EL Placer de Matar, 1987
(The Pleasure of Killing)

Additional Captures

Director: Felix Rotaeta

Other Actors: Mathieu Carriere, Victoria Abril, Mario Gas, Jeannine Mestre, Berta Riaza

Based on a novel by F. Rotaeta "Las Pistolas"

Synopsis from Marina in Moscow

Andreas (Mathieu Carriere) is a tall, handsome, intelligent teacher of mathematics in high school. He obviously enjoys classical music, intellectual conversations and has no ambition to rise in his professional career of a teacher. He has a wife Anna, but their marriage is more a semi-separation. Anna is definitely disappointed with his lack of professional ambition and his cold aloofness.

Louis (Antonio Banderas) is a young (I would even say - very boyish), good-looking man, obviously unemployed, a face from the crowd one sees in the street. He used to work in the police force. Drug trafficking is a source of his income now. He has a girlfriend -- a salesgirl from a shop -- and he "hangs around" with her in the evenings.

These two men with completely different cultural and social backgrounds have one thing in common -- they both are professional killers, they do it extremely well and they like killing people. They meet each other when both are hired to murder a businessman and from that day they form a strange relationship based on their bizarre passion. As the occasions when they are hired for killings are rare (and the people behind this shady business are from the police -- one of them a lieutenant Barantas) Andreas and Louis start murdering people just for the fun of it, because they enjoy it. The first victim is Andreas's wife, Anna. They shoot and bury her, Andreas is sure that nobody will search for the woman. Then they kidnap and kill a highschool girl from Andrea's class, then two girls they pick up one night in a bar. The number of victims grows at a progressive rate. The TV news announce that the unidentified killers have murdered 12 people already. The police are out to get the killers.

One day lieutenant Barantas, watching the TV coverage of the mysterious killings, suddenly guesses who is behind this. He decides to stop this "unauthorized activity" by talking to Andreas and Louis. But the unfortunate lieutenant Barantas is added to the already long list of victims. Meanwhile Andreas's mother and in-law relatives are very much upset by the strange disappearance of Anna. Anna's sister (?) is very persistent and she suspects that Andreas knows much more about the disappearance of his wife than he tells and declares she intends to bring her suspicions to the police. Andreas feels cornered and informs Louis that he is thinking of turning in.

Andreas and Louis decide to put an end to this story. They go to the place where they had carried out most of their killings and simultaneously shoot at each other. Probably for the first time Andreas missed - Louis is not hurt, but he sure killed Andreas. The police find Andreas's body and dig out the body of Anna. Meanwhile Louis gets on a train and rides away - to a new life and quite happy.

Marina's Comments

The relationship of life and death - one of the most popular and intriguing subjects in world art. Surely we remember the "eternal" questions that had been asked through many years of human history -- Have I the right to kill a person? What will happen to your soul after you kill someone? Can a talented person, a genius, be justified in killing? etc. etc. One can refer to the Bible as probably one of the first sources that dealt with this problem. Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Hamingway, Garcia- Marquez... The list of famous names can be continued.

It seems that the Spanish have a special attitude and pay special attention to this topic. Could it have something to do with the national character or is it our bookish stereotype thinking that makes us believe in a special attitude of Spaniards to Death? As if continuing the succession of questions set forward by the famous predecessors, Rotaeta takes another view point at the problem of life and death -- the PLEASURE of taking away somebody's life. How can that be possible? Under the skin of a seemingly harmless and ordinary person there is a brutal and ruthless creature who kills not because of fear, greed or gain, but because he gets his kick out of it. And what about punishment? Oh, no, life goes on. And the flippant, smiling girl in the end of the film is a symbol that nothing has changed in the hero or in his life.

Regretfully, this is not just a story from a book - switch on the TV -- everyday city violence and street murders have become international notions. In today's world maybe man should really stop and think what is happening to the human race. When it has become so easy to murder anybody, just pull the trigger. No remorse, no regrets. Crime becomes something matter-of-fact -- like blowing your nose or going shopping. One can only agree with Rotaeta who puts this question before the audience. Surely, this is not what civilization should be about.

Antonio Banderas and Mathieu Carriere have made a very good duet in the film - showing how both men are ìtunedî to one tone, understanding each other even without words. Once again Antonio has demonstrated his unique talent of achieving verisimilitude (sorry for the highbrow word) -- he is absolutely 100% natural and you believe his character as a real flesh and blood person.

A few words about the style. Rotaeta chose a special style for his film -- you sometimes think what is happening is a farce - like, the police officer who sniffs cocaine in the men's room before talking to a witness or the funny little lieutenant Barantas, licking his fingers after giving dog-food to his dog. And the jolly music adds to the impression. However, what is happening on the screen is a tragedy -- the tragedy of distorted human souls. May be Rotaeta omitted the tragic touch on purpose - he did not want to sound too didactic or moralizing.

Related Information

When Andreas and Louis pick up and murder two girls from a bar, one of the girls is portrayed by Ana Leza, Antonio's wife at the time.