QUICK’N DIRTY: LIVE FROM TALLINN
One of the vicarious thrills of crime movies can be the introduction into an underworld, such as the sharp-suited wise guys of Scorsese movies, or the comedic chaos of early Guy Ritchie. Others celebrate those bringing criminals to justice, a tradition that goes back to the days of Humphrey Bogart’s Phillip Marlowe. In Argentinian-set thriller Street Wanderers, those that break the law and enforce it both step into the spotlight.
The film is based on real events, and set in 2010 amidst a hidden war between Chinese mafia groups within the immigrant communities of Mendoza, Argentina. Local business owners are terrorised for protection money, with deadly consequences for those who do not pay. Argentine prosecutor Diane Belenguer (Victoria Almeida) walks the halls of law enforcement, trying to raise awareness of this underworld before more blood is shed. She finds a new ally in Officer Li (Chien Min Lee), an interpreter flown in from China to help her crack the case. The pair race to find the kingpins before more lives are lost.
What’s striking about the film is the choice to see the investigation from so many viewpoints. Rather than opening with a heist or a shootout, the first scene is a quiet dinner between a restaurant-owning family talking about business, before their peace is shattered by a threatening phone call. There are also ruptures within the mafia communities that lead to rifts that cannot be healed. On all sides, there are recurring themes of codes of silence, of tradition and honour keeping an ecosystem in place. Even those on the side of justice must follow their own customs.
What holds the film back, however, is a dreadfully slow pace that doesn’t foster the tension needed for this kind of story. Much of the time, the conversations between law enforcement are cordial and informed, but not especially dramatic. The stoic nature of the dialogue and performances struggle to convey the stakes, making it a “procedural” in the driest sense of the word. On the other side of the divide, the mafia members lack menace, even in moments when dealing out punishment to those who defy them. At one point, Officer Li talks about how “The Head Of The Snake”, i.e. mafia leaders, make themselves known because you fear them. Sadly, no one in the cast carries that kind of danger.
There are moments of interest that keep the film ticking along. The devotion of the duo investigating leads to some moments that raise the pulse slightly, such as a well-edited segment where Officer Li translates a wiretap, with his words meshing with the man he is listening to. Almeida also gives the story some emotional heft. The Argentinian star comes into her own toward the end, when the personal pain behind her professional motivation leads to some touching moments, particularly in her bond with co-star Chien Min Lee.
Overall, however, Street Wanderers lacks the impact expected from its multi-layered premise and real-life inspiration. Given the abundance of true crime stories crowding our streaming services, director Juan Martin Hsu doesn’t do enough to distinguish this tale from the pack.
Street Wanderers just premiered in the Critics’ Picks section of the 29th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
