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El Cortez
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 7 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 2 votes
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Suspense/Thriller
Written by: Chris Haddock
Directed by: Stephen Purvis
Release Date:
Theatrical: October 6, 2006
DVD: March 27, 2007
Running Time: 91 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Bruce Weitz, Glenn Plummer, Tracy Middendorf, James McDaniel, Peter Onorati, Edoardo Ballerini, Shelley Malil, and Robin Adair
El Cortez is the story of an autistic man (Phillips) who attempts to start a new life after a five year incarceration in a prison for the criminally insane.
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
Director Stephen Purvis and writer Chris Haddock never rise above the material's inherent pulpiness, but they keep the twists coming until the very end.
Read Full Review >Variety Ronnie Scheib
An ambitious, low-budget neo-noir, Stephen Purvis' El Cortez navigates the genre's tawdry twists and crosses and double-crosses with intermittent flair.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Luke Y. Thompson
Every "twist" is so telegraphed that there's little suspense here. Phillips' performance is an enjoyable change of pace, and the gratuitous sex scene with Middendorf is fairly hot, but the story's just an aggravating wait for the inevitable double-crosses. For it to be a true lowbrow pleasure, more sex would be needed.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
Perhaps in an effort to root the film in the genre, the dialogue reaches for a particular hard-boiled register but grasps only clichés. El Cortez, like so many before it, searches for that nugget in the genre mine but just doesn't find it.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
Sharing its title with a historic Reno hotel that's seen better days (or maybe not), El Cortez is a clumsy lump of ponderous pulp fiction with "Cooler" aspirations.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Anita Gates
The script, by Chris Haddock, leaves numerous questions unanswered. It also reflects the character depth and conversational complexity of a 14-year-old’s first effort at fiction.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
Lou Diamond Phillips is let down by an uninspired supporting cast, including Bruce Weitz as a crippled con artist and Tracy Middendorf as the requisite femme fatale, a clichéd script, and flat direction by Stephen Purvis.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
