Twelve Hours Review
12 Hours is an energetic, fast-paced, sexy, and stylish tour of San Juan nightlife hampered by occasional lapses into cliché and by an unnecessarily downbeat and unsatisfying ending. Writer/director Raul_Marchand uses entertaining visual tricks (freeze-frames, wipes, fast-motion) and an eclectic blend of Puerto Rican pop music to capture the wild energy of a night on the town in San Juan. Together with an inexperienced but attractive cast, he's created a large group of compelling and sympathetic characters. Particularly appealing are Cielomar_Cuevas, as the virginal Cristina, and Charlie_Masso, as the pragmatic temporary gigolo, Abraham. Rosabel del Valle, as the ambitious television reporter, is also good, but hers is a character seen in too many movies. Several plot elements -- the lost lottery ticket, the woman in labor -- are similarly hackneyed, but the film transcends its more shopworn story devices through Marchand's slick pacing and effervescent tone. There's a tragic twist at the end of the film, dramatically unearned and thematically troubling, which threatens to cast a pall over everything before it. But despite some missteps, 12 Hours is a very pleasant and engaging film, which is a tremendous credit to the Marchand's talent as a filmmaker. Josh Ralske, Rovi
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