The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition)

I've seen Hellboy II and was disappointed in the basic emptiness of it. Guess it was because I've seen Pan's Labyrinth and expected a deeper story. This movie has it. The ghost story has a boy who has been murdered who wants revenge, but also has a story of people fighting against fascism who would like justice for all the wrongs done them. Very good story and the unexploded bomb says a lot about the life these poor people live.

THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a well made Spanish language film with adequate English subtitles to tell this ghost/historical/war film to an American audience. The setting of the movie is a remote desert orphanage (totally unrelated to the setting of another Del Toro film titled THE ORPHANAGE) for boys during the Spanish Civil War. The acting is excellent all around with special kudos going to the child actors especially the young men playing Carlos and Jaime. And the film has one of the hunkiest villains ever in Eduardo Noriega II in the role of Jacinto. The movie is filled with atmosphere, gothic images and symbolism some of which are neatly tied in to the plot line and some of which are left dangling. This movie may not be as jump out of your seat scary as Del Toro's ghost story THE ORPHANAGE but overall THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is the better film of the two.

I once wrote an angry review for "Pan's Labyrinth". If you've read it you probably tacked a "NO" vote up there; that's cool. I got a little riled by Del Toro's uneven depiction of history and the fact that history had anything to do with a "fantasy" film. I gave it 3 stars because, besides the slanted history and despite its artistic qualities, I took great issue with the nebulous point of the story, proven by the common misinterpretations of its "deeper" meaning in the glowing amazon.com reviews. Of course, I was out of my depth to think such things. So, you think I would have learned my lesson? No, I buy another Del Toro film staged in the Spanish Civil War; $5 or not, what was I thinking?!

Now you might wonder; "Why did you give this film 4 stars and the other, more revered film only 3 stars?" and that would be a fair question. The answer is simple; I knew what to expect. "Pan's Labyrinth" was marketed as a fantasy film but that was not what I got. "Devils Backbone" was marketed as a ghost story. However, I had the sense to read up on it and realize this was just deceptive American marketing. I had learned my lesson... ...sort of.

-WE STUPID AMERICANS
We must all be idiots since Del Toro's films are much too deep for us to understand here in America. The distributors "understand" this. So, when they package these DVD's they feel compelled to compare the films to something we can identify with like "The Others" or "Lord of the Rings"; just ridiculous. Of course, neither of those two films remotely resembles the two Del Toro films they were compared to. This film is nothing like "The Others" and, luckily, I did not expect it to be. I do enjoy that story more though.

-WHAT DO I HAVE AGAINST DEL TORO?
In a nutshell; I don't like his stories. I like his skill as a Director. I think he makes some of the more visually stunning films of the day. The guy is dripping with style. But, I don't like his stories. If he never did anything but direct other people's stories, I'd be happy to watch. However, his stories just bug me. It bugs me that he can't show war without taking sides. It bugs me that his stories pretentiously try to be "deep" and ambiguous to the point that even those who love them don't truly understand them. I recently viewed Fritz Lang's "M". In an interview, Lang said "I hate giving interviews... ...because if a director has to explain his film then he hasn't done his job". I could not agree more. Good stories practically tell themselves. Does the meaning need to be deciphered? I have ideas about "The Devils Backbone" but Lord knows if I'm right. There may be nothing to interpret at all. So, I just look at it as a story about an orphanage in the middle of the desert with a tormented ghost and ruined people lurking about. It's not bad at being that.

-THESE KIDS CAN ACT
Despite my bellyaching, there were things that I liked about this film. Being set in an old orphanage, there needs to be kids. Well this is a boy's orphanage and can these boys act. You need to give the director credit here. They're a bunch full of character and are easy to care about. All the actors did pretty well and their characters were fairly well developed. However, I have to say the heavy in the film was a bit extreme. I wasn't surprised by this since the villain in "Pan's Labyrinth" was also nearly unimaginable in his cruelty.

-NOT A HORROR FILM
This is not news to anyone who's read a review for this before, but I thought I should make sure you knew. There is brutal violence, a bloody ghost, and evil people but this is much less a horror film than "Pan's Labyrinth" is. The most horrific thing about this film is the constant depiction of highly flawed people. Even the "Heroes" have ugly sides. This is actually a pretty depressing film now that I think about it.

-THE FINAL JUDGMENT
I liked the acting and the characters. I thought it was visually excellent. I thought the story was ok until it got to the point. It was "the point" that was either heavy handed or too subtle; I admit I'm not sure which. I might be looking for something that's not even there. Either way, it was the details that made it interesting and not the overall "message". Of course, history being one of my interests, the slanted depiction of the Spanish Civil War gave me heartburn as well. However, it did everything else so well that I have to give it 4 stars even if I did not like the story.

-Acting.....4.5 Stars
-Visuals....5.0 Stars
-Story......2.5 Stars Average...4 Stars

This is one of the best movies I've seen in some time, multi-layered and a visual feast. Nothing corny here. Immediately, the film pulls the viewer into another time and place, to a landscape filled with immense beauty and menace. This is not a horror film, but a coming of age movie of great poetry, portraying compassionate understanding of the tribally violent and innocent world of childhood. Lust, greed, mystery, ghosts, and friendship are all explored with a deft touch. This will be a classic. You won't even notice the subtitles, and the lovely Spanish language only adds richness and depth to del Torro's tapestry, set in Spain during the Civil War. I really can't recommend this film highly enough. Ironically, it's easier to write a tough, critical review than communicate the lucid poetry of this film's accomplishment.

"The Devil's Backbone" is excellent!

I was alot like you at first, skeptical of this movie. It's often listed on different lists as superb, amazing, scary as hell!

Well, I finally watched it and yes, for a matter of fact, it's all those things. Guillermo Del Toro is right up their with M. Night Shyamalan. Every movie he makes is a classic.

This movie has amazing characters, a great storyline and a good ending. The best part about Del Toro's movies is that he lures you in with the spooky stuff and mild horror and then unleashes a super story and makes it all tie in beautifully!

Highly recommended!