La Máquina

La Maquina was absolutely amazing. It's only 6 episodes long so it's an easy binge. Just a warning you're going to want to binge them all in one sitting so give yourself enough time to do that. The cast alone should make you want to watch this. It had 3 top of line actors in Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and the incredibly beautiful Eiza Gonzalez. Bernal and Luna have worked together several times and you can see the chemistry the two have, this is probably their best work together and that's saying something. I wouldn't be surprised to see this win some awards come award season. It currently has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes so the critics love it as much as the audience does. I can't believe how few reviews there are. Most of it is in subtitles so that scares away some people. Don't let it though because this series is worth watching, subtitles or not. This series is a nail biter from the very first episode to the last so don't miss it.

The show tries to be many things. All of which would've made a compelling show had they fleshed them out, or at least just focused on one. The writing fails to turn Diego Luna into the Saul Goodman character they want him to be. The prosthetics are incredibly distracting and add nothing to the story. Gael Garcia sleepwalks through the entirety of his performance. The reporter aspect of the story lacks depth. The show wants to create a sense of tension, but one is never invested in the characters enough to care, and even if somehow you were able achieve the feat of caring about them, the writing does not create the sense of frenzy a show like this requires to build tension.

I just finished watching this with my brother and have to say that I enjoyed La Máquina even more than I expected to. I knew that I would probably like it going in because I'm a sucker for any movie/series that has to do with sports and because it has a fantastic cast. It stars Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal and Eliza Gonzalez. All great actors. It's about an aging boxing star named Esteban "La Máquina" Osuna (Bernal) and his shady manager, Andy (Luna), who gets him one last title shot despite his decline age and having memory problems. But in one of La Máquina first fights his manager made a deal for his opponent to throw the fight, unbeknownst to La Máquina. Now those same shady people who fixed that fight are back and threatening La Máquina to throw the biggest fight of his career. Every episode continues to build suspense to the point where you can't wait to watch the next episode.

"La Maquina" is a masterful series that highlights the remarkable talents of Mexican actors Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Eiza Gonzalez, who are making significant waves in Hollywood. Gael Garcia Bernal delivers a powerful performance as Esteban, an aging boxer seeking redemption, while Diego Luna shines as his shrewd manager, Andy. Eiza Gonzalez captivates as Irasema, adding depth to the narrative. The series is skillfully directed by Gabriel Ripstein, whose vision brings a unique blend of drama and intrigue to the screen. Lucia Mendez's special appearance adds elegance and gravitas, making "La Maquina" a standout production.

I originally gave this an 8 until I reached the final episode. Then I gave it a 9.

What begins as a gaudy frenzy of pressures and activity, slowly loosens into delicate threads of realisations and truth. As the latter are revealed, the threads begin to intertwine until the final episode where they become whole and strong.

The direction is delicately shaped as well. At first it all seems weird. It's a world I don't understand. And it's boxing which I don't like. It's in Spanish, which at first sounds rushed to me, the dialogue often is rapid fire, and it's my first Mexican film. Frenetic. But over time, things slow down, you're nudged along and what is real begins to form. The further along, the more time slows down, and as the characters slow down, the tension keeps building until the end when everything comes together and magic happens.

This series is often hilarious. Diego Luna's Andy is a ridiculous, crass and selfish, often pathetic and overbearing character, the most frenetic and desperate of all, but man, I began to feel for him. There are small quiet scenes along the way that show more vulnerable dimensions. Luna should do more comedy, including the physical. It's clear he loves it and he has the sensibility and physical grace to pull it off. It is finally in this series where I would say he is a great actor because the material has given him something to sink his brilliant teeth into.

I was not familiar with Bernal until this series. His character's Esteban, La Máquina, is the mute centre of everything that is wrong. He is the silent storm. It's fitting that he is the boxer. Bernal is great, his muted, often still self plays fantastically against the ever whirling Andy. He hallucinates things. Or are those hallucinations? In every sense, Bernal portrays him as a normal guy with a lot of pressure on him who has screwed up and is full of lamentation. Over time, like Andy, you begin to know him and feel for him.

Casting a dark shadow over everything is the murderous threat of anonymous fixers who want to control their lives. They are owed. They're everywhere and they mean business. Just when you find some relief, they're back again. This looming sense of dread informs the entire series. And it really matters.

Every actor is wonderful. There are no jarring notes. Everyone seems real and very human. Every one is knowable.

I'm not a cinephile, but I know quality when I see it. It actually touched me deeply which I did not expect. The acting is superb, the chemistry between the two friends Esteban and Andy is the marvellous chemistry of friends in real life, both revealed to me as great actors. I want more, separately or together. It's spoiled me.

La Máquina is a fitting title. By the end, you get it. This is a gem in a world of cinematic pyrite.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has the patience to wait and watch. Now that I've written this I almost want to give it a 10! Instead I'll watch it again. Perfection is boring.