Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Perdita Durango Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 17, 2021

There’s a rather interesting and perhaps potentially humorous disclaimer that is offered at the beginning of a short but fascinating overview of the apparently real events underlying Perdita Durango which is offered on this Blu-ray disc as a supplement. At the beginning of Narcosatanicos: ‘Perdita Durango’ and the Matamoros Cult viewers are cautioned that some nefarious types have twisted religious beliefs (in this case relating to Santeria) to their own villainous ends, and that other, more righteous, believers have followed these traditions without things like, you know, human sacrifices and the like resulting. If that reprehensible behavior isn’t part of mainstream worship circles (at least in anything other than vestigial ways, a la the Bible story of Abraham and Isaac), it would be very easy to generalize the warning to reflect various objectionable “interpretations” of religious tenets by all sorts of people. If the title and woman’s name of Perdita Durango may strike some as a bit familiar, it may because they’ve seen Isabella Rosselini’s relatively brief but memorable turn as the character in Wild at Heart. That film, like this one, was culled from a novel by Barry Gifford, though, as evidenced by the title of Narcosatanicos above, a title which is itself in a Spanish language version that of a non-fiction book by Jim Schutze, there are elements of Perdita Durango that are at least a bit reflective of actual events. In 1989, a Texas university student named Mark Kilroy was kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico and was ultimately tortured and killed in a human sacrifice ritual. Completing this virtual round robin of interdisciplinary influences, a number of elements of this true life criminal horror story were evidently influenced at least in part by John Schlesinger’s 1987 film The Believers, and there are certainly elements in both that outing and Perdita Durango that kind of refract off of each other.

There were evidently both a man and a woman at the head of the cult which murdered Mark Kilroy, and in this film those characters become Romeo Dolorosa (Javier Bardem) and Perdita Durango (Rosie Perez). Perdita is introduced first, in a kind of cheekily amusing scene where she's hit on by the kind of guy who is still wearing doubleknits, and who soon realizes Perdita is not the kind of woman to suffer fools gladly. She soon meets up with Romeo, and the two just kind of instantly become a couple. Romeo is a "holy man" of sorts, one who is convinced some magic talismans he carries give him super powers, powers which in fact seem to be real when he evades any snooping by the border crossing police, despite the fact that there's a body in the back seat of his car.

Lest anyone mistake this film for a traditional "ripped from the headlines" recreation of an abysmal incident, Perdita Durango is decidedly more whimsical and potentially unsettling in a number of ways. Romeo is shown to be something of a charlatan, which perhaps "distances" him from being really evil with regard to his supposed Santeria sacrifices. Except the film also borrows from real events by having Romeo, at Perdita's urging, kidnap not one but two Americans for a ritualistic killing spree. If that eventuality is at least delayed, the film goes of on a number of patently wild tangents, including the transportation of fetal matter (to make cosmetics), rival gangs and a cat and mouse game involving a DEA agent named Dumas (James Gandolfini). Just for good measure, there's a brief but totally gonzo detour through Vera Cruz.

The result is one part David Lynch, one part Quentin Tarantino, with maybe just a soupçon of Alejandro González Iñárritu thrown in for good measure. The presentational aspects that Alex de la Iglesia brings to the enterprise are rarely less than arresting (no policing pun intended), and the film offers absolutely astounding showcases for both Javier Bardem, who is relentlessly feral in his portrayal, and Rosie Perez, who against all odds brings a certain comedic flair to often horrifying events.

Perdita Durango Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Perdita Durango is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. There are a few more variances in this presentation than are seen in The Day of the Beast, which are arguably a bit more noticeable in Severin's 4K UHD version than here. There are fluctuations in saturation that can be spotted, but on the whole this transfer offers a really nice accounting of the film's almost lurid color schemes. Reds and yellows in particular are quite striking throughout, and the most brightly lit outdoor scenes pop with very commendable vividness. Grain can occasionally have a slightly yellowish, clumping quality, but on the whole resolves in a nicely organic way throughout.

Perdita Durango Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both the 4K UHD and 1080 presentations of Perdita Durango feature nicely rendered DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in English or Spanish. I toggled back and forth between these, but admittedly spent most of my time on the English language track. I didn't notice any huge differences in amplitude or general mix levels between the two languages. The frequent use of source cues and underscore tends to provide a nice consistent bed of surround activity, and the many noisy scenes, including some of the ritualistic aspects, offer smart channelization of individual effects. Some of the more calamitous events as things spiral out of control also present good opportunities for sound effects like gunfire. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Perdita Durango Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• On the Border (1080p; 28:12) is an interview with director Alex de la Iglesias. In Spanish with English subtitles.


• Writing Perdita Durango (1080p; 16:43) is an interview with Barry Gifford.


• Dancing with the Devil (1080p; 12:57) is an interview with Rebekah Mckendry.


• Narcosatanicos: Perdita Durango and the Matamoros Cult (1080p; 18:14) is a really well done if relatively short piece, and is a good place to start for those unacquainted with some of the real life (and/or death) events underlying the tale.


• Canciones de Amor Maldito: The Music of Perdita Durango (1080p; 21:13) features composer Simon Boswell.


• Shooting Perdita Durango (1080p; 4:54) is an interview with Flavio Labiano.


• Trailer 1 (1080p; 1:37)


• Trailer 2 (1080p; 1:50)

Perdita Durango Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perdita Durango , though evidenty based at least in part on real events, is an increasingly more surreal viewing experience, though it's an often completely visceral one. This film perhaps unavoidably reminded me of Wild at Heart, but some of its more gonzo presentational aspects also brought to mind over the top films about murderous couples like Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Bardem and Perez are unforgettable, and fans of either or both of these performers who haven't seen this film are in for a (disturbing?) treat. Severin is offering a release with secure technical merits and the 1080 disc has some nice supplements. Recommended.