THE FILM

Think of "Ladrón que Roba a Ladrón" as "Ocean's Eleven" crossed with a very special Univision television movie. It's a heist flick with some seriously gigantic Latin-culture overtones, but it doesn't forget a very important rule for the genre: keep everything well within the reach of fun.

After illegally crossing the US border from Columbia, Emilio (Miguel Varoni) has arrived with a mission. Convincing a ragtag team of day-labor specialists to join him, Emilio looks to plan an elaborate robbery of a notorious "infotainment" mastermind, Valdez (Saul Lisazo), who stores his wealth in his formidable Los Angeles mansion. Building an elaborate scheme with intricate working parts, Emilio's dream is threatened when his fellow criminals fall far below expectations.

"Ladrón" isn't so much a homage to the "Ocean" series as much as it is a highly caloric rip-off with 1/10th the budget and starpower. It's a small time Spanish effort that doesn't seem like much to concern yourself with on the outside, but 30 minutes in, you might find yourself falling for these characters and their comedically convoluted plans of mass thievery.

Credit director Joe Menendez and writer JoJo Henrickson, who power their film with an undeniable spark that sprints from scene to scene. In love with heist conventions, the filmmakers layer up the particulars of the crime with excitement, permitting their collection of criminal newcomers their growing pains, which leads to chuckles littered all over the film.

While the gloss of the heist is given enough attention, the emotional crux of "Ladrón" is something completely unexpected. The crime here is one of money, but Emilio's overall intention is one of justice, leading to a series of sharply realized sequences where Menendez gets his audiences lathered up to see Valdez suffer greatly, and he's not afraid to wallow in this one-sided argument. It's good vs. evil on a plain, flat playing field, but this welcoming minimalism only seems to embolden the entertainment factor of the film, instead of simplifying its appeal.

THE DVD

Visual:

Presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio), "Ladrón" is a sun-drenched motion picture, and the DVD captures the sultry warmth of the shenanigans well. Colors burst with ideal clarity and black levels are stable. Subtitles are easily viewed.

Audio:

The 5.1 Dolby Digital mix launches the rich soundtrack wonderfully through the surround channels. "Ladrón" is more of an impressive audio experience that I'm sure many will be prepared for, and the DVD keeps dialogue and the brassy tunes separated well.

Extras:

A feature-length audio commentary with director Joe Menendez and writer/co-star JoJo Hendrickson is nearly as fun-loving as the movie itself. The two are an engaging pair of filmmakers who understand the commentary process and fill the track with wonderful pockets of production information and genial horsing around. Things become a tad more sober when Menendez divulges his exasperation with the "Ocean's Eleven" comparisons (oops) and frustrations that some consider "Ladrón" a foreign film. In all, this is a marvelous audio track of information from two very charismatic fellows.

"Making of 'Ladrón que Roba a Ladrón'" (13 minutes) is another lighthearted affair, this time hitting the set for interviews and BTS footage of the shoot. The featurettes hits home the idea that Menendez was the star of the show, and how his energy inspired his cast and crew throughout the grueling 20-day schedule. A unique communal feeling just radiates off this brief documentary.

"Making of the Score with Composer Andres Levin" (3 minutes) is an excellent peek at the recording process, as Levin pieces together the score of the film in a cramped, but homey studio. I wish more DVDs included featurettes like this.

An army of deleted scenes (totaling 21 minutes) explore a deleted character, which required some crafty editing by the filmmakers to patch the holes left behind. The rest of the cuts are amusing character tangents that undoubtedly slow the picture down.

A theatrical trailer is not included.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It's the illegal immigrant subplots that lend "Ladrón" its most puckered identity. Gently goosing the day-labor situation into the plot, the filmmakers have much on their minds when it comes to the plight of border jumpers. While the film isn't defined by its politics, it does take some digs at those in power. It's an obvious display of sympathy, but then again, this is quite the obvious movie.