Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Amores Perros Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 17, 2017

The films of Alejandro González Iñárritu have often tended to split both audiences and critics alike, with some folks announcing Iñárritu as a major visionary, and others dismissing him as a pretentious poseur. Much of Iñárritu’s recent reputation has been based on Birdman and The Revenant, two films which I personally at least found to be quite remarkable and actually unforgettable. I was similarly impressed with Biutiful, though that film’s relentlessly dour approach combined with often startling magical realism may make it an even harder sell to the general public than something intentionally outré like Birdman. Iñárritu seems to favor working with ensemble casts at least some of the time, often offering intersecting storylines that seek to explore subjects from a variety of perspectives, and both of those tendencies are in play in Amores perros, a film which, like Biutiful, requires a certain steeling of one’s emotions to wend through an often depressing and outright disturbing array of violent behaviors, not just between humans but sadly in this case also involving dogs, the “perros” of the film’s title. I first saw Amores perros years ago when I was given a gift certificate to a DVD emporium (back when brick and mortar stores were the norm), and, without anything pressing on my shopping list, picked it up simply because it was on an endcap and caught my eye. I frankly couldn’t get through the film the first time I attempted to watch it, being kind of shocked at some of the depictions on display. It was only after Iñárritu’s profile became more prominent with the releases of 21 Grams and (probably especially) Babel, two films which are linked to Amores perros by design, that I revisited Iñárritu’s first feature film and, appropriately steeled, managed to make it through an often devastating viewing experience. Amores perros, 21 Grams and Babel all share certain structural similarities, and they all feature at least passing references to a Crash (so to speak), and all three have been linked as a cheerily named “Trilogy of Death”, a nickname which may indicate as well as anything some of the hurdles some viewers may face when attempting to deal with what is frequently a pretty bleak vision of Man and his place in the world.

While the “perros” of the film can be taken literally, since the film is filled to the brim with dogs (and it should be noted for the squeamish, dog fighting, some of which at least looks incredibly brutal), the reference is metaphorical as well, alluding to less than “happily ever after” lives several of these down on their luck characters are living. The interconnected stories feature a fairly wide array of socioeconomic levels, but you’d be hard pressed to find a character actually enjoying their success in this film, that is if they’re even lucky enough to have success. There’s a “kitchen sink drama” aspect to Amores perros that is often gritty and uncompromising, something that in and of itself adds to the emotional heaviness of so much of the film.

Amores Perros is divided into “chapters” of a sort, detailing three separate interlocking stories which are united courtesy of a central tragedy. Octavio (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Susana (Vanessa Bauche) are star-crossed would be lovers, though the fact that Susana is married to Octavio’s brother Ramiro (Marco Perez) presents certain obstacles to overcome. This entire “episode” is grim beyond belief to begin with, but is further weighed down by its emphasis on street dog fighting, all of which is portrayed with startling veracity. Octavio’s attempts to wrest Susana away from the abusive Ramiro provides the major plot motivation, which in turn leads to (yet more) tragedy.

The next segment is devoted to a much wealthier couple, a supermodel named Valeria (Goya Toledo), who is engaged in a romantic fling with the still married Daniel (Álvaro Guerrero), a successful entrepreneur. A devastating accident threatens Valeria’s career, but the bulk of this segment is actually caught up with a patently bizarre subplot of Valeria’s dog getting stuck underneath the floorboards of the couple’s apartment, leading to a deconstruction effort which kind of weirdly reminded me of the denouement of The Conversation. There’s a different kind of feeling of loss that informs this sequence than that of the first episode, and the fact that these characters seem so entitled and frankly self-absorbed may make their personal “issues” less emotionally resonant.

The third segment attempts to draw together at least some of the elements, and even some of the characters, from the first two sections, all swirling around a character who has in fact been seen tangentially in those sections, a seemingly bedraggled homeless man who is known as El Chivo (Emilio Echevarría), a moniker which means “the goat”, perhaps a reference to his bristly haired appearance. Without posting any spoiler material, suffice it to say that this town elder is not exactly who he initially appears to be, or at least who others think he is, and once again screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga approaches content dealing with socioeconomic fragmentation from a fairly unusual perspective. As with the two previous sections, dogs once again play at least a supporting role in a story that tries fitfully to provide some resolution, but which may leave some viewers feeling like they’ve survived a street fight themselves.

Amores Perros Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Amores Perros is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Lionsgate didn't provide any real PR for this release (nor did they send a screener), and my hunch is this is probably culled from the same master that Svet assessed in his Amores Perros Blu-ray review, which was in his estimation old even then. A cursory comparison of screenshots suggests this version is just very slightly brighter looking than the British release, but otherwise the palette looks similar if not identical. To my eyes, there's a very subtle blue undertone to at least some sections of this transfer that tends to flush skin tones just slightly and give a somewhat otherworldly look to things. There are some passing compression issues on this release, especially in some of the darker moments, but detail levels are at least good throughout the presentation, and often very good, especially in brighter lighting regimens.

Amores Perros Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Amores Perros features a rather boisterous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (in the original Spanish, with optional English subtitles), one that derives consistent energy and surround activity from elements like a central car crash, the ferocious dogfights, or even a soundtrack that is regularly filled with hip hop and other bass heavy cues. Dialogue is generally very well prioritized, with just a couple of lines being subtly masked by some of the ambient environmental noises or other sound effects. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range extremely wide on this problem free track.

Amores Perros Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and Writer Guillermo Arriaga Jordan is in Spanish, with English subtitles.


• Deleted Scenes (480p; 17:45) features optional commentary (again in Spanish) by Inarritu.


• Featurette (480p; 8:09) is an enjoyable enough EPK with good behind the scenes footage. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Los Perros (480p; 6:19) takes a look at the dogs in the film. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Me Van a Matar Music Video (480p; 4:06) features Juliet Venega.


• Avientame Music Video (480p; 3:30) features Cafe Tacuba.


• De Perros Amores Music Video (480p; 4:03) features Control Machete and and Ely Guerra.

Amores Perros Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I may simply be too much of a dog lover to watch Amores Perros with sufficient detachment to let the human equation affect me. This is not an easy film to sit through one way or the other, and I have to say if you are a dog lover, you will need a certain amount of fortitude to withstand some of the imagery and/or plot points you'll be facing. This is relentless, powerful filmmaking by any standard, though, and it certainly points up some of Iñárritu's strengths as a visual stylist and especially as a provider of often disturbing depictions of people attempting to survive on the margins of "society". Video here is a bit on the lackluster side, but audio is outstanding. With caveats duly noted, Amores Perros comes Recommended.