Irish Film Institute -ROUND TWO

ROUND TWO

Director: DANIEL CEBRIAN

SPAIN • 2005 • SUBTITLED • COLOUR • ANAMORPHIC • DOLBY DIGITAL STEREO • 35MM • 104 MIN


An assured sophomore turn from director Daniel Cebrian, Round Two welds fight, heist and family drama elements into something that resonates way beyond the sum of its parts.

Angel (the superbly sculpted Alex Gonzalez) is being trained by Paco ‘the Tiger’ (Pepo Oliva) for his shot at the big time. But Paco’s idealistic advice is starting to sound hollow, since away from the ring things are falling apart for the boxer. One day, former fighter Vidal (Dario Grandinetti of Talk to Her) blithely informs Angel that he’s a bank robber and needs help. Angel robs a bank with Vidal, but this first robbery is just the prelude to a bigger, tougher job — the second round of the title — that Vidal is planning. The busy plot is neatly and economically handled, delivering its big twist in an understated moment that meshes with the low-key atmosphere of the whole. The moral conditions necessary for Angel’s transformation from do-gooder to crook are convincingly outlined via his need for a role model.

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