the audience applauded

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

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 film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"With the Days Numbered" or ¨Dias Contados¨ or ¨Running out of time¨ is a thrilling movie filled with intrigue , drama , turns and sexual situations . A raw punchy love story set set against the background of terrorism . This is an intense thriller unflinchingly directed by Imanol Uribe . A womanizer and sex-addict man named Antonio (Carmelo Gomez) belongs to commando Madrid (also formed by Elvira Minguez and Joseba Apaolaza) from the terrorist organization Eta which is preparing a massacre in the capital. Antonio is posing as a photographer but he sets other priorities when he meets a druggie young named Charo (Ruth Gabriel) who is addicted to dope and for whom he falls in love . Later on , Antonio meets up the friends's Charo as the prostitute Vanesa (Candela Peña) , the local junkie Lisardo (Javier Bardem) and Ugarte (Pepon Nieto) . Meanwhile , the terrorist group carries out various attacks until the final outrage . Moving thriller plenty of emotion , suspense , intrigue , delusions , plot twists , nudism and a strange love story . Despite being somewhat of a cinematic cliché, rarely has a feature been so aptly deserving of its description as a thriller picture along with some elements from Noir film , action , politics and bloody terrorism . Good acting by Carmelo Gomez as a killer member of the ETA terrorist organization who feels a strong attraction for a junkie well played by Ruth Gabriel . It is an entertaining picture in which suspense is well developed from start to finish , though crammed with abundant erotic scenes -in softcore style- between Carmelo Gomez and Ruth Gabriel who holds several nude scenes . Imanol Uribe , also writes the script along with Juan Madrid , based on his novel , filmed in his usual formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . Hard-edge thriller/drama centers around terrorist conflicts and a peculiar love story . However , the film relies heavily in the rare romance among protagonists and on a motley group of displeasent characters , as there appear terrorists , whores , junkies , panderers , peddlers , drug dealers and nasty policemen . Because the story needs a vibration more real than the one offered in this sometimes slow-moving flick , though also contains interesting scenes , thrilling images and sensitive moments . Anyway, its is compensated with the great performances from main cast , and nice support cast , interpreters who provided a considerable boost to the result . Imanol is a great director of actors and the main players are complemented by a good cast of secondaries ; all of them forming a powerful human group and giving excellent interpretations such as Karra Elejalde , Candela Peña , Elvira Minguez , Pepon Nieto and special appearance by Javier Bardem . Atmospheric musical score by Jose Nieto who composes a stirring soundtrack by means of synthesizer . Including a spotless pictorial cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe and a willingness , almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space ; being rightly filmed in Madrid . Aguirresarobe subsequently would make a prestigious career in Hollywood such as ¨Fright night , ¨The twilight saga: eclipse¨, ¨The road¨ , ¨The others¨ and many others . The movie achieved 27 wins and 16 nominations ; being nominated and winning several Goya Awards 1995 such as Best Film , Best Director Imanol Uribe , Best Actor Carmelo Gómez , Best Supporting Actor Javier Bardem , Best New Actress Ruth Gabriel ,Best Adapted Screenplay Imanol Uribe , Best Editing Teresa Font ,Best Make-Up and Hairstyles , Best Special Effects Reyes Abades , among others . This Andres Santana production was professionally written , produced by Imanol Uribe who also directed , though has some flaws and resulted to get big success at Spanish Box office . Uribe who lived and had a son with actress María Barranco , gained fame early in his career for his controversial socio-political portraits of the Basque people , such as ¨Fuga Segovia¨, ¨Muerte Mikel¨ and he turned to thriller as ¨Adios Pequeña¨, , ¨Plenilunio¨ , ¨Carta Esferica¨ , ¨Dias Contados¨ or ¨Running out of time¨and drama as ¨Bwana¨ , ¨Rey Pasmado¨ and ¨Extraños¨ .

Antonio, a Basque terrorist, commits the ultimate error of any man in his position: he falls in love! It proves to be a fatal misjudgment in his part because he attracts the police's attention that are not looking for him. As with other men that thought they knew it all, Antonio doesn't count that Charo and her friends will be his own downfall.Charo, a young prostitute and substance abuser, also falls for the handsome Antonio. She has no idea about what he does. She is under the impression he is a photo journalist who happens to live next door to her and Vanessa's apartment. Antonio, working with two accomplices have been planning a car bomb explosion at the police headquarters. Everything goes according to plan, except that Antonio's emotions get in the way at the end.Imanol Uribe directed this emotional film that takes the viewer to see, first hand, how the terrorists operate. Mr. Uribe also understands the low lives that deal in drugs and and the users. He mixes all of them in a film that shows some raw emotion in telling the story.Carmelo Gomez does an outstanding job as Antonio. Javier Bardem, who was not as well known then is perfect as Lisardo, the junkie. Ruth Gabriel is a beautiful young actress who is not afraid to bare it all for the camera. Candela Pena is also good as Vanessa. Karra Ejalde and Elvira Minguez are seen in minor roles.Give this film a try because the talented Mr. Uribe delivers.

I read a few comments by other movies and rented it to watch it. It turned out to be a decent one. May be I missed a lot of stuff because of translation from Spanish.. Perhaps a "Lost in Translation" case. Any way it is about a terrorist who falls in love with a prostitute and the prostitute who falls in love with him, thus jeopardizing the entire mission!! The ending is a bit too melodramatic and almost expected the moment you come across the main plot... Lot of naked scenes, but then they are only semi erotic... Actually it is funny too if you can catch some subtle dark humor. (I am referring to the prostitute telling that she never lets any one have normal intercourse with her... she only allows people to see her naked...). I give it 6 out of 10.

Touching the terror topic in Spain (maybe all around the world these days after Sept 11) is somehow dangerous. Uribe probably knows this and thus focuses the plot on human relationships presenting two different character types: joint by marginality we can find an ETA activist (Carmelo Gómez) going to Madrid to prepare a bomb attack and, on the other hand, a group of really marginal characters that represent the lowest class and conditions in a big metropolis such as Madrid; a couple of prostitutes (Ruth Gabriel and Candela Peña)and an incredibly played junkie called Lisardo(in according to my opinion best role ever played by the now worldwide famous Javier Bardem). Apart from the fact that the plot of the movie is well sketched and the characters quite credible (although Carmelo Gómez's character is probably not as well presented as the rest), this movie is worth-a-watch just for Bardem himself. After this, any of Bardem films are interesting, but none of his performances were better than this.