Amores Perros |  | Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Actors: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo, Álvaro Guerrero, Vanessa Bauche
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
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Rating:  205 reviews
Sales Rank: 4,194
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Running Time: 154 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: 658149786424
ISBN: 1589710703
UPC: 658149786424
EAN: 9781589710702
ASIN: B00005N8A9
Theatrical Release Date: 2000
Release Date: September 25, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Amores Perros roughly translates to "Love's a bitch," and it's an apt summation of this remarkable film's exploration of passion, loss, and the fragility of our lives. In telling three stories connected by one traumatic incident, Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu uses an intricate screenplay by novelist Guillermo Arriaga to make three movies in close orbit, expressing the notion that we are defined by what we lose--from our loves to our family, our innocence, or even our lives. These interwoven tales--about a young man in love with his brother's pregnant wife, a perfume spokeswoman and her married lover, and a scruffy vagrant who sidelines as a paid killer--are united by a devastating car crash that provides the film's narrative nexus, and by the many dogs that the characters own or care for. There is graphic violence, prompting a disclaimer that controversial dog-fight scenes were harmless and carefully supervised, but what emerges from Amores Perros is a uniquely conceptual portrait of people whom we come to know through their relationship with dogs. The film is simultaneously bleak, cynical, insightful, and compassionate, with layers of meaning that are sure to reward multiple viewings. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
After a terrible car crash, the lives of three individuals in Mexico City cross paths.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 205
 A film without hope... August 25, 2010
KM (Saginaw, MI)
I began watching this film prepared for graphic scenes and rough characters. I expected it to be memorable and offer something insightful since it was an oscar nod, and so many people praised it on this site. However, I was disappointed. Not outraged like some that wrote reviews about the violence- violence exists in the world sure enough, and this movie had plenty of it. The reason I was disappointed was because I wanted to sympathize or empathize, or merely connect with some of the characters in this film and I couldn't do it. The ending was just as hopeless as these people's lives. While watching a depressing or tragic movie you need at least relatable characters, or a glimmer of hope at the end of the film that maybe at some point things will get better. This film offered neither. The people in this film had lives very similar to the dogs- violent, painful, and without anything better ahead of them. I read a review that stated, "many people don't understand Mexican fatalistic culture," and if that is true I would say that's excellent, because who would want to?
 What is love? March 17, 2010
Andrew Ellington (I'm kind of everywhere)
It never fails that a director's worst film is what gets him that coveted `Best Director' Oscar nomination. Just ask David Fincher and Danny Boyle about that. You can also ask Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. In my opinion, `Babel' is not a bad film (it is certainly better than `Slumdog Millionaire' and `The Curious Case of Benjamin Button') but it is the weakest link in the trifecta that is Inarritu's career. His first film, `Amores Perros', was nominated for `Best Foreign Language Film' at the Oscars, and it lost to `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. I understand that (even if I don't wholeheartedly agree). Regardless of the loss, the film itself is a brilliant testament to Inarritu's talent and is a sterling example of his vision.
I still consider this is best film to date.
The film is told in three interconnecting parts that tell of all facets of `love'. No, this is not a prelude to `Crash' and all comparisons should stop being made since they insult the power of this film.
The first segment concerns Octavio, a young man living with his brother and sister-in-law. His brother Ramiro is abusive and cruel and treats his wife, Susana, like she was nothing to him. This leads Octavio to make advances towards Susana, which turns into a full blown affair. In order to put away enough money to support Susana and her child, Octavio turns to fighting his dog for money. The second segment tells of Daniel, a television producer who throws his life away (wife, kids) so that he can shack up with a supermodel named Valeria. When Valeria is seriously injured in a car accident (yes, the car accident is the connective tissue between these three stories) their lives are turned upside down as their relationship is strained to the breaking point. The third segment (and personally the most moving) concerns El Chivo, a homeless man who makes his living as a hitman. He is hired to kill a certain man that turns out to be his brother. This allows him to teach some lessons to all involved, as well as to himself (which is the most important lesson learned).
It is true that you either love Inarritu's style (the constant jumping from one plot point to another) or you hate it. Some director's have attempted to work within this style and have failed miserably, but for me Inarritu has it down pat. He weaves an intricate and elaborate tale here that is only exemplified by his directorial choices. There is a lot of style here, but he never once substituted style for substance. Instead, he balances the two beautifully.
And yes, the dogs play a pivotal role in truly understanding these characters.
I also have to commend the acting here. Inarritu has a way with actors. He has proven this in his other work as well. Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro, Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza all have received Oscar nominations for their work in his films. Emilio Echevarria (and arguably Gael Garcia Bernal) should also be on that list. The work in this film (especially by those two) is outstanding. The character of El Chivo has so much depth, and this is all thanks to the beautiful way in which Emilio weaves him together.
That phone call scene alone warranted a nomination.
Breaks my heart.
In the end I totally recommend this film. It is a stunning character study that delves deep and delivers the goods. It is moving and breathtaking and sincere, and the heart of this film comes at you in the most unexpected of ways, leaving you with cleansed feeling despite the obvious gritty atmosphere.
An epic, if there ever was one January 18, 2010
Ashish Kumar (Singapore)
In spite of some minor quality issues with the DVD, I was awe-struck by this movie. I thought of Babel, which has a similar structure (it's more global) of three stories connected by one accident.
"Amores Perros" is definitely absorbing and I think I will need to view it at least one more time. I didn't get one of the angles - in the third story, of the dog Cofi teaching a valuable lesson to El Chivo the vagrant - until I saw one of the special features. I'm sure this is just one of the many rich insights a repeated viewing would generate.
I found it especially interesting that the stories are set in different layers of society - there is a supermodel, there are people leading a borderline existence and there is a complete outcast.
I do disagree with some of the reviewers who have said that the film is all about Mexican culture. It has integrity because it is genuine, but the insights are very universal.
I did note one uncharacteristic glitch - one of the characters says that he doesn't wear glasses as he's OK with seeing blurred, but later in the movie he's seeing well at quite a distance.
I don't want to use the stock words to try to describe the many things this movies achieves. As some reviewers have pointed out, if you can steel yourself to watch some gory scenes of dogfighting (which have been filmed without harming animals), you will probably find that this is a great movie.
 A well executed drama of intersecting storylines August 31, 2009
Evan J. Carroll (Kingwood, TX USA)
The way this film is done, you're introduced to 4 separate stories: a man who lusts for his brother's wife, a kid's life dog-fighting, a homeless man life-story, and the story of model. All of these stories are braided together throughout the film in interesting ways. None, of them are too happy -- but the movie is great.
A Dog Eat Dog World June 27, 2009
John F. Rooney
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Amores Perros" (Love Is a Bitch) has three stories which intersect at several points, most notably at the site of a deadly automobile crash. All three segments have dogs as a key element, and each is about hopeless love. In the first story two brothers share a dog and a wife. One brother uses their rottweiler in vicious dog fights (viewers beware), and the married brother works in and robs pharmacies on the side.
The second story concerns a super model and her older boyfriend who has deserted his wife. Her little lap dog gets trapped under some flooring, and all hell breaks loose.
In the third story a bearded street person with a pack of loyal dogs was a revolutionary and is currently a hired hitman. He tries to get in touch with his daughter who believes him dead.
In this devastating movie none of the characters are particularly admirable. It's exceptionally well done and well-acted, but be prepared for a downer. Mexico City is the milieu for the action. The movie sometimes moves back and forth in time so we see events reenacted from another angle; a feature that makes the narrative more exciting.
Each of the dog owners reacts differently. Is it a dog-eat-dog world we're living in? This is a film well worth watching.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 205
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