Over the course of the next three years, the cops of Unit 7 will have to eradicate the most dangerous drug trafficking network in Seville, Spain before the city sets to open the 1992 Seville World Exhibition. The leader of the group is Angel (Mario Casas), a young and ambitious officer who is looking to make detective and declares he won’t hit his criminals. Then there is Rafael (Antonio de la Torre), a violent cop who gets results and seems to be the seasoned veteran of the group. As the expo draws nearer and the mission pushes onward, the two characters begin to take opposite paths as Angel will do anything to get results while Rafael becomes less violent after meeting a young woman.
Unit 7 wasn’t the crime thriller I was expecting and even after a few weeks of thinking about it, I still can’t decide where I stand on this stylistic film from Spain. Director and co-writer Alberto Rodriguez opens the film with an awesome drug bust and creates a lot of tension and suspense as the cops are trying to capture criminals. The thing is, once that scene ends, nothing really happens for the next 35-40 minutes. The pace is killed along with the thought that the entire movie would move this way. It was a great way to hook me and I understand that some serious character development took place after the thrilling scene, but it just felt like such a letdown once he hooked me.
Rodriguez gives s a very in-depth look at the evolution of the four cops and how, due to their early success stories glorified in the media, they start to feel increased pressure to get results. This is the reason why Angel starts to become a bullish psychopath, going well beyond the boundaries of the law to take down the scum of the earth. He becomes his own worst enemy as he pushes beyond those boundaries and continues to piss off more criminals. Eventually, unknown criminals start making threats, making sure that he knows that he isn’t necessarily safe. There’s even a point where Angel gets the balls to talk down to Rafael, who not only transitions from a be
ing a smart psycho to a levelheaded enforcer, he saved Angel’s life once and could probably still kick his ass.
As for Rafael, he is a reserved man who lost his wife years ago. When he met a stranger looking for a place to stay, he eventually showed some rare kindness in an effort to help her. In turn, this has a positive impact on him because not only does he have a woman in his life to take his mind off things, but he becomes more relaxed and less violent on the job. Rafael was my favorite character to watch thanks to the excellent performance from Antonio de la Torre.
Overall, Unit 7 was a decent and well rounded crime thriller that was held afloat by solid acting, a balanced story, Rodriguez’s attention to detail and it’s strikingly gritty visuals. It isn’t a film you need to rush out and see but if you have some free time and want to dabble with a stylistic Spanish thriller then there’s no harm in doing so you’ll probably leave satisfied.
Rating: Gritty, intelligent and semi-satisfying (6/10)
Friday, April 20th at 5:30 pm at the SVA theater 2 Beatrice
Sunday, April 22nd at 10:00 pm at the Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 5
Tuesday, April 24th at 11:30 am at the AMC Loews Village 7 – 3
Wednesday, April 25th at 10:00 PM at the Clearview Cinemas Chelsea 5
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