Good idea lost in the noise

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A classic film , first of series , that belongs to the violent as well as realistic Quinqui Subgenre with the usual ingredients : drama , delinquency , exploitation and lots of violence . This middling ¨Quinqui¨ movie deals with Ángel Fernández Franco , alias ¨El Torete¨ (he was born in 1960 and died 1989, by VIH , at age 31) , it tells his life like a legend , executing heists , armed robberies , burglary , breaking , ¨Tirones¨ or purse snatchers , assault women and other crimes and misdemeanours . He is a small-time thief who resides in La Mina slums , Barcelona, living in poverty and where falls in love for Isabel engaged to Mosque , a dangerous gypsy ; the latter informs Police (Víctor Petit , Carlos Lucena) about illegal activities of Torete . And , then , he is imprisoned at a youthful penitentiary run by Padre Ignacio (Xabier Elorriaga) . Torete escapes and he again goes on his criminal career . Later on , he faces off the revengeful ¨El Esquinao¨(Frank Braña), Isabel's (Nadia Windel) uncle who executes a terrible vendetta . After that , Torete seeks vengeance and he will stop at nothing to get it . At the end it takes place a disturbing denouement with fateful consequences .First part of the ¨Perros Callejeros¨ trilogy by Jose Antonio De La Loma , the authentic creator of the Quinqui sub-genre about juvenile delinquents and ordinarily played by Angel Fernández Franco , one of the most know delinquents of the seventies . ¨Perros Callejeros I¨ was a popular and big Spanish hit , that's why director De La Loma made various sequels enhancing the customary issues that got again a ¨hit smash¨ , such as: noisy action , hold-ups , car races , car theft , stabbing , teen violence , pursuits and nudism . Including some very crude as well as distasteful images as when there take place an attempt rape , when Torete is abducted , mistreated and mutilated and showing brutal , exploitative rape frames . This is one of several movies dealing with youth delinquency in Spain during the 70s and early 80s mostly realized by Jose Antonio De La Loma , along with Eloy De La Iglesia as ¨Navajeros , "Colegas", "El Pico 1¨ , 2" , ¨La Estanquera De Vallecas¨ and especially ¨Deprisa , Deprisa¨ by Carlos Saura , among others ; and all of them concerning about street life of young delinquents living in the lowest and poorest suburbs and including social commentary . These films were notorious in the years of the Spanish transition to democracy including provoking and polemic issues and played by unknown young people . The style is pretty much urban and realistic as well in the atmosphere as in the fresh dialog and attempted to take a position in favor of the outcast people . Drugs , delinquency, and generational problems are the habitual subjects in these films and specially dedicated to the underworld of heroin and a very realistic look at drug addiction . Passing of time hasn't had mercy with most of those movies , but they represented a time and a way of life in the history of Spain ; and now they may seem a little bit naive . The ¨Perros Callejeros's¨ screenplay written by the same Jose Antonio De La Loma is such strong with disagreeable events , extremely violent scenes , though also with some ingenuousness . Jose Antonio De La Loma chose young and natural actors as Angel Fernandez Franco who had a natural talent to play , he performed his part to the hilt , unafraid of filmmaker's unsympathetic camera and the particularity of the character .Atmospheric musical score including , Rumbas , ordinary disco-music of the 70s , adding usual scenarios and atmospheres of the sixties . Regular photography with juicy atmosphere by Francisco Sanchez , but unfortunately turns too much murky in some video print , being necessary a perfect remastering . Director Juan Antonio De La Loma who hired true delinquents who used their own slang , and giving great realism . De La Loma , had a long career including titles as writer and filmmaker . In his youthful De La Loma worked as a teacher in the Chinese barrio of Barcelona and he lived poorness and isolation . Shot by the creator of ¨Quinqui sub-genre¨ , the veteran and prolific Jose Antonio De La Loma , in his usual botcher style , plenty of extreme sensationalism and exploitation , who filmed the successful trilogy : ¨Perros Callejeros I , II¨ and ¨Ultimos Golpes Del Torete¨ and he even made a female version : ¨Perras Callejeras¨ . Loma directed all kinds of genres as Western : ¨Professional for a massacre¨ ,¨Texas Kid¨ ,¨Clint the solitary¨ , ¨Return of Clint¨, ¨The last Mohican¨, ¨Seven pistols for Timothy¨ , ¨Viva Carrancho¨, ¨The Boldest job in the West¨, and ¨Blood at sundown¨or ¨Porque Seguir Matando¨and Action such as : ¨Metralleta Stein¨ , ¨Razzia¨ , ¨Explosion¨ , Squadron: Counterforce¨or "Playing with Death" , ¨Goma 2¨ , ¨Tony Carrera¨, "Playboy to Kill" and several others .

Along with Eloy De La Iglesia's "Colegas", "Navajeros" or "El Pico", "Perros Callajeros" belongs to that group of movies from the early 80's that dealt with the life-facts of some typical small time thieves- Young boys that used to assault old women, steal cars, and smoke some marijuana... Most of them came from the suburbs of big cities such as Madrid or Barcelona.So, "Perros calljeros" is not as raw and "ugly" as Eloy de la Iglesias' movies, it's kind of dogmatic and there are no professional actors here. It's nothing but a memory from a time that it looks so far away now, but actually this is the way Spain was less than 30 years ago.My rate: 3/10

Perros Callejeros is based on the juvenile delinquence of the 1970`s and 80`s in Spain. The story is set in `Barrio de la Mina` in Barcelona one of the most conflict neighbourhoods in Spain. The charectars chosen were real juvenile delinquents all with criminal records, which the director used to give the film a realistic touch,and maybe to give them the chance to change, but unfortunately non of them live today.This film is very powerful and dramatic, it shows how these kids were brought up to survive on the streets, and how life mistreated them because they were poor!The movie is very realisticly made and has a strong content of the Marginated life in Spain. Something that everyone seems to ignore when they have no direct relation with. It is full of realistic action and suspence. Car thefts, Car chases, Bag Snatchers, Armed robberies, Sex and a soundtrack that comes straightout of this world - `Rumba`.Angel Fernandez Franco, `El Torete` was one of the most famous deliquents of that time, which the director `Jose Antonio de la Loma` Contracted him to play himself as he had a natural talent to act. The Success of this film drove `de la Loma` to use `El Torete` for two more films based on his life, which were `Perros Callejeros 2` and `Los Ultimos Golpes del Torete`. Unfortunately when the films were over `El Torete` turned back to his normal life and died at the age of 29, in 1989 victim of H.I.V. NOT TO BE MISSED AS ITS MORE THAN JUST A MOVIE!ITS A DOCUMENT OF THE REAL WORLD

This film is about juvenile delinquents. Most filmmakers want the audience to identify with and like their lead characters, but these kids have no redeeming qualities. They commit every type of crime imaginable - murder, rape, robbery, burglary, breaking and entering - you name it, they do it. Are we supposed to like these kids? They seem like a bunch of jerks. There is brief flash of male nudity when the lead character suffers the surprising consequences of his actions - and this is carried out by thugs who are even more distasteful than the teens. The film is interesting in an odd way, but why couldn't they have made even one of the teens a decent human being.