Sin Nombre – DVD Review

The Film:

Too often movies have a tendency to sensationalize gang violence. Tony Montana, from 1983′s Scarface, is beloved by film fans across the world, despite the conclusion of that film involving him snorting a mountain of cocaine and going on a murderous rampage. City of God also suffered a similar fate by attempting to stylize the picture – the gangs became so alluring that the audience becomes entranced by the film’s dark side rather than being repulsed by it. In Sin Nombre, however, first time director Cary Fukunaga finds the perfect balance between stylish flourish and gritty realism. Although he is able to illustrate the enticing charisma of this particular gang, the audience is far from getting any satisfaction out of their vicious assaults. This authenticity, along with an admittedly overly melodramatic script, make for an oddly winning combination in this remarkably satisfying debut thriller.

The film begins by introducing two linear plot lines – one involving Sayra (Paulina Gaitan), a young teenage girl about to venture from her homeland of Hondouras, through Mexico, and finally to New Jersey, and another involving Willy, known as “Casper”, a young gang member serving as a sort of older brother to the gang’s newest recruit, 12-year-old Smiley (Kristian Ferrer). Willy’s gang is led by the ruthless and flamboyantly tattooed Lil Mago (Tenoch Huerta Meija), who takes Willy and Smiley on a mission to rob the poor immigrant passengers riding on top of a train journeying to the border. After an unexpected turn of events, Willy saves Sayra from a sexual assault by Lil Mago, leaving Willy a wanted man.

Fukunaga underwent extensive research prior to the making of the film, riding as a passenger on top of the train with real Mexican immigrants. His attention to detail, therefore, is more than satisfying. There’s a sequence early on where children throw oranges at the passengers, and later on a sort of ironic parallel sequence in which others throw rocks. Little details like those give the film it’s authenticity, and although the plot may be a bit convenient, the rich setting makes even the most unlikely plot developments impossible to resist.

Like Slumdog Millionaire, Sin Nombre is an odd but completely satisfying mix of melodrama and documentary-like gritty realism. Fukunaga displays enormous talents in his first effort as a writer/director, and such a remarkable debut effort solidifies him as one of the most important young American auteurs out there.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: The film looks okay, although it’s a bit inexcusable to not release a Blu-ray along with the standard format in 2009. For a film with such impressive visuals, it’s a shame that we don’t have a disc that can fully put the film’s technical prowess on display. The night scenes are a bit dull, but everything else is simply fine. The audio track is good, however, creating a rich environment and not drowning out the voices.

Audio Commentary: The audio commentary was recorded by writer/director Cary Fukunaga and producer Amy Kaufman. It’s an average track, perhaps a bit dull in both tone and content. Fukunaga discusses the writing of the film thoroughly, and Kaufman chimes in every now and then with an observation. There’s rarely a lull in the audio, but it’s not a particularly interesting track.

Deleted Scenes: The disc includes ten minutes of deleted scenes, and there are some pretty significant ones. An entire sequence involving an errand on the way to the border was cut, as were some minor scenes that further develop Smiley’s relationship with the gang. These scenes help flesh out the plot a bit more thoroughly, however it’s not hard to see why any of them were left out of the film.

Conclusion: This is a great movie. It’s a familiar story, with archetypal characters and a predictable final act, but it’s consistently involving. The disc is a big disappointment, however, as a film that looks this good should be on Blu-ray, and a film with such a fascinating behind-the-scenes story should be documented beyond a commentary track. You may want to rent a copy for now and wait for a Blu-ray version of the film later.

The Film: Rating:
The DVD: Rating:

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