El malvado Carabel is weirdly refreshing

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school, slightly cynical comedies that don't rely on explosions or cheap gags, you’ll probably enjoy El malvado Carabel. It’s for the folks who like character studies more than plot-heavy blockbusters. If you need fast pacing and modern editing, you might find this one a bit like watching paint dry on a very old wall. 🎞️

There is this one moment early on where Carabel realizes that his kindness has basically left him with nothing. The look on Antonio Palacios’s face isn't some huge dramatic breakdown. It’s just this quiet, exhausted realization that the world doesn't care if you're nice. I felt that in my bones.

The 'Evil' Transition

So, he decides to become 'evil.' It’s not like he starts robbing banks with a machine gun or anything. He mostly just tries to be selfish and rude, which he is incredibly bad at. Watching him try to navigate being a 'bad guy' while his natural instincts keep trying to be polite is honestly the funniest part of the film.

It reminds me a bit of the way people try to play-act being tough in Lash of the Law, though the stakes here feel much more grounded in everyday office politics. There's a specific scene in the bank where he’s trying to be intimidating, but he ends up looking like he’s got a pebble in his shoe. It’s a small, awkward detail that makes the whole thing feel so much more real.

• The dialogue is sharp, but it doesn't try to be clever for the sake of it.
• Some of the side characters are just there for filler, honestly.
• The lighting in the office scenes has this dusty, lived-in quality I really dug.

I think the movie gets a little lost in the middle. It starts to repeat the same 'he tries to be mean, he fails' loop a few times too many. You can almost feel the writer running out of ideas for how he can fail at being wicked. Still, the charm carries it.

There's no big message here about the human condition or whatever. It’s just a movie about a guy who is tired of being a pushover. Sometimes that’s enough. It’s not trying to change your life. It just wants you to watch a guy trip over his own ego for ninety minutes. 🤷‍♂️

Also, the clothes. I don't know who did the costumes, but everyone looks like they are constantly on the verge of either a promotion or a nervous breakdown. It’s a mood.