Rosarigasinos (Gangs of Rosario) finds two mobsters released from the Rosario prison 30 years after their incarceration. Tall, dapper Tito (Federico Luppi) and short, balding Castor (Ulises Dumont) find themselves stranded outside the stir on a rainy night. Vague confusion and difficulty lighting cigarettes mark their first night of freedom in three decades. Once members of a ballad-slinging jazz combo, (Tito on vocals and Castor on drums) the two wonder on the whereabouts of their old cohorts - gentlemen not only musically linked, but also in cahoots crime-wise. Nothing much is terribly explicit, but when Tito and Castor go straight from the pokey to a gin-joint gig, none of their buddies are to be found. As Tito sings and Castor plays a small accordion, visions of Tito's past and a tempestuous love-affair scroll by - the machinations of the rambling plot begin falling into their respective gear-slots.

Any more detail would spoil most of the fun. Delight comes from constantly shifting expectations: early scenes composite a montage of ex-prison-mates doling out anecdotes in such a way that we expect nothing to come of this. We're led to expect a caper going nowhere. Then the songs come into play. Tito and Castor don't quite possess the power of their original combo in its prime, but their tale still transports - it's off-putting, and we wonder what it has to do with now. Moreover, Tito and Castor form an ageless, comedic Mutt and Jeff pair, riffing off each other, while the film itself partakes of much overt and subtle humor. When Tito sits in a car during a stakeout, two ladies stop to talk directly in his sightline, forcing him to start up and move about ten feet from his parking spot on a deserted country road - just another clever bit of misdirection.

Director Grande keeps things constantly evolving, switching back and forth between the present and Tito's reminiscences, advancing the plot in non-linear ways. For each goofball routine or bawdy sexual joke comes a bit of jarring violence or misfortune. Coincidence is shifted and loyalty tested. But through it all, Tito and Castor still seem true to each other - Luppi and Dumont effortlessly assay complex characters - while we know deep down there's love, we're kept just out of range of motivations. Though they'd never betray one another - there's too much claret under the bridge for that - it's a constant question whether they're out only for themselves, or another, better accordion.

Rosarigasinos is intelligent, engaging and spectacularly assured filmmaking the likes of which we don't see much from Hollywood. Grande's manipulation of multiple genres, and his penchant for gentle misdirection leads viewers down a merry lane. If you can handle reading subtitles (or your Spanish is really good) you can't go wrong with this movie that rewards your intelligence.

The DVD

Video:
Our screener from Synapse films comes in 1.78:1 anamorphic ratio, looking quite nice as far as DVD authoring is concerned. No digital-style problems crop up, but the source itself sports a small amount of film damage, with specks and scratches appearing here and there, as well as some film grain. Colors are acceptably natural looking, while black levels aren't terribly deep, but acceptable.

Sound:
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Audio does all it should and nothing more. Dialog is mixed at an acceptable level with music, and no distortion is evident.

Extras:
No extras come with this screener, which doesn't represent the final product. In fact, since there was some massive screw-up when making these screener DVDs, I actually thought I was going to watch a messed up murder-and-sex-with-sheep movie called Animalada. Yep, sealed screener with the Animalada cover, and a screener disc with Animalada painted on the disc itself. Imagine my surprise! I'm just lucky that Rosarigasinos is such a fantastic movie, but readers should consider nothing but my impressions of the film itself to be of 'product review' merit.

Final Thoughts:
Rodrigo Grande's Rosarigasinos sets up viewer expectations only to knock them down. With pitch-perfect performances, what seems like a shaggy dog caper turns wistful romance, comedic crime drama, and much more. Ultimately truly affecting and warm-hearted, Rosarigasinos will keep you guessing (or at least bemusedly wondering) until the very end. Based on the film alone, it's Highly Recommended for adventurous cinema fans.

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