Ladrones (2015)

Ladrones: Directed by Joe Menendez. With Fernando Colunga, Eduardo Yáñez, Cristina Rodlo, Jessica Lindsey. Legendary thief Alejandro Toledo return to his roots with a new partner to reclaim land stolen from a hard working community by a ruthless family of crooks.

“If you got past the title of this movie and are still reading this review, that probably means youu0026#39;re at least open to the idea of seeing a Latin American movie. Good for you – especially if youu0026#39;re not Hispanic or donu0026#39;t speak Spanish. There are treasures to be discovered in south-of-the-border movies and they are treasures that many people miss because theyu0026#39;re not willing to look to other cultures for entertainment possibilities. 2015 brought to American movie theaters thoroughly enjoyable Mexican films like u0026quot;Buen Dia, Ramonu0026quot; (u0026quot;Good Day, Ramonu0026quot;, a Mexican-German co-production, also known as u0026quot;Guten Tag, Ramonu0026quot;), the romantic comedy u0026quot;A la malau0026quot; and the derivative, but still enjoyable animated comedy u0026quot;Un Gallo con Muchos Huevosu0026quot; (u0026quot;A Rooster with Many Eggsu0026quot;), as well as Argentinian films like the romantic comedy u0026quot;El críticou0026quot; (u0026quot;The Movie Criticu0026quot;) and the darkly comedic Argentinian anthology u0026quot;Wild Talesu0026quot; along with the chilling Venezuelan horror mystery u0026quot;La casa del fin de los tiemposu0026quot; (u0026quot;The House at the End of Timeu0026quot;). Add u0026quot;Ladronesu0026quot; (PG-13, 1:38) to the list of 2015u0026#39;s best Latin American cinematic exports.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLadrones is the Spanish word for thieves. The movie is the sequel to 2007u0026#39;s u0026quot;Ladron Que Roba a Ladronu0026quot; (u0026quot;To Rob a Thiefu0026quot;) and gives us another Robin Hood-like adventure comedy in which legendary thief Alejandro Toledo (Fernando Colunga) uses his particular set of skills to right economic wrongs for some fellow Mexicans. In the sequel, Emilio Sánchez (Miguel Varoni), Alejandrou0026#39;s partner in the first film, is on the other side of the law-and-order equation working for the FBI. That doesnu0026#39;t mean that heu0026#39;s no longer sympathetic to his old friendu0026#39;s activities, but he can no longer take part. The best he can do is turning a blind eye and recommending a mutual acquaintance named Santiago Guzmán (Eduardo Yáñez). (This is the first time that Latin American superstars Colunga and Yáñez have appeared on screen together.) When the Mexican War ended in 1848, the victorious U.S. seized northern Mexican territory stretching from modern-day California to Texas. Mexican landowners north of the Rio Grande River who wanted to continue living and working in Texas had to prove their ownership of the land. Mexican rancher Juan Ramirez showed his land grant deed to the authorities and then buried it in the desert – along with the deeds that his neighbors asked him to keep safe for them. American settler and gang leader Ned Kilroy kills Ramirez for his land – and the secret of where he buried the deeds dies with him. The bad blood between the two families bubbles back to the surface 166 years later when Juan Rodriguezu0026#39; descendant, Josefa (Carmen Beato) discovers the deeds buried on her land and Miranda Kilroy (Jessica Lindsey) sends her henchman Rex (Frank Perozo) to the Ramirez home to steal the deeds and insure her familyu0026#39;s claims.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJosefau0026#39;s daughter, Jackie (Cristina Rodlo) seeks out the famous Alejandro to request his help. He agrees to come out of criminal retirement to steal back the deeds and convinces similarly retired Santiago Guzmán to step away from his shady business ventures to help out, in spite of the objections of Santiagou0026#39;s wife, Magda (Michelle González). Next, Alejandro and Santiago do what Alejandro and Emilio did in the first film – gather a group of amateurs whom they hope will be able to fly under the radar as they execute their plan. They actually hold auditions from among the Ramirez family and their friends in order to build the caper around the unique talents of the individuals they choose.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis process brings together a motley crew that ranges from smart and resourceful to just very enthusiastic. Alejandro and Santiagou0026#39;s gang starts with Josefa, a gardener and former scientist, and Jackie, whou0026#39;s a whiz at computers. Theyu0026#39;re joined by Jackieu0026#39;s sweet, but clumsy boyfriend, Ray (Vadhir Derbez), who insists that heu0026#39;s u0026quot;impervious to painu0026quot;, bad actor, Miguelito (Oscar Torre), self-proclaimed spiritualist, Maria Elena (Nashla Bogaert) and ditzy hot girl, Tina (Gabriela Perez). This is the crew that Alejandro and Santiago hope can pull off their version of the crime of the century, Robin Hood style.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Ladronesu0026quot; is a light, but very satisfying movie. The actors are well-cast and their characters are likable (except for those who weu0026#39;re not supposed to like). The script is simple, but sometimes pretty clever and often very funny. (The director is Joe Menendez, who also directed the first film and this sequelu0026#39;s screenwriter is Jon Molerio, who also appears in the film as Mirandau0026#39;s comically inept head of security.) Itu0026#39;s a real pleasure to watch this humorous Hispanic version of the u0026quot;Oceanu0026#39;s 11u0026quot; crew prepare for their mission and attempt to carry out the plan. This movie lacks the intense violence, foul language and overt sexuality of similar movies, making u0026quot;Ladronesu0026quot; cross-cultural fun for the whole family. u0026quot;B+u0026quot;”