TimecrimesHector is an average kinda guy. Moving into a new house with his wife, he relaxes in the garden, looking out over the forest nearby with his binoculars. There he sees, well, a hot chick take her top off. Once his wife leaves, Hector heads into the trees to investigate - only to find himself being pursued by a violent maniac with his head swathed in bandages. That introduction gives little away as to the directions Timecrimes heads in, but this is truly one of those cases where the less you know going in, the better. The film has a myriad of surprises to spring and they delight all the more with little background knowledge. "A neat, clever little time travel movie." Time travel is a well-worn theme in film. From H.G. Wells adaptations to Back to the Future and the labyrinth of various versions of Terminator, dodging backwards and forwards in time has always appealed to writers. It offers the chance for the clever script to provide foreshadowing and plot twists galore. Timecrimes most definitely has a clever script. The key to the fun of Timecrimes is that in this case, the time travel is only a matter of hours. This results in overlapping timelines and all sorts of manipulations as Hector dashes around desperately trying to put everything right. The reduced scale (there are only a handful of characters, as well) keeps things intimate, but perhaps also limits the ambition of the film and results in it coming off feeling a little bit like a TV episode rather than a feature film. Young director Nacho Vigalondo was 30 when Timecrimes was made, but he has a confident hand and draws a careful performance from Karra Elejalde as Hector - a role that ranges from the buffoon, to the tragic, to the malevolent. Vigalondo himself plays the key supporting role of a young engineer messing with equipment he probably should not, with the key cast rounded out by the gorgeous (and frequently naked) Barbara Goenaga. "In this case, the time travel is only a matter of hours. This results in overlapping timelines and all sorts of manipulations as Hector dashes around desperately trying to put everything right." If the film has a weakness it is perhaps that its plot does drive its characters rather than the other way around; often actions seem unlikely or downright idiotic simply because the story demands it. This is a flaw that is easily overlooked, especially given the strong vein of humour running through the whole that effortlessly keeps the tone balanced between the dramatic and comedic as required. A neat, clever little time travel movie and a debut of huge promise from Vigalondo. Check it out!
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