Towards Darkness (2007) User Reviews

My home...my friends...my country...all caught up in a crossfire of violence.

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 24 March 2009]

Being a fan of "Man on Fire," I decided to check out this film produced by and starring America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty") to expose the problem of kidnapping in Columbia. She says, "The rate in Colombia is awful. More than one person a day is kidnapped there." It is not just a problem in Columbia, but in many places in the World.

Roberto Urbina (Che: Part One) as Jose is the victim, and spends his time thinking about his ex-girlfriend Luiza (America Ferrera). Of course, the film flashes back and forth from real time to the time of the kidnapping.

Jose is not too smart. He sees some thugs in a bar that earlier pulled a gun on him on the football field, and he stands there downing shot after shot. Did Luiza set him up? He sure wasn't sober enough to see it coming.

It did have a great car chase when Charlie (David Sutcliffe), the ex-FBI agent helping to deliver the ransom steals a car after getting stuck in traffic.

An interesting film on the subject, but didn't set me on fire.

Not to convinced..

[stephflores84-1 · 6/10 · 11 October 2008]

I am Colombian, from the north coast and was excited to stumble upon a colombian movie. it was showing in HBO Latino and I said what the heck I recognize some of the colombian actors so it might be good. WRONG. America Ferrera doesn't speak Spanish well enough to be in this movie, they should have looked for a native actress and not her. She wasn't even cute enough for the main actor, anyways back to the point. The flash backs were too many, some of the stories surrounding were dumb. What was the point of showing the guy pulling a gun in a soccer game? Most colombians that get kidnap don't have access to an ex FBI agent helping out and best of all no colombian cop will know how to speak English (like the guy who spoils the delivery of the money.)I gave it a 6 rating because it was filmed in Colombia, used mainly colombian actors (america ferrera was horrible stick to ugly betty and shes not even from colombian decent)and gave an insight into the struggles of millions of colombians living in fear of terrorist groups. One more thing they changed the licence plates of all the cars, in colombia license plates are yellow. I know I know, but I noticed. If this was the directors first movie, he's going to get only better. Hope you enjoyed this comment!!

A really long, short movie.

[shadow_pds · 4/10 · 5 June 2008]

I rented this movie thinking it would be an action film that came out of the dark. I realized during the first few minutes that this wasn't going to be short. The movie contains flashbacks of the kidnapped man's life with his friends and family. There are also flashbacks of other people as well. Mostly flashbacks of the people who are looking for the guy. I thought the ending was predictable if you listen close to the bad guys words when the scene of the kidnapping is giving. I didn't enjoy this movie because it was missing something. That something may be some details that are needed and some details that should have been kept in the dark! If u enjoy really boring movies that have the same ending that every other movie of the same category has now a days then rent this or buy this but in my opinion I would rather not see this again. It's not even a movie that I would see if I could go back through time.

A Film with a Messy Non-Linear Story with Terrible Camera Work and Edition

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 16 August 2011]

The Colombian Jose Gutierrez (Roberto Urbina) leaves his girlfriend in USA and travels to Colombia to visit his parents Carlos (Tony Plana) and Marta Gutierrez (Alejandra Borrero). Jose meets his former passion, Luiza (America Ferrera), and they date and go to a night-club. Then Jose is abducted and a group asks for ransom to his father, who is the manager of a bank. The insurance company does not honor the contract and Carlos seeks the help of KNRC, a company specialized in abductions and ransoms, and with the powerful drug dealer Umberto Pompeo (Fernando Solórzano). A commando seeks the kidnappers while a carrier heads to the Buena Fortuna Street to deliver the ransom money. Will Jose Gutierrez be rescued on time?

"Hacia la Oscuridad" is a film with a messy non-linear story with terrible camera work and edition. The plot has the intention to show how dangerous is the life in Colombia but neither the story nor the screenplay are good. The action of Luiza is absolutely unreasonable and incoherent giving a ridiculous twist in the plot. The car chase is awfully filmed and edited and the boring flashbacks break the tension of the lead story. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "A Um Passo da Escuridão" ("At One Step from the Darkness")

A Noble Subject...An awful movie

[delfinopi112 · 1/10 · 9 November 2009]

Towards Darkness deals with the very serious subject of the kidnappings and violence in Colombia. This is certainly a topic worthy of a movie, but not this one. This has to be one of the worst movies I have seen recently. The director is OBSESSED with the idea of using flashbacks. In fact, several times there are flashbacks within flashbacks, and if the movie has a character, you're going to see them flashing back. In one scene where they are playing ball, I half expected to see the soccer ball flash back to when it was manufactured.

One reviewer said this movie had a great car chase--I was so bored by the time the car chase occurred, that it made no impression on me. It seemed like half the movie involved the ex-FBI agent who was delivering the ransom money being shown stuck in traffic. Traffic jams are never a good subject for a movie. Skip this one.

Another DVD Frisbee

[RobinCook70 · 1/10 · 11 June 2008]

This movie says it is inspired by true events, but that's as far as the interesting part goes.

I don't mind reading a movie (since this film is foreign), but being unfamiliar with the cast along with the constant and frustrating flashbacks, I had to continue to pause to finish reading something and then try to figure out who was talking, plus what character (actor) I was viewing and in what character context.

