Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Navajeros Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 12, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Eloy de la Iglesia's Quinqui Collection.

It can be kind of interesting to trace when various genres or subgenres in film started to appear in various countries. In the United States, for example, there was a veritable glut of so-called "juvenile delinquent" films that began showing up in the fifties in particular, though there are probably isolated incidents of quasi-JDs appearing considerably earlier (arguably like those seen in 1937's Dead End, who continued on as The East Side Kids, among other appellations) . But the post-World War II era really seemed to give rise to this kind of film, with everything from Blackboard Jungle to Rebel Without a Cause ensuing (both of those interestingly from the same year of 1955). The genre may have tended more toward exploitation fare as it continued, with more overtly hyperbolic productions like Reform School Girl, The Green-Eyed Blonde and The Party Crashers (the last two directed by genre stalwart Bernard Girard, and the last film offering the final big screen performances from both Frances Farmer and Bobby Driscoll). By the time juvenile delinquents were seen singing and dancing in West Side Story, the genre may have obviously morphed pretty significantly, but in its own way, it continued apace with any number of films throughout the sixties and beyond, including a glut of "biker gang" outings.

Perhaps due to the influence of Franco, who may not have wanted the world to think that "his" country had any problems with errant youth, Spain didn't really start offering juvenile delinquent films until the 1970s, though, again, there are isolated examples that can be cited, like Luis Bunuel's The Young and the Damned, which kind of interestingly given the above data was released in 1950. The word quinqui was utilized to define this emerging late 70s - early 80s genre (or subgenre, if you prefer) featuring Spanish JDs, and while that word may seem like it should be inherently linked etymologically to "delinquent", the actual facts may be a bit different, as is discussed in one of the supplements included on this set of discs. Whatever the genesis of the term actually is, Eloy de la Iglesia is considered one of the prime creators of quinqui films, and this collection from Severin offers a trio of often graphically disturbing works that have a bit of a Neorealist flavor to them, albeit in the mean streets of Madrid and Bilbao rather than Rome and environs.

Navajeros is understandably considered one of the paradigmatic examples of a quinqui film, but it also has a certain mystique in terms of its "backstage" drama in that it began what was a long and tempestuous relationship between Eloy de la Iglesia and star José Luis Manzano, a non-professional kid at the time who was chosen by de la Iglesia to create a character based on a real life criminal named El Jaro who had made headline news in Spain. The story, while evidently at least partially fictionalized, also proved to be sadly prophetic in a way, almost presaging Manzano's own troubles to come in terms of scuffles with the law and heroin addiction.

The basic plot here sees El Jaro, already more than involved in a life of (mostly petty) crime, get sucked into even more of a maelstrom after he comes into possession of a gun. The film achieves a certain quasi-vérité style courtesy not just of its gritty depiction of a hardscrabble street life for urban youths, but also due to the introduction of a crusading journalist named Oteiza (José Sacristán), who is attempting to investigate the socioeconomic causes for such rampant unrest (and criminal activity) in Spanish youth.

Manzano is a force of nature in this film, as he is in the two other films included in the Quinquin Collection. There's also some of de la Iglesia's familiar sociopolitical provocations, as well as some subplots involving gays.

Navajeros Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Navajeros is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. The back cover of this release states that all three films in this collection have been "scanned in HD from the original negatives". This is a generally very strong looking transfer that offers abundant detail levels and a warmly suffused palette for the most part, though this particular presentation can have a slightly yellowish tint at times that comes and goes, and which can perhaps be made out in some of the screenshots accompanying this review. However, the majority of the transfer boasts natural looking colors, with an organically resolved grain field and no really appreciable major damage to report.

Navajeros Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Navajeros features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that capably supports the film's kind of rough and ready sound design, which frequently finds characters marauding between outdoor and interior environments. It looked to me that at least some of the film had been post-looped, though I'm assuming most if not all of the actors spoke Spanish on set. As a result, synch can appear loose, as they say, but fidelity is fine throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Navajeros Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• José Sacristán on Eloy de la Iglesia (HD; 8:39) is an interesting overview of de la Iglesia, with some insight into his status as an intentional provocateur. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Blood in the Streets: The Quinqui Film Phenomenon (HD; 44:45) is a fascinating look into this genre, with some thought provoking analysis by a variety of talking heads. In both Spanish and English, with English subtitles as appropriate.


• Queerness, Crime and the Basque Conflict in the Quinqui Films of Eloy de la Iglesia (HD; 1:07:42) is another top notch piece, and I'd only say if this title alone doesn't spark some interest, no description on my part will aid. This features a Zoom like interchange between Paul Julian Smith, Evan Purchell and Alejandro Melero.

Navajeros Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Navajeros is an unabashed gut punch, and it retains a visceral and very disturbing energy now decades after its original release. Manzano was a real find, and his personal life refracts into this film in an unavoidably melancholy way. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements are very interesting. Recommended.