HASTA EL CIELO/ SKY HIGH

Been, 2020, 121 minutes, Colour.

Miguel Herran, Caroline Yuste, Asia Ortega, Luis Tosar, Richard Holmes.

Directed by Daniel Calparsoro.

A film about crime in Madrid. The initial focus is on young men, friends, rivals, ambitious, becoming more audacious in robberies, risking prison.

Focus is on a young man, Angel, and his ambitious career, seemingly naive at the beginning, under the influence of a friend/rival, Poli, becoming more daring, doublecrossing Poli, setting up his own team for robberies, yet having a prison experience and defying it. The film also focuses on his relationship with Poli’s girlfriend, a strong-minded character who is intrigued by Angel and continues a relationship with him.

The further development as time goes on is Angel coming into contact with a crime boss in Madrid, Rogelio, played by veteran Luis Tosar. While Rogelio is wary, he works in connection with Angel and his team.

There is also the complication that Angel is attracted to Roger Leo’s daughter, she to him, and there is an expedient marriage as well is continuing the relationship with Estrella and then her breaking it.

Some have commented that this scenario, long and episodic, seems like something of a pilot film for a television series. In fact, soon after the making of this film, there was an eight part television series with the same title, covering the same area but with a different cast except for Luis Tosar heading it, continuing his role as Rogelio.

The film is more of interest for Spanish audiences and/or for those who like to make comparisons with thugs and gangsters in different capital cities around the world. The director took on a similar theme in Centauro after making this film and before the television series – a much more telling and succinct variation on these themes.