People are voting emotionally.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

with all the European studios involved in this one, you would think you'd at least get some pretty photography; but the local color is kept to a minimum.Irritation #1 is Mira Sorvino using a Russian accent in order to play a Spanish cop - WTF? The story is hopelessly confused. There's a supposed romantic back story that is intentionally confused - is she or isn't she a lesbian? - serving no purpose whatsoever. The cops in the movie are the most stupid to have graced a serial killer film in a long time. There seems to be some message about the mid-'30s Spanish Civil War But since pretty much everybody involved in that is dead, one doesn't see the point in it.Despite the bull-fighting backdrop of part of the narrative (which part? who can tell), you never even get a good look at a bull fight. Earnest Hemingway would have punched the director in the nose - with my blessings.

OK, so this isn't the greatest mystery movie to grace the screen. It did, however, have some good features that made it worth my time.First, I lived in Andalucia for six years and have fond memories of the Semana Santa ceremonies and processions. The white robes and the pointed masks do not remind me of the Ku Klux Klan, but of centuries of tradition in Spain. Seeing that as a backdrop to the murders and the police work, led by the ever adorable Mira Sorvino, was beautiful.Second, I love stories that weave in the evil fascists that invaded Spain. The US-backed murderers under Franco provided a credible story that explained the current murders.Third, I was enchanted with Alida Valli in her last role as Doña Catalina. So much so that I will make it a point to see one of her earlier roles this weekend.All in all, a good slow murder mystery with several features that made it worthwhile.

"Angel of Death" is a mildly entertaining, though flawed slasher.**SPOILERS**Transferring to Seville in Spain, detective Maria Delgado, (Mira Sorvino) soon finds herself assigned to a case with Quemada, (Olivier Martinez) involving a string of murders committed during Holy Week, it's renowned Easter celebration. Due to the closeness of the crimes, they go out to track down a lead on the case. The first step in the case is the Brotherhood of Christ, a mysterious religious order whose leader, Castenada, (Peter Berling) doesn't want to cooperate with the authorities, leaving them baffled as to their next course of attack. As the killings continue throughout Spain, they discover that the motives for the crimes can be traced back to the days of the Spanish Civil War and an unspeakable act of brutality. Armed with the new piece of news, they use that to their advantage to track down the killer before they commit even more killings in a quest for revenge.The Good News: This wasn't all that bad when it really mattered. The film did a really great job at building up a sense of suspense when it tries to. The opening attack is a pretty good example, as there's a combination of stalking, hiding and confrontations that all come together in the sequence to provide a really exciting and entertaining one. The highlight of the film, though, is the stalking during the parade celebration. From the chase through the characters down in the street through to the apartment complex where it really steps up considerably. From the attempts of the second police officer to get to the scene and the various techniques to get inside are it's best moments. The confrontation with the killer is just as nice, as there's an extended stalking scene involved where the victim manages to get seriously injured in the course of it rather than escaping scot-free. The fact that this has a fair-sized body count isn't that bad, and there's some pretty nice kills as a result. There's a spear thrown through the eye, impaled with a sword, a couple set on fire, knife stabbings and a plethora of gunshot wounds to provide a healthy balance. The fact that the killer's chosen such a decorative wardrobe is quite a nice surprise, as it's both new as well as offering a healthy amount of intimidation through it. This here wasn't all that bad when it really mattered.The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot that didn't work in this one. One of the biggest problems is that this one is incredibly illogical with the police matters. The first two victims are discovered in a character's home, but no one bothers to interview them at the crime scene. The medical examiner says the victims were killed four weeks before they were discovered, but this doesn't strike anyone as strange. That strikes as something that wouldn't really happen in real life, as that would've been noticed by the smell of the rotting corpses long before. The whole way it's handled is just quite wrong, as they don't even suspect anything is wrong until after they notice all these flies in the home. Not one or two flies, but a huge swarm. That is just out-and-out illogical, as there's no way that a month could go by without them wondering why they haven't seen a tenant. They way it's portrayed to the police isn't any better, as the indifference to the initial discovery, and then the later statement that these murders where actually expected seems odd. The lack of action in the first half is another flaw to overcome, as it's not until the later half that it really starts to up the body count. That these are also pretty bloodless kills is another thing for this one, as there's a big body count but they're not quite bloody or even on-screen. Those small flaws hold this one back slightly.The Final Verdict: While not the best out there, this still has enough solid moments throughout to put it in the realm of the watchable. Keeping an open mind with this one might be best, as those will be the ones who get the most out of it, while those who won't are advised to seek caution with it.Rated R: Graphic Language, Violence and Rape

For the life of me I cannot explain why this film has received such hostile comments. Actually, I expected not much when I rented this. The presence of Mira Sorvino led me to think that this might be just another cheapo US horror flick shot in Europe. Not so. In fact, I found it to be a modest, yet highly effective little murder thriller set against the background of picturesque Seville, very much reminiscent of 70s giallo cinema and 70s Spanish thriller movies. It is a film that primarily deals with destroyed families - two of the cops were robbed of their loved ones, and the great Alida Valli (in one of her last roles) plays an old widow who stems from a highly respected family that has also fallen apart. The villains of the piece - and no, this is not really a spoiler! - are monsters from the days of the Spanish Civil War - a degenerated family in themselves. The story unfolds at a slow pace, but a clever and moody screenplay (that is totally devoid of the inane babbling that spoils so many of today's b-horror movies) makes the characters quite interesting and unusual. Throw in a few giallo murders and good photography, and what we have is a charmingly old-fashioned, moody piece of cinema. It is definitely not to be mistaken for a a-murder-a-reel horror shocker, but if one has a sweet tooth for slow, morbid thrillers, it should prove worthwhile. It's maybe not one the same level as Guillermo del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, but what a nice surprise it was...