At first i must say that in my opinion the makers of this wonderful movie intended not to make just a story that their audience will sit and enjoy the -well done- build tension , but they wanted to amaze their audience-and in my case they did it! You 'll not believe to your eyes at the last 7 minutes of this piece of art , of course you can try guessing about 10 scenarios at the first 94 minutes the solution of this mystery ...unsuccessfully . The actors were well selected and i must admit that they did their jobs very professional and they helped in the creation of this -almost- masterpiece ... I don't want to spoil anything , i recommend everyone to see this movie and some of you(like me for example) try not to stay with your mouth open at the end ...
130 Reviews
Try to guess the solution of this mystery with success before the last 7 minutes and ...you are a genius!!!
ntinoskouis23 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Excellent Thriller!!!
dcabella772 May 2013
At first, i tough this is not going to be a good movie, but later on i realize that has a very good plot and a solid performance of the entire cast. this is the kind of movie that you must see every detail. kept you intrigue along the entire film. The end was the best, a really good end, like the kind of movies you don't know what's gonna happened to the final. the art is for me another strong point, really well ambiance when you also can feel the mystery.
So i give 8 out of 10 to this great Spanish film. Very recommendable. PD: as you can see English is not my first language, so sorry for the basics lines.
So i give 8 out of 10 to this great Spanish film. Very recommendable. PD: as you can see English is not my first language, so sorry for the basics lines.
This is a highly suspenseful and cerebral mystery , filled with twists and turns
ma-cortes1 September 2013
Mystery , intrigue about bizarre facts happen in a morgue .The same team - actress (Belen Rueda) , producer (Mikel Lejarza , Mar Targarona) , screenwriter (Oriol Paulo) , cameraman (Oscar Faura)- who made ¨The orphanage¨ and ¨The Julia's eyes¨ bring us another suspenseful film , ¨ The body¨ or ¨El Cuerpo¨ . The picture is thrilling and some moment brilliant , and the actors are quite reliable as Jose Coronado and Hugo Silva . And again a wonderful Belen Rueda as a nasty woman in a movie with intense sequences of tension and suspense . It deals with a veteran detective called Jaime Peña (Jose Coronado) searches for the body of a femme fatale (Belen Rueda is sensational in one of her best films along with ¨El Orfanato¨) which has gone missing from a morgue . As main suspect there appears her husband Alex Ulloa (Hugo Silva) . Alex is detained and finding alone in the morgue , he is terrorized by strange events , surrounded by corpses and then weird deeds take place .
The film contains tension , thriller , drama , mystery , plot twists and shocks , including decent scares with tense sequences especially in its final part , in a unexpected denouement , near of the end . Hitchcock-style psychological thriller , being surprisingly good and compellingly realized . The original as well as entertaining idea is overspread throughout the movie , but not totally satisfactory , including conventional pitfalls . The main cast is frankly fine , such as José Coronado as Inspector Jaime Peña who bears a dark past , Hugo Silva as upsetting Álex Ulloa , Belén Rueda as Mayka Villaverde , a selfish and domineering woman and the young lover Aura Garrido as Carla . The motion picture is pretty well , although sometimes stagy and packs excessive turns ; however is entertaining for continuous suspense . Sinister and mysterious atmosphere plenty of lights and shades , it is finely photographed by cameraman Oscar Faura . Suspenseful and stirring musical score by Sergio Moure who previously composed successful films as ¨Unconscious¨ and being expert on frightening atmosphere such as ¨Thesis on a Homicide" and ¨Kidnapped¨ .
The film was well produced by various producers , such as Joaquin Padro , Mar Targarona and Mercedes Gamero ; all of them have produced a lot of successes in the new Spanish cinema . Being professionally written and directed by Oriol Paulo who formerly realized only short movies and wrote ¨The Julia's eyes¨ . The movie will appeal to suspense enthusiasts and Belen Rueda fans . Rating : Good , better than average . It's well worth watching and contains some really thrilling scenes and disturbing images .
