El Crimen Ferpecto

Rafael Gonzalez (Guillermo Toledo) was born in a high-class department store, and he lives only to fill his life with the luxuries that store provides. To this end, he becomes the best salesman in history and next in line for the position of floor manager. He also makes use of the store as his private sexual playground, seducing all of the preternaturally hot women who work in lingerie, appliances and accessories. But then something goes wrong: Rafael’s rival, the toupee-wearing, sweaty, scheming Don Antonio Fraguas, is promoted ahead of him! In the ensuing employment struggle, Don Antonio is killed, and Rafael becomes the virtual slave of (shudder) an unattractive woman! Crimen Ferpecto is both funny and suspenseful, keeping up interest for its entire length. It also does something that I admire in narrative film: It makes you root for a man who is, by all measures, a complete cad and villain. Since this film is so comedically and dramatically compelling, I’m guessing that we’ll soon be seeing its director, cult-favorite Alex de la Iglesia, working on big-budget movie adaptations of books about boy wizards or super-powered mutants. Hurray for Hollywood!