Ladron Que Roba A Ladron

Ladron Que Roba A Ladron
Studio: Lions Gate
Rated: NOT RATED
Cast: Fernando Colunga, Jojo Henrickson
Director: Joe Menendez
WorkNameSort: Ladron Que Roba A Ladron
Our Rating: 3.00
This Spanish-language heist film holds its own when compared to the standard metrics of the genre. A motley crew of likable, fallible crooks? Check. A too-rich-for-his-own-good mark? Check. A job that seems impossibly difficult? Check. An appropriately Rube Goldbergian construct of a plan? Check. Loads of snappy, witty dialogue undertaken in the execution of that plan? Absolutely. Where Ladrón sets itself apart from the pack, though, is in its messaging. While most films of this ilk are content to maximize their morality with some Robin Hood’style reversal of riches (â?¦ oh, yeah: check), Ladrón seeks to impart an empowering message to Latino immigrants in the U.S. To tackle the service-economy reality of many immigrants, civil rights issues and Latino-on-Latino exploitation would seem to be the purview of an earnest documentary. However Ladrón addresses all these things (and more) in a way that’s elegant, gentle and often quite hilarious.

This article appears in Aug 29 – Sep 4, 2007.