The film contains tension , thriller , drama , mystery , plot twists and shocks , including decent scares with tense sequences especially in its final part , in a unexpected denouement , near of the end . Hitchcock-style psychological thriller , being surprisingly good and compellingly realized . The original as well as entertaining idea is overspread throughout the movie , but not totally satisfactory , including conventional pitfalls . The main cast is frankly fine , such as José Coronado as Inspector Jaime Peña who bears a dark past , Hugo Silva as upsetting Álex Ulloa , Belén Rueda as Mayka Villaverde , a selfish and domineering woman and the young lover Aura Garrido as Carla . The motion picture is pretty well , although sometimes stagy and packs excessive turns ; however is entertaining for continuous suspense . Sinister and mysterious atmosphere plenty of lights and shades , it is finely photographed by cameraman Oscar Faura . Suspenseful and stirring musical score by Sergio Moure who previously composed successful films as ¨Unconscious¨ and being expert on frightening atmosphere such as ¨Thesis on a Homicide" and ¨Kidnapped¨ .
The film was well produced by various producers , such as Joaquin Padro , Mar Targarona and Mercedes Gamero ; all of them have produced a lot of successes in the new Spanish cinema . Being professionally written and directed by Oriol Paulo who formerly realized only short movies and wrote ¨The Julia's eyes¨ . The movie will appeal to suspense enthusiasts and Belen Rueda fans . Rating : Good , better than average . It's well worth watching and contains some really thrilling scenes and disturbing images .
One of the best thrillers of cinema. Excellent!!!
wallmengo15 June 2013
Congratulations to Spanish cinema by presenting us with yet another thriller / mystery spectacular without showing explicit sex, as we have seen in some Spanish films. The movie is great! The way that every thriller should be: it leaves you lost, but arrives somewhere. And this place is beyond the obvious. The atmosphere of suspense and tension remains, and we are honored by the environment's main plot: nothing less than a morgue! The unwinding of the film is fantastic, amazing and high quality. The Spanish film hardly disappoints me. This one does not disappoint at any time. We watch unblinking eyes and is surprised as the quality of the excellent climate of suspense. The final part is amazing, leaves us with an open mouth and makes us wonder as was thought up this great script. Without blinking my grade is 10! Never has a movie surprised me as much as this in recent years.
Thanks again Spanish cinema!
Thanks again Spanish cinema!
Excellent Thriller with a Memorable Twist at the End
l_rawjalaurence6 October 2014
THE BODY (EL CUERPO) is one of those thrillers that grips you at the beginning and never lets go till the very end. The plot is straightforward: Álex Ulloa (Hugo Silva) has suffered a sudden bereavement, as his wife Mayka (Belén Rueda) has died of a heart attack. The corpse has been taken to the morgue without a postmortem, but has mysteriously disappeared. The morgue security- guard Torres (Miquel Gelabert) has been scared out of his wits - so much so that he runs out of the building and is knocked down by a car. Inspector Jaime Peña (José Coronado) investigates the crime, but finds the task difficult as he is still plagued by the memory of his wife's death a decade earlier in a hit-and-run accident. Sometimes his emotions get the better of him.
Set largely in and around the morgue, Oriol Paulo's film is a masterpiece of modern film noir, complete with dark shadows, long tracking shots down corridors, and point-of-view shots where we share the protagonists' uncertainties about what is going on. To complicate the plot still further, he introduces flashbacks into the past lives of Jamie and Álex, to show how the past exerts an almost paralyzing influence over the present.
The action takes place one dark night, where the rain pours down outside, confining all the characters to the claustrophobic space of the morgue. Within that space, Jaime apparently tries his best to tease out the truth of the crime, but Álex keeps resisting him. On the other hand, Álex tries to communicate with his girlfriend Carla (Aura Garrido), in an attempt to elope with her, but finds his endeavors continually frustrated by circumstances. Neither he nor Jaime can apparently obtain what they want. In this disordered environment, the logic of cause and effect has been deliberately disrupted.
