Such a frustrating disappointment

recommended

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Margot, an attractive and sexy woman, loves to take long train rides. She has a method for seducing her preys, the businessmen she meets in the bar car, then takes them to their compartments for a night of sex in which she has "doctored" the champagne she offers them with a drug that makes the men go to sleep. She then proceeds to take money and jewelry and gets off the train.Salvatierra, a drunk detective of sorts, who is experiencing hard times, is contacted by Delgado, a successful businessman, to offer him a job to inform the police about money being taken away to other European sites for laundering. Salvatierra, who happened to be on the same train as Margot, watches her getting close to an unsuspecting man. While he can't keep up with her, he realizes she is up tot no good. Later on, he discovers that the man carrying the money out of the country has been victimized. He knows right away it's Margot. He follows her as she goes to her father's funeral. He makes a plan to get to her money without her knowledge. The only mistake he makes is to fall in love with her. He is not prepared for what will happen to him.This 1992 Spanish thriller directed by Rafael Moreno Alba, who also wrote the screen play, is not as bad as the other commentary in this forum makes it to be. Granted, we realize where the story is going, but the film is never dull. The idea that a beautiful woman can outsmart a bunch of common criminals poses a new angle for a film of this genre.Maribel Verdu shows she is one of the best actresses of her generation. She is not only a beautiful and sexy, but she has the smarts to go with a role that with another person wouldn't have been as satisfying as with her. Juan Diego, who plays Salvatierra, is effective as the drunk man that has been defeated by destiny and suddenly he has the opportunity to reap an unexpected reward. Eusebio Poncela, plays the criminal Delgado with his usual flair.Don't dismiss this film too soon. Rafael Moreno Alba shows he is can make this thriller work.

Maribel Verdu is the person to make this film worth watching. Her sex-appeal, as seen in "Y tu mama tambien", gets you glued to the screen. But apart from her this film doesn't have much to offer: simple screenplay, even worse cinematography.