Below Zero (Bajocero) (2021)

Below Zero (Bajocero) is a Spanish action thriller directed by Lluis Quilez.

On a dark and deserted road, a prison transport vehicle is hijacked. The driver must fight on all fronts, battling freezing weather, perhaps his worst enemy…

So, just in case, this is not an adaptation of a Johan Theorin book. Nor does it have anything to do with volume 10 of The Experts series entitled Dead of Winter, happening in Manhattan, by Stuart M. Kaminsky.

It wasn’t a very successful film. But I really liked it! Sure, it’s too brutal, but it’s not every day you see prisoners being transported in a movie. You see the individual cages for each of them during the journey. Criminals are interesting. Of course, there will always be people who say it’s cliché… but isn’t it cliché to always say that everything is cliché?

And besides, I suspect that a lot of people who say that everything is predictable are liars. I think that some of them have already seen the movies and are pretending they haven’t. Or maybe they’ve read the summaries. Because, frankly, I don’t find this movie predictable. What happens with these criminals is not what you would imagine. The rules and codes are regularly broken.

I don’t really understand the criticism, I don’t understand why the comments are so harsh on this film. It’s not the film of the century, we agree, but it’s great. I’m not necessarily a fan of Spanish cinema in general, but this one is one of the exceptions to the rule. There are indeed some minor inconsistencies, but does that mean it’s a dud? Come on! For me, the script holds up, everything is explained and makes sense. Of course, the probability of such a story happening in real life is very low! Nevertheless, it holds up. In every sense of the word. No, I’m joking, since the vehicle veers off course! Anyway…

A very good, effective film that I found thrilling. It quickly gets to the heart of the matter and the closed setting is very interesting, even if it’s not entirely closed. Only in the first part, let’s say.

With an excellent cast (most of whom are known from Spanish series) and careful direction, you won’t be bored for a minute and you’ll go through a range of emotions. Special mention for the performances of Javier Gutierrez and Patrick Criado.

I can sometimes be quite picky about the plausibility of events presented in this type of feature film. However, I have become more tolerant, understanding that certain implausibilities, while insignificant, allow the action to continue. So my advice would be: turn a blind eye to the inconsistencies and immerse yourself in the film, live it, feel it: you have everything to gain!

These inconsistencies are mainly at the beginning, but I quickly got caught up in the story and stopped noticing these annoying details. After all, what does it matter if the truck is traveling at 90 km/h with all its tires flat? Don’t spoil your enjoyment by focusing on that, and you’ll get a very gripping film that lives up to its name.

In conclusion:

I’m quite surprised by the average rating. I stumbled upon this film by chance on Netflix, and it’s a good thriller. The second half of the film could perhaps have benefited from more nuance and surprises in the final explanation. But otherwise, it’s a very good film! A pleasant surprise that keeps the suspense going, which becomes unbearable at a certain point. Some reactions are a little far-fetched, but overall, I repeat, to me it’s a very good film!