An adaptation of Jorge Franco’s award winning novel of the same name, “Rosario Tijeras” takes viewers on a brutal trip through Medellin, Columbia jam packed with loud music, ridiculously beautiful people, cocaine and murder for hire. And it’s a love story.
At a club one cocaine blurred evening, life long pals Emilio and Antonio meet drop dead gorgeous Rosario Tijeras, the kind of woman so beautiful that it makes you, the viewer, feel ugly watching her. Being that ultimate alpha male, Emilio chases Rosario down until they wind up in bed together while nice guy Antonio goes home empty handed. Tension builds between Emilio and Antonio as they both compete for her attention, Emilio in a sexual way and Antonio in the “I’m the sweet guy who likes to listen to your problems” way. And then there’s the whole thing with Rosario being a professional killer. Yeah, that’ll definitely make things tense. Shortly after entering their lives, Emilio and Antonio find themselves surrounded by violence and dead bodies as the girl they’ve fallen in love with is an assassin for hire for the Colombian drug cartels. Sweeps you off your feet too, doesn’t she?
“Rosario Tijeras” begins with our femme fatale being carted into a hospital, bleeding from a gunshot wound. Antonio paces back and forth in the waiting room while she undergoes surgery. As he waits, we’re taken back in time to get the full story of their stressful relationship. Their history is told in non-linear fashion as we’re rocketed back and forth between certain significant events in their lives together. It’s as if we’re getting random mental images from Antonio as his troubled mind tries to cope with the love of his life dying. It’s a wild ride, one that gets a little confusing, even annoying, here and there due to all of the shuffling back and forth in time. Seems like nobody can tell a story today without having to get cute. Still, with all of the violence, bad attitudes and naked bodies, “Rosario Tijeras” proves to be an entertaining little romantic thriller.
