On it's surface, the movie seems to be a story centering on revenge but the true focus was the music. The revenge story had a rivalry between two gipsy clans where one brother killed a member of the other clan. That clan, seeking revenge, threatens to kill the handicapped son of the killer to retaliate. The son has fallen under the protection of the clan leader/brother who is already on the edge from the loss of his beautiful daughter and he refuses to allow the rival clan to harm the lad, in his early 20's, for the crimes of his father even though that's the way of their culture.

Once you check out the movie a little deeper though, the revenge plot seems almost like it was tacked on at the last minute to make the movie a bit more conventional. The true focus of Vengo is the music that permeates the entire show. It's not just a soundtrack either but a performance film that uses the more conventional (and disposable) plot to provide the minimal framework for the real star of the show, the music. Now, keeping in mind that this isn't an urban rap show, nor is it a bubblegum pop teen ballad, but the richly diverse musical style known as flamenco, it's no surprise that the movie has a number of dancing and musical moments that take advantage of the Spanish countryside.

My musical expertise lies far away from this form of entertainment but I researched it enough to know that the music and dance are more than that for it's practitioners. It's a way of life and expression for a group of people that have not had as much exposure to more traditional forms of communication, such as writing. The culture passes down it's roots by way of song, with the often downbeat lyrics conveying more meaning than my words ever would, yet conveying hope even against the odds that life seems to offer. Considering how many gipsies (or gypsies) have been treated over the years, forced to move when changing social and political tides become less tolerant of their brand of morals and beliefs, the music has adapted quite a bit over time. The paper insert to the dvd touches on this topic a bit, focusing more on how the flamenco became popular fairly recently and made good use of modern technology, but the fact is that the older forms are still practiced and still very much a cultural treasure that perhaps a sequel could address.

So, if the performance part of the movie is the real star, and not the so-so acting parts, how do I rate this dvd? I'd have been happy to see the performances caught in documentary style with more footage of the dances and music with less time spent on uncle Caco getting his nephew laid or fending off the rival gang. As it is, I think the strengths of the show are good enough to give this one a rating of Recommended or even more if you're looking for a good primer on flamenco.

Picture: The picture was presented in 2.35:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen color. It looked very vivid and clear with few problems aside from the occasional grainy spot or artifact.

Sound: The sound was presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Spanish with optional English subtitles. The vocals were clear but the music really shined. It didn't sound like the studio polished pop music I prefer but that added to the texture of the sound a lot more than I would've thought. Very solid.

Extras: The best extra was a short film, Los Almendros-Plaza Nueva. The film provided a setting for the music and dance much like the feature did except this time, the backdrop was a bus as it picked up passengers. Those of us who've ridden a bus in a major city overseas will know how colorful such means of transportation are to begin with, and the focus here made it nearly as solid as the feature (with more humor as well). There was also a couple of interviews with the two stars, Antonio Canales and Antonio Dechent. While they weren't the most informative characters I've ever watched interviewed, it added a bit of background to how they became involved in the movie. There were also some trailers, a filmography for the director, and a paper insert that had an interesting essay about flamenco.

Final Thoughts: Again, the music and dance were the stars here, not the cast. As such, the movie shined in a few ways that most people will appreciate if they are open to interesting musical styles. The production values and extras helped make this one a dvd to check out.