Ladron Que Roba a Ladron

Review

Common Sense Media says

Subtitled heist movie for teens and up scores.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that while this subtitled caper film is warm-hearted and doles out plenty of lessons -- for starters, don't prey on the disenfranchised and don't forget your roots -- it's still about a gang of thieves stealing from someone (even if he is a despicable lowlife). In a Robin Hood way, the movie (like the Ocean's series) glamorizes what's essentially a criminal undertaking, and tweens may not grasp the nuances. In addition to the somewhat salty language (including one "f--k" and the other usual suspects), there are some fairly brutal scenes, especially toward the end, when a man is violently beaten. Characters also make ends meet by stealing (pirating videos and helping themselves to other people's pocket change).

  • Positive messages0
    The villain is completely reprehensible, a man who preys on anyone, including the weak and the infirm, to make money. The heist -- while used as a device to send messages about standing up for the disenfranchised and remembering your roots -- is basically a plan to rip off a rich person. One character makes chauvinistic statements about women, which one female character seems to find, confusingly enough, attractive. Also, Alejandro makes a living by pirating movies.
  • Violence3
    Not particularly frequent, but fairly brutal when it happens. In one long scene, Valdez's henchmen beat a man to a pulp (he's later shown spitting up blood); guns are drawn. Early in the movie, Valdez establishes his villain status by menacing an innocent man on the set of an infomercial; he also threatens and hollers a lot. Within the first 15 minutes, there's a close-up of a gun; soon after, a man points it toward Emilio's head.
  • Sex3
    A couple wakes in bed; later, they kiss passionately. Another couple gropes each other in a bathroom.
  • Language3
    In subtitles; one use of "f--k," plus "damn," "a--hole," "ass," and "bastard."
  • Consumerism3
    Mercedez Benz; the movie Crash (spelled Crach); the villain makes infomercials and sells products, which are "advertised" in the movie.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    Drinking and some smoking in social circumstances (a big party).
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What's the story?

Opening briskly on the set of an infomercial, LADRÓN QUE ROBA A LADRÓN (A Thief Who Steals From a Thief) quickly establishes the bad guy: Valdez (Saul Lisazo), an entrepreneur with a too-bright smile who's made millions hawking potions that plainly don't work -- everything from fat blasters to (most abominably), a tonic that claims to cure cancer. Unbeknownst to him, ex-acquaintance Emilio (Miguel Varoni) has spirited his way into America to exact revenge. Years ago, he and Valdez both apprenticed with a kindly crook with a genius for the con, a man Valdez has long since abandoned. And that's not Valdez's only sin: In Emilio's eyes, Valdez, whose prey includes Latino audiences, has broken an unwritten code -- never go after your own people -- and his time for reckoning has come. Emilio will steal every dollar Valdez has socked away in an underground vault at his mansion. And he'll do it in broad daylight. But first, he needs a crew, and unfortunately, his usual men aren't available. Trusted sidekick Alejandro (Fernando Colunga) recruits newbie replacements: a valet attendant and his tomboyish mechanic daughter, a construction worker, an out-of-work actor, and a nanny (the luminous Julie Gonzalo). Can they make it work?

Is it any good?

 

In the age of the Brad Pitt-George Clooney-Matt Damon-branded blockbuster, can a heist movie without blindingly bright star wattage succeed? If it's anything like Ladron, it can. Breezy and charming, this Spanish-language film pleases despite -- or perhaps because of -- the absence of tabloid regulars.

It takes plenty of suspension of disbelief to take the movie's heist at face value (too many things have to go exactly right), but director Joe Menendez and screenwriter José Angel Henrickson still manage to entertain. And the cast is fantastic, their rapport refreshingly free of the over-the-top camaraderie that fills the Ocean's movies (both the Clooney and the Sinatra versions).

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about why heist movies like this one are so appealing. What sets the "good" cons apart from their adversaries? Why does what they're doing seem less bad than other criminal acts? Would it be different if Valdez wasn't such a thoroughly bad guy? How does the film make it seem like there's a clear difference between stealing from the rich who prey on the poor and just stealing? Are the thieves in the right or wrong? Does Hollywood glamorize crime? If so, what are the consequences of that?

This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo

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This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
Studio:Lionsgate
Director:Joe Menendez
Cast:Fernando Colunga, Miguel Varoni, Saul Lisazo
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:116 minutes
Theatrical release date:August 31, 2007
DVD release date:January 29, 2008
MPAA rating:PG-13
MPAA explanation:language and some sexual content.
This review was written by S. Jhoanna Robledo
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
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