Also, with each scene of seeing the ransom money delivery guy stuck in traffic to meet the noon deadline, then another and another and ....yet another flashback ... and back to the traffic frustration. The flashbacks were too often and they were the kinds that had flash, flash, flash of this and that kind of ratatatat pictures, that my eyeballs became so weary from the strain I had to stop watching this film. It was hard enough to read the movie, but to have my eyes assaulted with flashing flashbacks was just too much. I got the idea, okay? that these were good buddies who drank together and so forth, but enough was enough. This movie lacked cohesiveness with a very limited storyline. As far as I was concerned I didn't care if the kidnap victim was rescued ... was about ready to side with the kidnappers! So, fly this Frisbee disc out the window and don't waste your time.

A tense and shocking film!

[robert5692 · 8/10 · 24 September 2008]

"Towards Darkness" really surprised me. I had heard little about it, and bought it online because I was intrigued. It is a tension-filled thriller, that kept me guessing what was going to happen next. America Ferrara does a great job in a performance unlike any other I've seen her do. The main character also does a good job. In terms of the story, it unfolds in a complex structure, with time jumps that reveal both the past and the present. Though during a few moments it ran a little long, I felt that overall the structure really helped add to the tension. It has a lot of twists and turns, and makes you realize how many things can go wrong during a single kidnapping. It also gave a great glimpse into Columbian life. All in all, the film felt authentic and exciting. It has both English and Spanish, and a cool tone. It was brutal when it had to be, and surprisingly tender as well. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you like '24' or 'Man on Fire.'

Cinematography has lots of creativity and sound track good but that's it.

[peru1-595-630106 · 3/10 · 25 May 2013]

This movie follows a kidnapping in Columbia.

If you want a look at Cartagena Columbia this movie has some value but as entertainment the movie has so many problems.

First the good which is related to the bad....there is lots of effort at creative and interesting camera work: angles surprises etc which is really fun and beautiful at times but things like the ratatatat sequences of images becomes rapidly irritating and are done too much. Also I found the symbolism heavy handed or actually funny as right before the cop and his car get demolished and you see buzzards circling. All the religious imagery is excessive and kind of a turn off it lowers the intellectual bar a lot.

The acting is so so at best...lots of pretty men and an ugly lead woman.

The flashbacks are irritating and excessive disrupting the story and any kind of rapport you might feel for the characters exactly the opposite of what it is supposed to do. I laughed at the reviewer who said he expected to see a flashback of the soccer ball being manufactured. This flash back technique made the story very hard to follow. I didn't even realize it was the girlfriend who shot him I was so confused by the end of the movie. And when you can't follow you get bored fast.

This movie could have been saved by lots and lots of editing and cutting out the flashbacks as the way of telling the story.

I love Columbian movies for the scenery and the handsome actors but this one is a trial to get through.

Although insignificant compared to the above problems... the subtitles are translated with artistic license e.g. gente innocente (innocent people) becomes "people caught in the crossfire"...and every other explicative is maricon (fag) which is never translated as that but rather "stupid" "idiot" etc... Although this is an improvement.

'El Infierno' a Mexican social commentary dry comedy on this very same nightmare situation of social anarchy and killing from drug money is a far better movie. Watch it instead.

DO NOT RECOMMEND

It Must Be Cultural ...

[tjdercks · 2/10 · 15 January 2010]

Now I know why the Spanish speaking Cultures have not won a War since the time of the Musket ... if they have more than one bullet in the gun, they shoot themselves after shooting someone. I assume the time it took to reload the Musket, gave them time to reconsider suicide? ... LOL

This is the second Spanish Language movie I have watched this month (the other being, 'El menor de los males'), that a character deliberately, and as part of their job, shoots someone, and then immediately commits suicide?!?!

Why does she kidnap her Lover/Best Friend since childhood (who she just had sex with, and brought to see her dying mother?) ... Why does she shoot him? ... Why does she torture him by taking off his blindfold, to give him hope, and then the ultimate betrayal?... Why does she shoot herself? When you kidnap someone, you either get the money or not. FARC would have a hard time getting members, if you have to kill yourself, and your entire team (family in this case) must die, when you do not get the money.

A 'Gotcha' ending, that made no sense (She could have escaped? Gave him the gun? Shot him mercifully? Re-ransomed him?), was the icing on the cake, of a movie that made me feel ... I was stuck in traffic

Best car chase scene EVER!

[thetravelmom · 8/10 · 15 June 2008]

Wow, that's this director's FIRST film? I'm shocked. Felicitades!During the car chase scene I was on my feet yelling "HURRY!!!!!!!" at the top of my lungs. The tension and suspense is sublime. Very nice twist ending. A director once said, "give the audience 1 plus 1 and they'll figure out two" and this director did just that. Except I never saw that ending coming.

Devil's mask scene and commentary about "buying your way out of hell" was perfectly placed. The bank manager father is excellent in his role. Nice cemetery scene, and interesting director's comments about the gunfire that actually occurred while making that scene. Backstory of former FBI agent was poignant; his desperation in the chase scene was palpable but not overdone. I'm not sure why the ransom money was left blowing around ... wouldn't the police have made sure it was all tidily collected? It was fascinating to watch the bare-bones "short" (on special features,) and to marvel at the masterpiece that was born OUT of that short.

beautiful tragic film

[marsha_berman · 9/10 · 19 July 2009]

This story is about a desperate situation: a beloved son has been kidnapped and faces execution unless his family can secure a ransom and deliver it on time. There are several other story lines interwoven, and all of them involve tragedy. The filmmaker involves the audience in the emotions that each of the characters is dealing with; we grow to care perhaps too much for the fate of each. I disagree that the ending is predictable. It shocked the hell out of me; I'm a happy ending kind of person, and this one definitely is not! Yet if one is drawn to a compelling story, beautifully executed, then I strongly recommend this film.