Men With Guns (1998)

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  June 13, 2009

  bbcfloridabound

  This was my first John Sayles film that I am aware of. It came from my list of Films from the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival and as I have said in each review of a film from that list, they have yet to show a bad film. I am told that Sayles is a Independent American Fi... read morelmmaker and he proves it in this film. A film in Spanish language with English Subtitles. A story of a Doctor in a Latin American Country who goes on a search for his students that he trained years before, they are spread out in the rain forest. The students he finds out have been killed over the years by soldiers or guerrillas, bandits or thieves, all of who are Men With Guns. The cast is unheard of by most Americans, but neither the subtitles nor the cast take away from the movie. 4 1/2 stars I have to give this one.

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  September 24, 2006

  Beefy

  Powerful film. Worthwhile.

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  March 6, 2009

  Hellshocked

  To the innocent bystander, the poverty stricken populance caught in the middle of a revolution/civil war/coup d'etat, there is no difference between the dictators and the democrats, the fascists and the socialists, the military and the paramilitary, no heroes and no villains. The... read morere are only the men with guns and themselves, and the men with guns always get what they want.
  
  This rarely shown side of armed conflict is at the heart of this brave film, which dares to empathize without preaching. The film is as simple as its title, and no less profound for it.
  
  Shot entirely in spanish (as opposed to entirely in english with the cast donning 'spanglish' accents, thank you) and taking place in a purposefully unnamed country, it is structured like a road movie whose ultimate destination is a mythical utopic town in the jungle.
  
  So rarely has a film captured the spirit or the reality of Latin America, and the fact that this one, directed by a man from Boston, managed to do both, brings hope.

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  January 30, 2008

  cacutshaw

  Very interesting film from the great John Sayles. Shot mostly in Spanish this is a great character study that as you watch it you sink completely into the movies world. It was cool how Sayles added Patinkin in there to jolt you out of it for a minute, just to remind you that yo... read moreu were hypnotized.

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  June 14, 2010

  jscottcorley

  Excellent Sayles film about government and violence clashing with the lives of the people. The single character going back to try and find the students he sent into the wild to doctor the locals is a perfect frame to drop in other elements along the journey. Sayles' character d... read moreevelopment and direction is so very good as a viewer you know each new character will be a new journey in itself.

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  June 27, 2008

  jes25924

  I saw this film once, on cable, completely unaware of who John Sayles was, and initially unsure if I wanted to watch something which sounded so didactic, but what I found was one of the most comelling dramas I had ever seen.
  The story follows a wealthy doctor from a lush unname... read mored city in a fictional South American country(but its filmed in Mexico), on his journey through the country side, as part of his retirement, he is going to first visit those doctors whom he trained that went on to work in poor villages. Out of the comfort of the city comes the violence of rural areas, crimes and horrors perperated not by the government or the rebels, but in the eyes of the many villagers who recount the tales, by "The Men With Guns". A journey of dissillusionment and story of complacency, action, and meaning, "Men With Guns" is a movie which doesn't seem particularly appealing but which sidewinds viewers with it's suprising literate dialogue and plotting and lush visuals of South American countryside. Men With Guns is a political allegory that sneaks up on you with it's emotional impact and gripping humanism. I don't normally like to use to the word "moving" when refering to a work of art, because it makes me think of heavy lifting and boxes, but this movie was just, that, and having only seen it once after many years, it still comes back to me, particularly when I hear the daily body counts from any of the numerous war zones, patronized by the night news.

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• Donal Logue as Goldman
• Gregory Sporleder as Lucas
• Callum Keith Rennie as Mamet
• Max Perlich as Easy Gary
• Paul Sorvino as Horace Burke
• Joseph Griffin as Mickey Burke
• Derek Ritschel as Kevin Janey
• William MacDonald as Becker
• Federico Luppi as Dr. Fuentes

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• • Domingo the soldier: Could you hear my confession?
  • Padre Portillo the priest: i'm not a priest anymore. I don't wear a cassock see?
  • Domingo the soldier: I was a soldier but now i don't wear the uniform. Does that mean i haven't killed anyone?
  • Padre Portillo the priest: Killing the enemy in battle isn't the same as murder...

• In the surreality of this film, most of the popular girls in school share a given name, jocks rule with an iron fist, rebellious young men tote guns and explosives and croquet is the game of choice for today's youth. Which bizarre 80's teen film fits this description?  Answer »
• In this film, most of the popular girls in school share a given name, jocks rule with an iron fist, rebellious young men tote guns and explosives and croquet is the game of choice for today's youth. Which bizarre 80's teen film fits this description?  Answer »
• "You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You?....." From which movie has this monologue been picked up?   Answer »
• "Son, we live in a world with walls, and these walls have to be guarded by men with guns." Which actor said the words, and in what movie?  Answer »

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