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7.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Luponini de Chicago remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a thing for black-and-white crime dramas and don't mind when the sound quality reminds you that the microphone was basically a tin can, you might actually like Luponini de Chicago. It’s not for the casual Netflix viewer who needs crisp 4K polish. If you prefer your pacing to be tight and logical, stay far away. This movie is for the kind of person who gets a kick out of seeing how early Mexican cinema tried to mimic those big, brooding American gangster flicks.
The whole thing feels like it’s vibrating on a weird frequency. You’ve got these tough guys doing tough guy things, but the rhythm is just… off. It’s like they read the script for a Hollywood crime hit but decided to interpret it through a funhouse mirror.
Paco Martínez is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Sometimes he’s genuinely menacing, other times he looks like he’s just waiting for his lunch break. There’s a specific scene where he leans against a doorway that lasts for an eternity. It’s not dramatic. It’s just long. I stared at the back of his coat for about fifteen seconds before anything else happened.
It’s funny, I was watching this and thinking about The Texas Terror—not because they are the same genre, but because they share that same 'we have one camera and a dream' energy. You can feel the sweat in the room. You can feel the budget hitting a wall.
There is this one moment with Maruja Gómez that almost makes the whole disjointed mess worth it. She’s got this look in her eyes that suggests she knows the movie is a disaster, but she’s going to act her heart out anyway. It’s the kind of performance that makes you realize why we still dig up these old reels.
Don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a weird, slightly broken piece of history. 🎥 It’s not polished, but it’s definitely alive in its own strange way.