Ladrón que Roba a Ladrón

Lighthearted caper concerns two career criminals who assemble a hand-picked team to rob an unscrupulous millionaire. They hire immigrants they believe will be underestimated with the required skills but no criminal experience. The struggling actor, the chauffer, the television repairman, etc. It’s an eclectic group. Bright, colorful production coupled with a sincere and unaffected desire to entertain. Make no mistake, this is fairly typical stuff. It kind of plays out like a Spanish language version of an American heist movie with actors from telenovelas. It’s almost impossible to describe without comparing it to Ocean’s 11. True, it gets a bit routine at times, but it’s also extremely entertaining and in no way boring. That Hollywood series ultimately came come off as somewhat smug, particularly by Oceans 13. What makes this Mexican film with English subtitles unique is in its utter lack of pretension. The story’s structure is decidedly old-fashioned. The script is definitely funny, but it never feels like it’s trying hard to be hip and that sincerity is refreshing.  The title, from a Latin-American proverb that translates “the thief who robs a thief earns 100 years of forgiveness.”