Punto Rojo (2021) [Blu-ray review]

Punto Rojo or Red Point is an Argentinian film about the oddities that happen to us in the midst of a crime drama. Random men appearing, people in trunks and tons of guns being pulled on each other leads us down these creative rabbit holes. But is Punto Rojo any good? Hell, at what point does the American impact on crime fiction sully the well of international fare? Let’s find out.

Quentin Tarantino did more for the world than mainstreaming foot fetishism

Did we lose something as film lovers when we decided to enjoy the mundane nature of crime? Even Tarantino was harking back to Kubrick‘s 1950s adaptation of dime store crime novels into stark looks at how average most crime is anymore. But, then there’s the other hand. So much of Punto Rojo deals with how fate and destiny remove a great deal of choice out of your life.

While that’s something to ponder, is it necessarily the place of an international crime movie to do? The American cinema has trained us all to be shoot first, screw later types. But, it also doesn’t ask to ponder heavily philosophy while trying to unravel a plot. Mainly it’s because few can do it successfully and at worst it comes across as a pretentious arthouse flick.

It’s a really well-made movie

The pacing of Punto Rojo is another of its strengths. It manages to maintain a steady build-up of suspense, leading to a climax that is both unexpected and satisfying. The director skillfully balances moments of intense action with quieter, more introspective scenes, allowing the audience to breathe and reflect on the story’s developments. Technically, the film sparkles.

So, what stopped you from loving it?

Mainly, as time marches on and I grow older…something dawns on me. I don’t want to watch films about searching for deeper meaning because I realize that there isn’t any deeper meaning. I’m way more fascinated by narrative construction and the ability to wrap up a story in under 2 hours. While artists are free to create and do whatever they please, don’t be mad when the audience starts to fade during your contemplation.

Is it a me thing or a movie thing?

Honestly, it’s both. Punto Rojo doesn’t ask a great deal from you to sit and watch it. However, it asks you to keep diving down tangents that keep failing to completely lap back around to the main story. It’s not the worst thing and a great many stories drop the ball harder.

However, each time it happened, I kept getting further and further away from truly loving the movie. If you dig South American cinema that aims towards the mainstream, give it a chance.

What’s on the Punto Rojo Blu-ray?

MVD does well by these indie flicks from around the world. You get a short film and trailer as the special features. However, you get the film in an un-edited format. While that shouldn’t be a big deal for Punto Rojo, World Cinema continues to need this deft of a hand handling it.

The A/V Quality is pretty robust with a clean 1080p transfer and LPCM 5.1 audio track. While I know most expect DTS-HD or Atmos tracks now, I appreciate the crafted nature of a good PCM mix. It takes me back.

Punto Rojo is available on Blu-ray from MVD on March 12th!