As the action unfolds, so director Paulo further complicates the action by introducing sequence that represent projections of the protagonists' imagination; in other words, putting their assumptions on screen. This further complicates our comprehension of the plot; we have no idea how to separate 'truth' from 'fiction'. This confusion makes the dénouement all the more shocking.
Brilliantly performed, with Coronado giving a quite outstanding performance as the guilt-ridden inspector, THE BODY deserves to be considered a modern classic.
Set largely in and around the morgue, Oriol Paulo's film is a masterpiece of modern film noir, complete with dark shadows, long tracking shots down corridors, and point-of-view shots where we share the protagonists' uncertainties about what is going on. To complicate the plot still further, he introduces flashbacks into the past lives of Jamie and Álex, to show how the past exerts an almost paralyzing influence over the present.
The action takes place one dark night, where the rain pours down outside, confining all the characters to the claustrophobic space of the morgue. Within that space, Jaime apparently tries his best to tease out the truth of the crime, but Álex keeps resisting him. On the other hand, Álex tries to communicate with his girlfriend Carla (Aura Garrido), in an attempt to elope with her, but finds his endeavors continually frustrated by circumstances. Neither he nor Jaime can apparently obtain what they want. In this disordered environment, the logic of cause and effect has been deliberately disrupted.
As the action unfolds, so director Paulo further complicates the action by introducing sequence that represent projections of the protagonists' imagination; in other words, putting their assumptions on screen. This further complicates our comprehension of the plot; we have no idea how to separate 'truth' from 'fiction'. This confusion makes the dénouement all the more shocking.
Brilliantly performed, with Coronado giving a quite outstanding performance as the guilt-ridden inspector, THE BODY deserves to be considered a modern classic.
A perfectly crafted mystery & thriller from Spain
ajit210615 June 2013
A very exciting thriller with many interesting and surprised fluctuations which probably even had puzzled Hitchcock but also made him proud.
The film is very classic, almost old-fashioned, and it flirts healthy and often with particularly mentioned the horror master. The story moves very smoothly between Film Noir, and more traditional contemporary thriller.
"The Body" is about a woman's dead body disappears from the morgue. The husband of the deceased woman, quickly becomes a target of both, the murder of his wife and stealing the body. He was called to the scene to assist with the investigation. The interrogations led by the right shady Commissar, with his own dim past and hearings interspersed with flashbacks of the couple's life, which is played in various flashbacks.
Everything takes place in a proper rainy night in the morgue and the surroundings could hardly be more nasty and claustrophobic. The film really works admirably well and fooling with the viewer, exactly where it wants. The script is well written and although certainly a gap or two can be found, don't bother to look when you are in the middle, instead of being frightened and follow the clues presented.
The film is directed by Oriol Paulo, who two years ago-wrote sovereign "Julia's Eyes" in which Belen Rueda plays Julia and in "The Body" she plays the unsympathetic Mayka (the deceased), an incredibly believable performance. There are good actors in all roles and although sometimes the commissar is near the border of caricature so successful balancing act and it never gets too much.
The last scene when everything unraveled is somewhat contrived. Everything needs was not unfolded and some unanswered questions are good to keep a little spice, but despite the somewhat pedagogical explanations in the end, everything leading up to it wonderfully confusing and nerve wracking as well, as I really hope to get jump-to more such films by Oriol Paulo ahead.
7.5/10.
The film is very classic, almost old-fashioned, and it flirts healthy and often with particularly mentioned the horror master. The story moves very smoothly between Film Noir, and more traditional contemporary thriller.
"The Body" is about a woman's dead body disappears from the morgue. The husband of the deceased woman, quickly becomes a target of both, the murder of his wife and stealing the body. He was called to the scene to assist with the investigation. The interrogations led by the right shady Commissar, with his own dim past and hearings interspersed with flashbacks of the couple's life, which is played in various flashbacks.
