Smoke & Mirrors (Spanish: El hombre de las mil caras) is a 2016 Spanish thriller film directed by Alberto Rodríguez based on the 2006 non-fiction book Paesa, el espía de las mil caras by Manuel Cerdán.[1] The film stars Eduard Fernández as Francisco Paesa, a former agent of the Spanish secret service who faked his own death after an infamous corruption scandal.
| Smoke & Mirrors | |
|---|---|
 Film poster (international) | |
| Spanish | El hombre de las mil caras |
| Directed by | Alberto Rodríguez |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | Paesa, el espía de las mil caras by Manuel Cerdán |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Alex Catalán |
| Music by | Julio de la Rosa |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 123 minutes |
| Country | Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
Plot
editFrancisco Paesa — an ex-secret agent for the Spanish government who was instrumental in the most important operation against the Basque terrorist group ETA — is framed by his own government and forced to leave the country. When he is finally able to return to Spain, he is broke and his personal life is falling apart. It is then he receives a visit from Luis Roldán, the powerful former Commissioner of Police who offers him one million dollars for help with safeguarding twelve million dollars embezzled by Roldán from the police budget. Paesa plans revenge in order to seize Roldán’s money, fooling an entire country in a brilliant and intricate operation worthy of the best illusionist.
Cast
edit- Eduard Fernández as Francisco Paesa
- José Coronado as Jesús Camoes
- Marta Etura as Nieves Fernández Puerto
- Carlos Santos as Luis Roldán
- Enric Benavent as Casturelli
- Alba Galocha as Beatriz
- Philippe Rebbot as Jean-Pierre Pinaud
- Pedro Casablanc as Abogado de Paesa
- Israel Elejalde as González
- Tomás del Estal as Bermejo
- Jons Pappila as Arlauckas
- Luis Callejo as Juan Alberto Belloch
- Mireia Portas as Gloria
- Craig Stevenson as Georges Starckman
- Emilio Gutiérrez Caba as Osorno
- Christian Stamm as Hans
- Ramón Rados as Rafael Vera
- Agustín Galiana as Tipo Filatelia
Release
editThe film premiered at the 64th San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Silver Shell for Best Actor for Eduard Fernández.[2] It was also screened at the 2016 London Film Festival.[3] Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures,[4] it was released theatrically in Spain on 23 September 2016.
Reception
editFausto Fernández of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, singling out "the precision with which it is narrated and executed" as its hallmark.[5]
Carlos Marañón of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, assessing that "Rodriguez takes [the] Spanish political thriller [genre] to another level".[6]
Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter deemed the film to be "quick-thinking, showy, ambitious and stylish in its manipulations; but also, for most of the duration, it's as soulless as a briefcase full of used banknotes".[7]
Guy Lodge of Variety billed the film as a "slick-as-Brylcreem political thriller".[8]
Lee Marshall of ScreenDaily underscored that "this overlong, over-detailed story never seems entirely sure what it's trying to say".[9]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016
|
64th San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Shell for Best Film | Nominated | [2] | |
| Silver Shell for Best Actor | Eduard Fernández | Won | |||
2017
|
22nd Forqué Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [10] | |
| Best Actor | Eduard Fernández | Nominated | |||
| 4th Feroz Awards | Best Drama Film | Nominated | [11][12] | ||
| Best Director | Alberto Rodríguez | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos | Nominated | |||
| Best Main Actor in a Film | Eduard Fernández | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Film | Carlos Santos | Nominated | |||
| José Coronado | Nominated | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Marta Etura | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Soundtrack | Julio de la Rosa | Nominated | |||
| Best Trailer | Nominated | ||||
| Best Film Poster | Won | ||||
| 9th Gaudí Awards | Best Actor | Eduard Fernández | Won | ||
| 31st Goya Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [14] | ||
| Best Director | Alberto Rodríguez | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Eduard Fernández | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actor | Carlos Santos | Won | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos | Won | |||
| Best Editing | José M.G. Moyano | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Pepe Domínguez del Olmo | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Supervision | Manuela Ocón | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Daniel de Zayas, César Molina, José Antonio Manovel | Nominated | |||
| Best Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Yolanda Piña | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Score | Julio de la Rosa | Nominated | |||
| 26th Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role | Carlos Santos | Won | [15] | |
| 4th Platino Awards | Best Ibero-American Film | Nominated | [16] | ||
| Best Screenplay | Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor | Eduard Fernández | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Daniel de Zayas, César Molina, José Antonio Manovel | Nominated | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "'Smoke and Mirrors' ('El Hombre de las Mil Caras'): San Sebastián Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Eduard Fernández, Concha de Plata por su Paesa de 'El hombre de las mil caras'". El País (in Spanish). 24 September 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ "Smoke & Mirrors". BFI. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2017.
- ^ "El Taquillazo de laSexta estrena 'El hombre de las mil caras'". LaSexta. 3 November 2018.
- ^ Fernández, Fausto (20 April 2016). "El hombre de las mil caras (2016)". Fotogramas.
- ^ Marañón, Carlos (29 August 2016). "El hombre de las mil caras". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ Holland, Jonathan (19 September 2016). "'Smoke and Mirrors' ('El Hombre de las Mil Caras'): Film Review | San Sebastian 2016". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (18 September 2016). "Film Review: 'Smoke and Mirrors'". Variety.
- ^ Marshall, Lee (19 September 2016). "'Smoke and Mirrors': San Sebastian Review". ScreenDaily.
- ^ Caz, Ángela del (15 January 2017). "Lista de ganadores de los Premios Forqué 2017: Raúl Arévalo triunfa en su debut como director". Bekia.
- ^ "'El hombre de las mil caras lidera los Feroz". LosExtras (in Spanish). 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "La lista completa de ganadores de los premios Feroz 2017" (in Spanish). El Huffinton Post. January 23, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "El palmarés de los Premios Gaudí 2017". El Periódico de Catalunya. Prensa Ibérica. 30 January 2017.
- ^ "Juan Antonio Bayona's 'A Monster Calls' Leads Goya Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "'Tarde para la ira' arrasa en unos Premios Unión de Actores con fuerte reivindicación femenina". RTVE. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-03-14.
- ^ "'El ciudadano ilustre', premio Platino a la mejor película en la capital iberoamericana de Europa". Audiovisual451. 23 July 2017.