It is not usual to find a big budget and talent going together but such is the case of "En la ciudad sin límites". Apparently it is a cold X ray about what has become of those ideals when youth was fighting in the resistance against Franco.The real story belongs to the three old characters and Fernando Fernán Gómez, Geraldine Chaplin and Alfredo Alcón -in a brief scene- teach you how to contact the audience when they have a good director.This effort with a solid story is perhaps a big overlong but it shows you what is the quality and the moral of moneyed people in contemporary Spain abel posadas

The trailer might be misleading but that is not to say that 'En La Ciudad Sin Límites' is a letdown. It reminded me of a Barbara Vine novel where a family is introduced and then subtle hints display that not all is what it seems and there are secrets to be discovered. It can be described as a thriller because the viewer is kept in constant suspense about Max's mystery. Even the subplots, like Carmen and Victor's romance, adds to the characterization. Antonio Hernández is a competent director and the way he sets the premise and tells the story is compelling. There are some nice scenic shots of Paris but that seems to add more to the mystery and complexities of the story. Victor Reyes's sometimes soft and sometimes erratic score works well. It reminded me of Philip Glass's work. The cinematography works adequately. The performances are solid with Fernando Fernán Gómez and Leonardo Sbaraglia owning the film. Of the supporting cast the beautiful Ana Fernández shines while Geraldine Chaplin is convincing as the cold hearted Marie. 'En La Ciudad Sin Límites' is a product of excellent storytelling, fine acting, very good direction and money well put by Spanish and Argentinian production teams.

A rich Spanish man is treated for a brain tumor in a Paris hospital . His family around him, fighting for the inheritance (and mutually betraying). The old man seems to have lost contact with reality, but his elder son noticing that he still has some consciousness, tries to establish a communication with him, even when that implies to get into his father madness and discover secrets nobody wants to surface.The movie is an exercise in suspense. Perfectly orchestrated situations, make you feel nervous about simple things as a walk in the hall (trying to get out of the hospital). Or make the bad guy out of a worried mother. This is just a family story with an old mystery. It is so simple that similar things happen every day but with an incredible craftsmanship was converted in a thriller.Yes, it is a thriller and a mystery. It has all the elements you usually expect; sex, betrayal, lies. No, is not what you expect. The story is clever but realistic. The violence is replaced with poetry, and as in real life, lots of things happen but few are really resolved.

Everything in it works perfectly, from the extraordinary performances to the atmospheric cinematography, music, etc. To me it was the best spanish movie of 2002 (better than Fresnadillo's "Intacto" or Almodovar's "Hable con ella") and among the best I've seen this year (maybe only beaten by "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "Spirited Away").The ending deserves a special mention. It left me trembling with emotion and swallowing my tears and I can assure you that I'm not the type that cries in movies.