crespi, Jesus Ochoa, Rosa Maria Bianchi
Starring: Diego Luna, Lucas Crespi, Jesus Ochoa, Rosa Maria Bianchi, Carmen Madrid
Director: Hugo Rodriguez
Director: Hugo Rodriguez
Screenwriter: Martin Salinas
Producer: Laura Imperiale
Studio: Arenas Entertainment
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Release:
Nov 30, 1999
Reviews for Nicotina
A frantic crime thriller that never transcends its influences to arrive anywhere interesting.
Will have to settle for being known as the Mexican 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag.
The blunt attempts at dark humor merely underscore the film's cynicism...
More like a brisk television pilot for the F/X network (and looking a bit like it, too) than a film -- albeit a pilot for a really, really cool show.
Nicotina feels so comfortably middle-of-the-road...that it makes us ponder the purpose of its very existence and makes the task of reviewing it an absolute redundancy.
Skitters between dull and forced, this despite the use of split screens, jaunty music and the personable Luna.
I suppose Nicotina is a gimmick film, but it's brought off with such verve it's great fun.
While obviously not a unique or uniquely satisfying experience, the film still does the job in a pinch, and looks cool doing it.
After taking way too long to spark its many subplots, "Nicotina" smolders into an addictive romp that is at turns lightweight and grisly
Rodríguez keeps the story moving with multiple images, quick zooms and other editing tricks that serve as reminders that Nicotina is not to be taken seriously.
At long last, derivative, ironic Tarantino-esque crime films have made their way to Mexico to mine territory bereft of any fresh material!
The only similarity it bears to the work of Quentin Tarantino is in its propensity for shooting main characters in the head.
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