To kill a man - DVD

Movie: After Jorge (Daniel Candia) is attacked in his neighborhood by a group of criminals and his wallet as well as his blood sugar meter is stolen, his son Jorgito (Ariel Mateluna) wants to get the device, which is so important for his father, back from the leader of the gang. In the process, an altercation ensues in which Jorgito is injured so badly that he falls into a coma. The perpetrator, however, gets off with a short prison sentence. As soon as he has served his sentence, he begins to terrorize Jorge's family. Although Jorge and his wife repeatedly turn to the police, the man remains at large. When the justice system fails to act even when Jorge's daughter is assaulted, the terrified family man decides to take the law into his own hands...

Strictly speaking, To Kill a Man by Alejandro Fernandez Almendras is a classic revenge thriller. But what sets this film apart from other representatives of its genre is its very restrained mise-en-scène. Almendras deliberately refrains from trying to manipulate the emotions of the audience too much, perhaps in order to justify the revenge of the common man as soon as the legal system fails. Rather, with his reduced, almost documentary-like narrative style, he wants to address the question of what an act of revenge does to the psyche of people who are not actually violent. What happens when a person who is actually only ever a victim is suddenly forced into the role of perpetrator? And can killing for revenge really be justified?

The film doesn't offer real answers, because that would make it a little too easy for Almendras. That's why he rather shows in a subtle, often only implied way what kind of effects the constant terror has on Jorge and his family, how he is finally pushed to take the law into his own hands and how he tries to live with the consequences of his actions. It's precisely because the production eschews overly striking moments and simply doesn't show much of anything at all that the film's underlying oppressive atmosphere feels all the heavier. This makes the film very difficult to access for a broad audience. But if you can get into it, you will quickly be captivated by this intense slowness and won't let go until the very consequential finale.

To kill a man is an uncomfortable film in many ways that makes you angry and thoughtful. As such, even after the fairly short running time, the viewer is not let go for a long time. The film raises many social and moral questions and also offers a really exciting story. If you are able to get involved with the very calm and unagitated production, you will get a very special kind of stirring suspense cinema. And that's why there is also a deserved here: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: That the visual realization of the DVD makes the film seem a bit undercooled, meets the oppressive mood of the story perfectly. Overall, the image sharpness is on a good level, although there are always minor weak points in the detail to discover. The sound mix is completely in keeping with the style of the production and is therefore extremely restrained and almost minimalist. The dialogues are mixed well understandable and light ambient noises also ensure that a small amount of movement can be detected in the surround area. Good!

Extras: In addition to the trailer and a very interesting interview with director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras (approx. 19:15 min.), the DVD also has a making of consisting of footage from the shooting (approx. 14:21 min.), as well as eight cut and extended scenes (approx. 17:03 min.) to offer. Good!

Conclusion: To kill a man is a very restrainedly staged and, precisely because of that, extremely effective revenge drama, which reaches its real strength only through the consequent finale. Without many words, director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras has created a truly gripping educational piece about revenge and its consequences, which lovers of sophisticated genre cinema should not miss. The technically well-realized DVD has, in addition to the main film, longer cut scenes to offer, as well as a very insightful interview with the director. Recommended

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp