Import Review: Marshland (2015)

How to write this one up and do it the justice that it deserves...How about: "Marshland is what True Detective Season 2 should have been." That sounds like a pretty good start.

Marshland is a dark Buddy Cop movie that is reminiscent of other Crime Thrillers like Se7en, Zodiac, Memories of Murder, or The Silence, even though it's a different beast in many ways.

And it does feel like it would have made an excellent entry into the world of HBO's True Detective that would have been on par with the perfect 1st Season, in every single way.

It's 1980, five years after the death of fascist dictator Francisco Franco, and Spain is still celebrating. When two girls go missing during the small town of Guadalquivir Marshes' annual fair, two detectives from Madrid are called in to investigate. Pedro is a left-wing do-gooder, honest Cop who does things by the book; and Juan is an old school throwback to the corrupt Franco era, who does things his way, which usually involves something shady. Needless to say, the two don't really get along that well.

"YEAH, WELL FUCK YOU TOO, CABRON!"

As they investigate the case of the missing girls though, they put their differences aside in an effort to find out who is behind their disappearances. When the girls are found dead, the detectives begin to uncover all kinds of seedy, perverse things about the small town, including, but not limited to: the murder, rape, pimping, and sexual slavery of young girls, all of which goes back years.

SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THAT.

The local Police, still corrupt as hell, not only refuse to help the detectives with their case, but even try to hinder the investigation in an effort to protect some of the more affluent scumbags of the community. Juan is all for breaking people's heads open to find answers though, and it's not long before straight-arrow Pedro comes around to his way of thinking.

The intense hunt for a Serial Killer ensues.

LIKE YOUR HANDS ARE GOING TO STOP BULLETS?

Give us a movie about Cops on the trail of a Serial Killer, and we'll be happy campers. Give us one as fantastic as Marshland, and we'll be ecstatic. It's a bit unnatural how much we love these types of movies.

Much like other classic modern day Thrillers like Memories of Murder or The Silence, this Spanish gem came out of nowhere and took us by complete surprise. From the very start we knew we were in for something special, at least from a visual standpoint; the movie opens with some breathtaking overhead shots of the Spanish countryside that set a special mood for everything else to come. The biggest star of this movie may be its cinematography, which was flawless.

I guess it helps when a movie with such a disturbing plot looks like a piece of moving art.

"SHOOT THE RAIN! IT'S THE ONLY WAY!"

The post-Franco era in Spain made for an interesting setting for this movie. Almost overnight, Spain went from fascism to democracy, and in the context of this movie, it's interesting to see how the authorities were still inclined to keep certain rich and important people safe from persecution, even when they may be responsible for young girls being pimped out and murdered.

*I'm no expert on Spanish government or Francisco Franco, but that's how it all looked to me while watching this movie.

ALL SHE EVER WANTED TO DO WAS ESCAPE HER POOR LITTLE VILLAGE...

As compelling as the story itself was, it's the acting in this one that took everything in this one to a higher level. With Marshland being a Spanish film, we weren't very familiar with the work of its two leads, Raúl Arévalo and Javier Gutiérrez. They were both excellent in their roles, with Gutiérrez's tough guy being the standout. As different as these characters were, they made for a perfect team, and we could have honestly watched another hour of them running around and solving mysteries together. And beating people up.

I guess we'll just have to settle for seeking out some of their other films, and enjoying those. 

THIS GUY RIGHT HERE...

Movies like Marshland don't come along all that often, so when they do, we're more than happy to sing their praises. Beautifully-shot, superbly-acted, and a story that kept us on the edge of our seats, it's hard not to call this movie perfect.

If this is what Spanish Cinema has to offer, then we want more.

A

Marshland is available now on Import Blu-ray. *You need a Region-Free Blu-ray player to watch this movie.

Here are some screenshots of the stunning overhead shots from the movie, which truly left us in awe. They truly do need to be seen in a larger scope to truly appreciate their beauty, but here they are anyhow.