Everything takes place in a proper rainy night in the morgue and the surroundings could hardly be more nasty and claustrophobic. The film really works admirably well and fooling with the viewer, exactly where it wants. The script is well written and although certainly a gap or two can be found, don't bother to look when you are in the middle, instead of being frightened and follow the clues presented.
The film is directed by Oriol Paulo, who two years ago-wrote sovereign "Julia's Eyes" in which Belen Rueda plays Julia and in "The Body" she plays the unsympathetic Mayka (the deceased), an incredibly believable performance. There are good actors in all roles and although sometimes the commissar is near the border of caricature so successful balancing act and it never gets too much.
The last scene when everything unraveled is somewhat contrived. Everything needs was not unfolded and some unanswered questions are good to keep a little spice, but despite the somewhat pedagogical explanations in the end, everything leading up to it wonderfully confusing and nerve wracking as well, as I really hope to get jump-to more such films by Oriol Paulo ahead.
7.5/10.
Mystery thriller par excellence
kosmasp18 March 2014
This is how you have to do a movie like this. It's a ride from beginning to end and it will keep you guessing throughout. Maybe you'll get things right and see the signs, maybe you're just enjoying things unraveling as the movie flows by. Whatever the case, you can be more than entertained with this little gem.
The acting is top notch and the script is really clever (I try to use this term as lightly as possible) and there is a touch of coolness to the characters, that is not forced upon them. The story might seem bigger at the beginning that it finally turns out to be, and there might be people disappointed with the ending. Take a chance though ... or wait for the inevitable US remake ...
The acting is top notch and the script is really clever (I try to use this term as lightly as possible) and there is a touch of coolness to the characters, that is not forced upon them. The story might seem bigger at the beginning that it finally turns out to be, and there might be people disappointed with the ending. Take a chance though ... or wait for the inevitable US remake ...
Tales-from-the-crypt-esque thriller
Agnelin12 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Spain's industry -or, to better say, some young filmmakers and studios- are producing fine thrillers lately. "The body" feels like the last installment of a trilogy of movies all produced by the studios Rodar y Rodar and all starred by Belen Rueda, the first being the awarded and applauded "The orphanage".
Anyway, "The body" is an entirely different movie with very different goals, and it is more similar to the second movie, "Julia's eyes": it's a fast-paced thriller filled with twists, red herrings and a satisfactory ending. It follows young Alex, recently widowed of his older and richer wife, Mayka, who died of a sudden heart attack. Mayka was the owner of several pharmaceutical companies and is portrayed as a woman with a strange sense of humor and a domineering personality. This part of the movie is quite well done, because we are well informed of the peculiarities of this couple, even when the movie doesn't take a lot of time for this description (it's all done in flashbacks). Anyway, the action begins when Mayka's body goes missing from the morgue it was stored at, which brings police detective Jaime Peña to the crime scene.
Shortly thereafter, we learn that Alex has an affair with young and beautiful Carla, and that they have both plotted and executed the murder of Mayka. But the questions promptly arise in the characters' and the viewers' mind: is Mayka really dead? If so, who snatched the body, and with what purpose? And if she isn't dead, what happened and where is she?
Mayka is nowhere to be seen, but, dead or alive, her presence quickly infects the place, plaguing Alex's mind and making him fearful for whatever may be happening. Jaime Peña is deeply suspicious of him from the get-go and quickly becomes a fierce adversary to Alex.
As the search for the missing body goes on, Alex and Peña struggle to find out the truth, each with his own motive. And so does the viewer. The whole story unfolds in a bleak setting -a morgue, in the middle of the night-, with some winks to the supernatural, giving the movie the looks and feel of an extended "Tales from the crypt" episode.
"The body" is a good thriller that really delivers. The script takes some liberties in order to bamboozle the viewer, but -in my opinion- such liberties are not only inevitable but also forgivable (although many will probably differ). Ultimately, "The body" achieves what it set out for: grab our interest from the start, follow the story closely, keep guessing and changing our mind as to what really happened, and provide us with an ending that, even though it is not perfect and could be regarded as far-fetched, is quite fulfilling and fitting for this story and its characters.
