CODIGO EMPERADOR

Spain, 2022, 106 minutes, Colour.

Luis Tosar, Alexandra Masangkay , Georgina Amoros, Dennis Gomez, Laura Dominguez, Migeul Rellan, Maria Botto,.

Directed by Jorge Coira.

This is an interesting political drama from Spain starring a regular star from this kind of film, Luis Tosar.

The episodes at the beginning of the film suggests quite an ambiguity. Juan, Luis Tosar, befriends a young Filipino maid who is abducted by thugs in a van, going to her house, sympathetic, but the audience realising that this is a set up and he is installing surveillance material in the house where she works, the home of a German industrialist involved in importing bomb-making clerical chemicals from Argentina to Spain. However, this begins a relationship between the two, he a lonely man, working for the agencies, she with hopes to make some m Juany, return to the Philippines with her many sisters and set up a home there.

It is revealed then that Juan is responsible to a supervising political operator. While the sting on the import of the chemicals proceeds throughout the film, involving Juan in travel all over Europe as well as a climax in the port of Bilbao and the discovery of the chemicals, he is also involved in investigating an allegedly clean politician. All kinds of surveillance, a team of experts in IT as well as agents, men and women, who go into action.  Juan also has a link with the young woman, student, working in a bar, whom he helped when she was a drug addict at the age of 15.

The politician makes a bad decision, goes online with a false name,  Juan setting him up with the drug addict girl but with photos of the Filipina. Meetings are arranged, the politician compromised, especially when he meets the girl serving as a waitress at a political function.

 Juan, has also been recording the conversations and results, pressured by a journalist to give him a scoop. While he is able to effect the return of the maid to the Philippines, the rest of the film and its ending is quite ambiguous again. It would seem that  Juan has made a decision to unmask the political conspiracies.

1. Political thriller? The title? Agencies? Counter agencies? Agents in reporting? Plans, plots, consequences?
2. The Spanish setting, the city, agencies, media outlets, politicians’ homes, public events? The musical score?
3. The political intrigue, heads of agencies, their aims, undermining of politicians, creating scandals, issues of national security, drug smuggling, bomb chemical smuggling?
4. Juan, his age, the loner, committed to the agency, is reporting to Galan, Galan and the decision-making, the variety of agents, networking, technology, the surveillance, cameras, computers, various apps, photos?
5. The issue with Angel, wife and family, politics, the intrusive surveillance, nothing on him? Going online, the sites, the women, Juan setting him up with Wendy, the photos, the fake name? His using a fake name? Juan manipulating the dates, his relationship with Marta, her drug addiction as a teenager, rehabilitation, studies, working at the bar, Juan and his hold over her, arranging the dates with Angel? The first meeting, the hotel, his behaviour, her reaction? At the political rally, her work as a waitress, Angel following her, the hotel room, her brutalising herself, the blood, setting him up? Juan going in, the conversation, the cover? Angel feeling that he had lost his political position? Juan reporting to Galan and, that there was nothing to fear, Angel and his reputation, his new position?
6. The encounter with Wendy, the Filipino maid, no permit, her job? Abducted, rescued by Juan, calling himself Alex, getting into the house, setting up the surveillance? The relationship with Wendy, the sexual liaison, the effect on her, on him? The phone number? The various meetings?
7. The bomb plan, the surveillance of the Germans, the elaborate plan with the chemicals, from Argentina, to Spain, the Port of Bilbao, the contacts? Wendy as the maid in the house, her being arrested, interrogated? The plan at the port, Juan and his infiltration, finding the chemicals? Anna going in? The shootout, the success of the mission?
8. Juan and his rivalry with Azcona, Galan playing them off? The taking of Wendy, Juan and his reporting to Galan and, her release, together, his giving her the money, the ticket? Her plans to return to the Philippines, her sisters, building a house, the resort, and her reminding him of the guest house?
9. Juan, shrewd, his tapes, the contact with the journalist, giving her the contacts, the codes?
10. Spanish politics, agencies, rivalries, corruption?