Chacaleria

The real cover to this book in the streaming age is going to be the first several minutes, which consist of Hurley addressing the camera directly, explaining everything that has led up to this point. We’ve seen this device used in some very good gangster movies, but not usually this intimately for such a long stretch. It is only after several minutes that the film breaks the monologue to get into scenes of characters interacting with each other, which works in the long haul, but will lose viewers, as some may think the whole movie is done like this. Those who exit early are going to miss out on some of the finest cinematic storytelling you can find in a thriller. We are talking some of the most exciting moves in an international crime saga since City of God. 

“…very slick while being devastatingly insightful…”

While I know many are loath to revisit the days of plague and roses, Singh is able to use the dismal setting as the perfect canvas for a portrait of the modern cost-of-living nightmare. This is exactly the movie we need right now, as it explores the same savage situation seen recently in the excellent American Meltdown. Chacaleria gets into that jet black territory where good people are made to do bad things due to impossible situations. Singh fills the crime thriller genre’s arteries with fresh blood, showcasing how each good person was turned to the dark side by harder and harder decisions. Everyone only does what they do because everything is so unfair, which is a great hook to grab our interest.

There is this phrase in the film that “God never chokes, he just squeezes.” I cannot think of a better way to describe how modern life is crumbling around us like an empty beer can. Singh also turns out to be very slick while being devastatingly insightful. The popping colors and sweeping angles are given momentum by a pounding score on teeth that spin like a chainsaw. But Singh also knows when to turn down the action while turning up the dramatics, as he knows the sadness will only make the punches land harder. Chacaleria will slam into your consciousness like a smashing bottle of black-market booze as it is telling a story so many people are living but not seeing onscreen, except in movies like this. Singh is on his way to becoming the Panamanian kingpin of indie cinema. Go see why.