The acting by the main four actors is good, the strongest man being the well-respected Spanish actor Jose Coronado.
Anyway, "The body" is an entirely different movie with very different goals, and it is more similar to the second movie, "Julia's eyes": it's a fast-paced thriller filled with twists, red herrings and a satisfactory ending. It follows young Alex, recently widowed of his older and richer wife, Mayka, who died of a sudden heart attack. Mayka was the owner of several pharmaceutical companies and is portrayed as a woman with a strange sense of humor and a domineering personality. This part of the movie is quite well done, because we are well informed of the peculiarities of this couple, even when the movie doesn't take a lot of time for this description (it's all done in flashbacks). Anyway, the action begins when Mayka's body goes missing from the morgue it was stored at, which brings police detective Jaime Peña to the crime scene.
Shortly thereafter, we learn that Alex has an affair with young and beautiful Carla, and that they have both plotted and executed the murder of Mayka. But the questions promptly arise in the characters' and the viewers' mind: is Mayka really dead? If so, who snatched the body, and with what purpose? And if she isn't dead, what happened and where is she?
Mayka is nowhere to be seen, but, dead or alive, her presence quickly infects the place, plaguing Alex's mind and making him fearful for whatever may be happening. Jaime Peña is deeply suspicious of him from the get-go and quickly becomes a fierce adversary to Alex.
As the search for the missing body goes on, Alex and Peña struggle to find out the truth, each with his own motive. And so does the viewer. The whole story unfolds in a bleak setting -a morgue, in the middle of the night-, with some winks to the supernatural, giving the movie the looks and feel of an extended "Tales from the crypt" episode.
"The body" is a good thriller that really delivers. The script takes some liberties in order to bamboozle the viewer, but -in my opinion- such liberties are not only inevitable but also forgivable (although many will probably differ). Ultimately, "The body" achieves what it set out for: grab our interest from the start, follow the story closely, keep guessing and changing our mind as to what really happened, and provide us with an ending that, even though it is not perfect and could be regarded as far-fetched, is quite fulfilling and fitting for this story and its characters.
The acting by the main four actors is good, the strongest man being the well-respected Spanish actor Jose Coronado.
Makes a puzzle out of watching...effective and contrived
secondtake5 October 2014
El Cuerpo (2012)
A twisty, clever, Spanish production that is edgy and sharp in its filming and conception. There is a corpse, and then there isn't—so who is doing what to whom in a kind of purposely convoluted whodunnit (and who didn't)? It works on a surface level and will suck you in and drag you along. For me, time after time, I was wishing it wasn't just a twist of some plot-writer's handbook at work.
The best parts of the film are really good—a solid cast, murky scenes (many of them in a morgue), hints of what happened that lead you astray, and even the "unreliable narrator" trick, which means you trust the lead character until you gradually realize you shouldn't have.
The constant shifting in the plot will thrill a lot of viewers. It's endlessly putting you on edge. But this ended up also undermining how to watch the film. It seemed that you were pushed outside of it and had to wait for the next turn of perspective. When that happens, it makes sense, basically, but it undermines what happened before. If the film was told truly from one person's perspective, the way (for example) James Stewart drives the narrative in the twisty "Vertigo," you'd excuse all the misunderstandings. But in this one the narration is omniscient, and playing games.
The other key thing that brought it down was a choice by the director to tell us everything instead of have it happen and let the audience experience it. You'll pick this up in the beginning when the main older doctor is led through the crime scene, and one clue after another is announced by some person coming in the room or wandering by. So we get the information, but in a form that is doesn't involve you as viscerally.
You'll see. It's all effective and contrived at the same time.
