Amores perros

Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero, Vanessa Bauche.
MPAA Rating: R for violence/gore, language and sexuality.

Review by Matt Heffernan <matt@filmhead.com>
June 1, 2001

Well, it looks like I have to yet again give a brief review to a film that deserves more.

Alejandro González Iñárritu's debut feature, Amores perros, is a trilogy of inter-related stories that concern two different dogs. The main dog is a pit bull/rottweiler mix that belongs to a young man named Octavio (Gael García Bernal) who enters it into dogfights so he can make enough money to run away with his sister-in-law, Valeria (Goya Toledo). Then there is the story of Daniel (Álvaro Guerrero) and his model girlfriend Susana (Vanessa Bauche). Susana's career is ruined after a car accident, and then she loses her little lap dog when it falls into a hole in the apartment floor. The final segment shows how Octavio's dog ends up in the care of a hermit hitman known as El Chivo -- The Goat (Emilio Echevarría).

Without the middle segment, Amores perros would easily be a four-star film. Iñárritu's style is breathtaking, emotional, and intelligent. Why he needed to be sidetracked by a model's dog, I'll never understand. That segment was good, but it gave the film a soggy middle compared to the incredibly strong beginning and end.

There's so much more to say, but I must leave it to you to see this film while it is still in theatres. This is no cheesy affair that you see on Telemundo; it's a revelation from our southern neighbors that must be cherished. You can watch "Sábado Gigante" next week.

Here's some merchandise for sale at

Amores Perros (2000) - subtitled in English	-- VHS
Amores Perros (2000) - dubbed in English	-- VHS
Amores Perros (2000) - in Spanish without subtitles	-- VHS
Amores Perros (2000)	-- DVD
Amores Perros: Soundtrack	-- Compact Disc

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