The Inevitable Death of the Crab (La Inevitable Muerte del Cangrejo)

I remember the day I got a voice message from the IRS saying that I owed them $10,000 and that agents would be at my home at the end of the day. Already working with the IRS on a different matter, I knew it was a fraudulent call. But fear is a fantastic tool for the scammer. Ahcitz Azcona’s thriller, The Inevitable Death of the Crab, presents a similar situation that might be real.

Businessman Carlos Barba (Juan Manuel Azcona) and his son Santiago (Ahcitz Azcona) are at home after sending the rest of the family off on a cruise. For Carlos, this quiet morning is interrupted by a mysterious phone call warning him that influential people are after him and that he needs to pay for protection. Believing this is a scam, Carlos hangs up. But is it a scam? The phone rings again, and the caller is much more aggressive, claiming that his family is under surveillance and will be picked off, starting with Santiago. When Santiago arrives, Carlos tells him about the scam and not to answer the phone, which the curious Carlos does.

From a seed of an idea, filmmaker Ahcitz Azcona allows this thriller to germinate and grow slowly. The first half of The Inevitable Death of the Crab questions whether the phone calls are legitimate. If you’ve ever watched those scammer revenge videos online, you see some of the tricks employed. The first is when Carlos answers the phone, the caller asks, “who is this?” Now, the scammer has your name to look up online. Subsequent phone calls then try to extract more information about the Barba family, some successful and some not. Later, Carlos receives a social media friend request from a “hot chick.”

“…a mysterious phone call warning him that powerful people are after him and that he needs to pay for protection.”

Azcona then counters the scam with moments of paranoia. The calls appear to be a scam, but what if they’re not? What if goons are just outside his compound? It’s here that tension and anxiety are increased and every sound, creak, and knock could be the end for our duo. The second half raises the stakes as this is an election year in Mexico. Carlos Barba is a man of modest political influence, lending weight to the idea that these calls may indeed be legitimate.

Produced in Mexico, The Inevitable Death of the Crab, thankfully, is void of the Hollywood glitz and glamour that would have certainly ruined this film with big stars and an unhealthy dose of overacting. This allows Azcona to focus solely on his story. The filmmaker masterfully walks that line between scam/not a scam and paranoia/real danger. You’ll soon become just as paranoid as the Barbas.

I’m also assuming that the leads, Ahcitz Azcona and Juan Manuel Azcona, are actual father and son. Their chemistry is natural, and I’m certain Juan takes great joy in constantly calling his son an “idiot.” Because the Hollywood system has not tainted them, their performances are grounded and understated, which can come across as low energy for American audiences. Honestly, this could be us.

In The Inevitable Death of the Crab, Ahcitz Azcona builds a solid thriller through a very relatable story. My only complaint is that the ending didn’t quite stick, but it doesn’t ruin this thrilling thriller.

The Inevitable Death of the Crab is available on Amazon Prime, The Roku Channel, and Tubi TV.