Al_The_Strange Bullfighting never was a sport I had an interest in, but I figured it would make for a compelling drama. If nothing else, this film is as real as it gets. There are a bunch of major sequences that pits the main character against raging beasts. These scenes aren't staged or faked with trick photography of any kind; the players seriously put their lives on the line to confront real bulls on screen. They come dangerously close to getting mauled and gored, as they gracefully maneuver and evade the animals. Perhaps most shocking of all is that the bulls themselves are hurt on-screen, often soaked in blood, and the camera lingers on their agony.There is a basic narrative at work; it's generally the same formula that goes into movies like Gladiator or Rollerball, for these are all movies where some dude gets involved with a deadly sport and proves to be so good at it that he's pushed to the top. The Moment of Truth is a more original feature though, with characters that look and act quite realistic. The film boasts some intriguing parallels to the politics of the time, but even on its own, the plot is not bad. My only complaint is that it's pretty dry in between the more exciting scenes.The film has a look and style that's at least halfway like a documentary. Photography tends to be rather pedestrian-looking, and there are a lot of distant shots. It looks quite gritty and real this way, but I think it also distances the viewer a bit, and I think the film could have been more effective if the camera could be closer to the action. Editing is pretty rough for this film as well. Acting and writing tends to be understated, and appears authentic that way. This production uses some very real-looking sets, props, costumes, and locales. There is no music score.This film reveals a lot: it shows the valor, courage, and skill of bullfighters, but also the bloody brutality and mortal danger of it all. If you have the stomach for it, it is worth seeing at least once.4/5 (Entertainment: Pretty Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Good)

John Seal First things first: this isn't an easy film to watch, unless you enjoy bullfighting. A significant portion of Moment of Truth's running time consists of man on livestock action, and it ain't pretty. The blood runs very, very red, and there's more shed here than in the entire Saw franchise. With that out of the way, it must be said that not only is this an interesting film about a young man's rise to the top of his profession, it's also a beautifully made feature. Shot in colour and in Techniscope, Moment of Truth features terrific wide-screen compositions, both inside and outside the matador's arena. Miguel Mateo is superb as Migeulin, the tall dark and handsome country boy who trades in the family plough for a matador's finery, and it must be said that from all indications he was a real bullfighter: the filmed corridas definitely feature the lead engaging in battle against bulls.

dbdumonteil This is not a movie about bull fighting .This is a movie which depicts bygone days ,when Spain was under a dictatorship and if you did not want to starve ,you had two possibilities: either become a bull fighter-remember this line :" who was Manuel Benitez before he became El Cordobes?/He was like us,he was starving" or a flamenco singer (The most famous was Joselito Jimenez ).Miguel,a peasant ,leaves the impoverished country for the broader horizons of the town like many others .But poverty awaits on them all,and he realizes he's working for nothing.Then he tries to become El Cordobes .It's the rise and fall of a bull fighter in the sixties,but once again,even if the bullfights are well filmed (if you like this kind of show,personally,I don't) the main thing is the depiction of Spanish life at a time when Western Europa's economy was expanding rapidly,leaving-temporarily- Spain and Portugal by the wayside .The best scene which perhaps sums up the whole movie is Miguel's return in his old home ,when his brand new car belts along the road across the fields where animal traction remains.Even if Miguel became a rich man ,he would never be part of the folks on the hill;during the party,these posh people have not the slightest idea of the risks their "idol" has to take.That a Spanish director would have been allowed to film such a subject was unthinkable ;it's one of Italian Francesco Rosi's most overlooked movies along with "Uomo Contro" .People generally know much better such movies as "Salavatore Giuliano" "Il Caso Mattei" "Cadaveri Eccelenti" or " Cristo Si E Fermato A Eboli" .His admirers could do worse than give a chance to "Il Momento Della Verità".Rosi does not forget the prominent part played by religion .The movie begins and ends with this procession during The Holy week with its hooded penitents .The people seem imprisoned in these celebrations which frame the movie like safeguards.The main character does not appear in the first ten minutes .A short scene shows the bull fighter praying Virgin Mary before his last Corrida.

pk-34 To make a good movie about bull fighting one should first contract a great matador: and Miguel Mateo Miguelin could hardly be braver or more graceful. I saw the movie despite my modern distaste for that ahem sport: and was at least semi-converted. In ancient northern religions, with their male animal gods, the animal god presents himself to the people to be ritually slaughtered. The ritual must be beautiful. The ritual must be risky: potentially fatal for the killing-man-priest as well as for the animal-god. Migueline shows how it's done when it's done right.