The City of No Limits (2002)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply Perfect

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

¨The city of no limits¨ is a beautiful story and haunting drama , dealing with a hidden truth . This is a co-production Argentina/Spain/France , being well paced , skillfully edited and suspenseful . It is plenty of thrills , intense drama , twists and turns and is pretty interesting . It talks about Victor (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a young who gets to Paris to unite his brothers (Roberto Alvarez , Alex Casanovas , Adriana Ozores , Ana Fernandez) and mother (Geraldine Chaplin) around their seriously ill daddy named Max (marvelous , as always , Fernando Fernan Gomez) . As the chance of selling the family business about pharmaceutic laboratory begins to disrupt the family relationships , Victor is desperately asked for help by Max . What seems in the beginning mere delusions of an old man losing his mind , begin to show clues of a strange secret may be true . Victor decides to help his dad to resolve that something he is searching for.Interesting Spanish film plenty of thrills , emotion , suspense , intrigue , plot twists and being pretty entertaining . The picture profits itself from a top-drawer plethora of players who give exacting interpretations . Suspenseful from start to finish and dealing with some sort of real 'secret' that is troubling Max/Fernando Fernan Gomez's last days , while Victor/Leonardo Sbaraglia is trying to find it out . Exciting and thought-provoking plot by Enrique Braso and the same filmmaker Antonio Hernandez that deservedly had Goya Award Winner best screenplay . Excellent support actors formed by a Spanish all-star-cast such as Ana Fernández as Carmen , Adriana Ozores as Pilar , Roberto Álvarez as Luis , Àlex Casanovas as Alberto , Mónica Estarreado as Beatriz ; furthermore , South American players as Leticia Bredice , Alfredo Alcón as Rancel and director Cameo , Antonio Hernández as friend of Rancel , although credited, may pass unnoticed. Special mention to wonderful musical score , Victor Reyes composes a thrilling and touching soundtrack that is one of the best parts of the film . Colorful and luxurious cinematography by Unax Mendia . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Antonio Hernandez . Antonio is a good craftsman , writer , producer and occasionally actor . Antonio Hernández -whose first film, 1979's F.E.N., is one of those never praised enough hidden masterpieces of Spanish cinema- is expert on all kind of genres , such as comedy ¨Apaga y Vamonos , Como Levantar 1000 Kilos , Menor de Males¨ , Historical , ¨Los Borgia¨ , and Thriller ¨ Oculto , Lisboa , The city of no limits¨. And he also directs TV series such as ¨Tarancon , Sofia and Dias sin Luz¨ . In ¨City of no limits¨ Antonio proves to be a very courageous auteur , shooting a magnificent picture .

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.

This film was best film in the Berlinale 2002. I have seen 4 films a day during the festival and there was no film like this. Great actors, great script, intelligent and thrilling. Everything you need for a great film was in this movie. Congratulations to Spain for their great film industry. For me the best in Europe.

This is a movie with strong acting and a suspenseful intrigue that successfully peels open layer by layer to leave a sentiment of understanding and satisfaction to the attentive audience."En la ciudad sin limites" is the story of a Spanish family (Madrid) who is gathered in Paris to support the 'pater familia' in his fight against a terminal illness. Family secrets and tense relations will surface and the dying old man, secretive as can be, will nonetheless give clues to what is really going on in the city without limits.This Spanish and Argentinian co-production is a testament to the collaboration of nations to produce top-notch film-making with an excellent cast, great directing, deep and compelling storytelling, and the power of a incredible cinematic experience.There are so many interesting stories intertwined that some will be left without clear answers, and this is particularly effective because of the care taken to flesh out believable flawed characters that make us attached and concerned about their lives. Lives that are no less complicated and problematic than our own.You will experience unexpected turns hand and hand with the characters and be able to not only relish the story and the denouement of the complex plot, but to appreciate this portray of the drives and constraints of men.