Cronicas

R

Released May 16, 2004

1h 38m

Crime

Drama

List

71%

73 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Reporter Manolo Bonilla (John Leguizamo) goes to a jail in Ecuador to interview Vinicio Cepeda (Damián Alcázar), a hit-and-run driver whose crime incited a riot. After Cepeda tells him he knows where a murderer called the Monster of Babahoyo buried a young female victim, Bonilla posts bail in the hopes that he'll learn more about the crime. Bonilla finds the girl's body, but, as he nears the scoop of his career, it looks as if Cepeda might be withholding some key details.

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Critics Consensus

An unsettling and absorbing cautionary tale with John Leguizamo playing an unscrupulous TV reporter who uses the medium to further his own goals.

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Audience Member

An engrossing, entertaining, and troubling exploration of human nature. Very well done.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It was an ok movie... not a nail biter... but sad again, to see, what people consider "more important"...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

A powerful, well-made drama, exploring the limits of morality and the fine line between good and evil. Clever plot, deft direction. Solid performances from John Leguizamo, Leonor Watling and Damian Alcazar. Alfred Molina gets a cast credit, but you hardly see or hear him - a bit of a waste to use a name-actor for his role.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

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Audience Member

The premise is interesting, the cast is solid but ultimately this ultra-violent film fails to deliver the goods. What a waste!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Audience Member

Interessant plot, men kjedelig fortalt, og en halv time for lang. Kunne med enkle grep ha blitt mer spennende.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Inefficient, dull, melodramatical & theatrical acting, quite predictable and actulally rather speculative, although claiming the opposite. Great potential plot-wise, but as a movie, Cronicas is criminally overrated.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Sebastian Cordero

Director

John Leguizamo

Manolo Bonilla

Leonor Watling

Marisa

Damián Alcázar

Vinicio Cepeda

José María Yazpik

Ivan

Alfred Molina

Victor

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Kirk Honeycutt

Hollywood Reporter

A riveting exploration of good and evil where the line between the two is unclear.

Nov 1, 2005

Full Review

Janice Page

Boston Globe

Nothing in this would-be thriller grabs you by the throat, never mind reaches down to your guts.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 7, 2005

Full Review

Roger Moore

Orlando Sentinel

As good a commentary on our present media age as you're likely to find.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 23, 2005

Full Review

Kiko Martinez

San Antonio Current

Director/screenwriter Sebastin Cordero delivers a lurid and absorbing drama about the power of the media and the steps some will take to get the big scoop.

Rated: B+

Jan 29, 2018

Full Review

Prairie Miller

Long Island Press

Proceeds breathlessly and hysterically towards a story that in the end, seems to have hardly left the finish line.

May 24, 2007

Full Review

Lewis Beale

Film Journal International

A blunt instrument of a tale, with considerable emotional impact.

Mar 1, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Reporter Manolo Bonilla (John Leguizamo) goes to a jail in Ecuador to interview Vinicio Cepeda (Damián Alcázar), a hit-and-run driver whose crime incited a riot. After Cepeda tells him he knows where a murderer called the Monster of Babahoyo buried a young female victim, Bonilla posts bail in the hopes that he'll learn more about the crime. Bonilla finds the girl's body, but, as he nears the scoop of his career, it looks as if Cepeda might be withholding some key details.

Director: Sebastian Cordero
Producer: Frida Torresblanco
Screenwriter: Sebastián Cordero
Distributor: Palm Pictures
Production Co: Tequila Gang
Rating: R (Language|Violence|Scenes of Sexuality)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2004, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jul 8, 2005
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $299.3K
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital, DTS

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