Crime Wave (2018 film)

{{Infobox film

| native_name = {{Infobox name module|es|Ola de crímenes|nolink=y}}

| image = Crime Wave (2018 film) poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Gracia Querejeta

| producer = {{Plain list|

Ghislain Barrois
Álvaro Augustin
María Luisa Gutiérrez
Santiago Segura
Luis Marías
Eduardo Carneros

}}

| screenplay = Luis Marías

| starring = {{Plain list|

}}

| music = Federico Jusid

| cinematography = Ángel Amorós

| editing = Leire Alonso

| studio = {{Ubl|Telecinco Cinema|Bowfinger International Pictures|Historias del Tío Luis|Crimen Zinema A.I.E.}}

| distributor = Universal Pictures International Spain

| released = {{Film date|2018|10|05|df=y}}

| runtime = 98 minutes

| country = Spain

| language = Spanish

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Crime Wave ({{langx|es|Ola de crímenes|links=no}}) is a 2018 Spanish black comedy film directed by Gracia Querejeta. The cast, led by Maribel Verdú, also features Juana Acosta, Paula Echevarría, Antonio Resines, Raúl Arévalo, Luis Tosar and Javier Cámara.

Plot

Set in Biscay, the plot follows the mishaps of Leyre, a well-off and happily divorced woman whose son has killed his father in a fit of rage, doing whatever it takes for the crime to remain unsolved,{{Cite web|url=https://www.elperiodico.com/es/yotele/20210703/hoy-tv-paula-echevarria-maribel-verdu-ola-crimenes-cuatro-11880205|website=El Periódico de Catalunya|title=Paula Echevarría y Maribel Verdú desatan una 'Ola de crímenes' en Cuatro|date=3 July 2021}} henceforth unleashing a wave of crimes across Bilbao and its surroundings.

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Maribel Verdú as Leyre Blanco{{Cite web|url=https://infoicaa.mecd.es/CatalogoICAA/Peliculas/GetPdf?Pelicula=173817|website=Catálogo ICAA|publisher=ICAA|title=Ola de crímenes|access-date=14 January 2022}}
Juana Acosta as Susana Salazar
Paula Echevarría as Vanesa
Antonio Resines as Andoni Galarza
Raúl Arévalo as El taxista
Luis Tosar as Cosme
Javier Cámara as Capellán
Asier Ricarte as Asier
Miguel Bernardeau Dato as Julen

}}

Production

The screenplay was penned by {{ill|Luis Marías|ca|Luis Marías Amondo}}. The film is a Telecinco Cinema, Bowfinger International Pictures, Historias del Tío Luis and Crimen Zinema A.I.E. production and it had the participation of Mediaset España and Movistar+.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fotogramas.es/noticias-cine/a23118625/ola-crimenes-trailer-maribel-verdu-gracia-querejeta/|website=Fotogramas|title='Ola de crímenes': tráiler de la nueva comedia de Gracia Querejeta con Maribel Verdú|first=Ricardo|last=Rosado|date=13 September 2018}} It was shot in 2017 in locations of Biscay, including Getxo, Bilbao and Portugalete, as well as in Madrid.{{Cite web|url=https://www.audiovisual451.com/ola-de-crimenes-estreno-en-cines-5-de-octubre/|website=Audiovisual451|date=3 October 2018|title=‘Ola de crímenes’ – estreno en cines 5 de octubre}}

Luis Marías, Ghislain Barrois, Álvaro Augustin, María Luisa Gutiérrez, Santiago Segura and Eduardo Carneros were credited as producers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.audiovisual451.com/si-nos-quedamos-fuera-de-las-ayudas-generales-con-ola-de-crimenes-seria-la-tercera-vez-este-ano-y-me-pareceria-que-el-sistema-no-funciona/|website=Audiovisual451|title=«Si nos quedamos fuera de las ayudas generales con ‘Ola de crímenes’ sería la tercera vez este año y me parecería que el sistema no funciona”|date=4 October 2018}}

Release

Distributed by Universal Pictures International Spain, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 5 October 2018.

Reception

Reviewing for El Periódico de Catalunya, Beatriz Martínez rated the film with 2 out of 5 stars, lamenting the tone and the overly histrionic performances, considering that, despite welcoming the attempt to turn male archetypes into female ones, the result is uneven and nears a "retrograde" discourse.{{Cite web|url=https://www.elperiodico.com/es/ocio-y-cultura/20181004/critica-pelicula-ola-de-crimenes-7071644|website=El Periódico de Catalunya|date=4 October 2018|title='Ola de crímenes': disparate sin risas|first=Beatriz|last=Martínez}}

Sergio F. Pinilla of Cinemanía gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering that Verdú does it well enough to sustain the film by herself, concluding that it was "silly, yes, but attractive".{{Cite web|website=Cinemanía|via=20minutos.es|title=Ola de crímenes|date=1 October 2018|first=Sergio F.|last=Pinilla|url=https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/criticas/ola-de-crimenes-115289/}}

Jordi Batlle Caminal of Fotogramas scored 3 out of 5 stars, highlighting the "perfectly matched" cast, while deeming the Querejeta's "stingy" mise-en-scène as the worst feature of the film.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fotogramas.es/peliculas-criticas/a23543950/ola-de-crimenes-pelicula-critica/|website=Fotogramas|title=Ola de crímenes|date=5 October 2018|first=Jordi|last=Batlle Caminal}}

Javier Ocaña of El País deemed Crime Wave to be a "deficient" film, configured as a madcap black comedy, yet rarely finding the right tone.{{Cite web|url=https://elpais.com/cultura/2018/10/04/actualidad/1538604346_678956.html|title=Insospechada estación de paso|website=El País|date=8 October 2018|first=Javier|last=Ocaña|author-link=Javier Ocaña}}

Luis Martínez of Metrópoli gave it 3 out of 5 stars, considering Crime Wave a film "as liberating as absolutely free. Feverish and suicidal. All at the same time", where "it is obligatory to surrender to Verdú's ability to be herself in many more ways than imaginable".{{Cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/metropoli/cine/2018/10/04/5bb5da81468aeb74288b4614.html|title=Ola de crímenes: sangre, carcajada y arsénico

|date=4 October 2018|website=Metrópoli|via=El Mundo}}