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Synopsis:
Spain. On June 6, 1808, the Napoleonic army meets its
first defeat at the hands of a single man: a drummer boy. The reverberation
of the sound of his drum against the mountains of Montserrat tricks the
French into thinking that there are many more Catalan soldiers than there
really are, causing Napoleon’s troops to flee. When the news reaches the
ears of Napoleon himself, he entrusts the Hussar captain of the Imperial
Guard, Alain Maraval (played by Perez), with a mission: to hunt down the
person responsible for his defeat in the mountains and behead him as a sign
of punishment. The captain brings together a band of his best men and sets
out to hunt down the young man known as Bruc.
Production Notes:
This historical action-adventure was shot from June 15 to July 31, 2009 in
the Montserrat region near Barcelona. Co-produced by Catalunya Television
and Ikiru Films, the movie was budgeted at $4 million.
Reviews:
Notas de cine:
"Director Benmayor portrays Bruc as a fugitive in continuous flight, a
fugitive who decides to face his enemies alone. Those enemies will be
eliminated one by one using both his ingenuity and brute force. The vision
of a national myth actually becomes a survival film; thus, there are
similarities to American action films of the eighties such as "Rambo" and
"Predator". Some of the action and suspense scenes (the ambush in the
monastery) and functional dialogue show a striking and noteworthy
performance, and even the resolution of some scenes directly refers to the
style of directors like John McTiernan. However, the film is pragmatic,
effective and, above all, has a sincerity and clarity of vision really
unprecedented in its position as a genre film."
Cinempatia:
"'Bruc' can be defined as a western duel or relentless persecution or better
yet, a cross between 'Rambo', 'Deliverance', 'The Lord of the Rings' and
'Predator'. In short, it is pure adrenaline with many escape sequences in
the mountains, explosions with deafening gunfire and a handful of very
violent scenes visuall soaking the screen with blood. One of the most
entertaining films of the year."
Hoy cinema:
"The film has a simple plot, but is not devoid of those details for action
movie lovers. It appears that the historical part of the story is a mere
excuse to create a Spanish western. Juan José Ballesta plays the main
character, less attractive when compared to the villains who are chasing
him. Vincent Perez and Santi Millán interpret the roles of the evil
characters. For a Spanish production, the special effects, production, and
stage setting are well above average. The images of the mountains of
Montserrat are outstanding. The film, directed by Daniel Benmayor from a
screenplay by Jordi Gasull and Patxi Ames, plays like a tribute to American
adventure films that flooded theaters in the eighties."
DeCine21:
"It is clear that the narrative is indebted to other movies 'Rambo: First
Blood', and especially "Apocalypse Now" into the final stretch, but there is
a serious effort to avoid imitation. Benmayor narrates with great pulse and
realism... Cinematographer Juan Miguel Azpiroz presents a vivid montage of
beautiful aerial shots. What is missing is a score of greater depth and
beauty in relationship to the images. The whole cast is great, but maybe
Vincent Perez takes the cake for his magnificent job.
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Cast:
Juan Jose Ballesta.....Bruc
Vincent Perez....Captain
Maraval
Astrid Berges-Frisbey.....Gloria
Nicolas Giraud.....Noailles
Jerome Le Banner.....Baraton
Justin Blanckaert.....Magne
Moussa Maaskri.....Attab
Credits:
Directed
by.....Daniel Benmayor
Written
by.....Gasull and Patxi Anezcua
Cinematography by....Juan Miguel Azpiroz
Music
by.....Shearmur
Premiered: December 22, 2010 in Spain
The film was nominated for CEC
Award for Best Cinematography at the Cinema Writers Circle Awards in
Spain
Also released as "Legend of the
Solider
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Movie Stills
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