Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: KILLING CASTRO [Tribeca Film Festival - New York, New York]
Approaching an assassination story taking place at a hotel in Harlem is a great possibility especially where certain aspects of intrigue are concerned. In "Killing Castro" [Spotlight Narrative], the story revolves around Fidel Castro’s trip to the US to address the United Nations in 1960 before he allied with Communism. Spearheaded by Diego Boneta, who is unrecognizable as Castro, this is cool play because of all the people involved. The film has a slick look but without overdoing it. Lorne Balfe creates an intriguing and spy thriller score but Boneta anchors it as the title character. What is interesting is that the perspective is done more through a young man Leonel (Xolo Mariduena) who would have been Boneta in a way twenty years ago when he did "Rock Of Ages". Al Pacino plays a fixer here to give the film more cred but it interestingly keeps him muted but effective giving a little bit of twist on the lore, since the Cuban motif still surrounds him from his iconic "Scarface".
Why this film works is because despite the Castro grandstanding, the play that is going on the CIA, FBI and organized crime all at once are quite dynamic. Ron Livingston and Alexander Ludwig as an almost keystone FBI pair is almost its own movie while Logan Marshall Green as an organized crime assassin provides some of the best action. Director Eif Rivera keeps it light but with the right amount of social commentary making this kind of story very accessible and yet with a context of scope. Castro was and always will be a polarizing figure and the context of this idea especially when Soviet leader Khrushchev enters the picture. His presence is interesting though the logistics of a Soviet premier being freely able to function in NY at that time is an interesting context. Mariduena embodies the audience with aplomb while being flawed in his own way. Pacino doesn’t overplay it but gives a sense of history (though his look definitely skews more Donnie Brasco). "Killing Castro" is a well made ode to a moment in time. And because of the film's independent roots, it is able to tell the story it wants while still being entertaining and poignant. B
By Tim Wassberg