A twisty, clever, Spanish production that is edgy and sharp in its filming and conception. There is a corpse, and then there isn't—so who is doing what to whom in a kind of purposely convoluted whodunnit (and who didn't)? It works on a surface level and will suck you in and drag you along. For me, time after time, I was wishing it wasn't just a twist of some plot-writer's handbook at work.
The best parts of the film are really good—a solid cast, murky scenes (many of them in a morgue), hints of what happened that lead you astray, and even the "unreliable narrator" trick, which means you trust the lead character until you gradually realize you shouldn't have.
The constant shifting in the plot will thrill a lot of viewers. It's endlessly putting you on edge. But this ended up also undermining how to watch the film. It seemed that you were pushed outside of it and had to wait for the next turn of perspective. When that happens, it makes sense, basically, but it undermines what happened before. If the film was told truly from one person's perspective, the way (for example) James Stewart drives the narrative in the twisty "Vertigo," you'd excuse all the misunderstandings. But in this one the narration is omniscient, and playing games.
The other key thing that brought it down was a choice by the director to tell us everything instead of have it happen and let the audience experience it. You'll pick this up in the beginning when the main older doctor is led through the crime scene, and one clue after another is announced by some person coming in the room or wandering by. So we get the information, but in a form that is doesn't involve you as viscerally.
You'll see. It's all effective and contrived at the same time.
exquisita , maravilloso , grandeza ,clase , perfecto
BhagavathyPadmanabhan18 September 2014
I thought the Spanish movie "La cara oculta - The Hidden Face" was the best mystery/thriller I had seen ever. But here comes - El cuerpo - The Body. Mystery and Thrill - from start to finish. Not much to comment on the plot. A body from the morgue goes missing and a detective is onto it . That is the story. Plenty of undetectable twists .The mother of all twists is the last scene. That hits one after another and on the face. Enjoyed this thoroughly. Very good background music score. Very good photography and cinematography. Very good screen play. A buffet of treat.Thanks to you guys "Oriol Paulo and Lara Sendim" - Muchas gracias ! My rating is 9/10.
A Beach Flick...
Xstal15 August 2020
If you watched films on the beach instead of reading books this would fill the bucket nicely. In a style of a vengeful Inspector Columbo it will keep you juggling the outcomes right to the very end, as the sands begin to fade so to speak.
Marvellous movie!
somkaviraj8 March 2014
Of the various movies you see, there are those very few ones which linger in your mind for quite sometime & keeps you enthralled.
Well,this movie is one of them. A truly sublime thriller in every sense.
The story which is the spine of the movie is very good & the actors justify the role of characters brilliantly. Never mind the language, as Spanish is not my mother tongue but this movie really exemplifies that true cinema is beyond regions & boundaries. The direction is top notch & the movie grips you from the very beginning itself & won't let you go. As the story builds up & the viewer tries to decipher the next sequence,believe me it gives you unexpected twists & turns every time. I know I sound like I'm extolling the movie but it really deserves it. Overall,a very intelligent script, excellent direction & a true masterpiece movie indeed. See it to believe it.
Well,this movie is one of them. A truly sublime thriller in every sense.
The story which is the spine of the movie is very good & the actors justify the role of characters brilliantly. Never mind the language, as Spanish is not my mother tongue but this movie really exemplifies that true cinema is beyond regions & boundaries. The direction is top notch & the movie grips you from the very beginning itself & won't let you go. As the story builds up & the viewer tries to decipher the next sequence,believe me it gives you unexpected twists & turns every time. I know I sound like I'm extolling the movie but it really deserves it. Overall,a very intelligent script, excellent direction & a true masterpiece movie indeed. See it to believe it.
Turn off 15 minutes before the end for a much better film
stevelomas-6940131 August 2019
A mediocre Spanish detective flick that descends into utterly unbelievable plot sillyness. The twist ending is jaw dropping in the level of belief suspension.
As for the rest there is no characterisation and the acting is wooden.
Apparently there are no lawyers in Spain!
sadako1118 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
A millionaire is held against his will in a mortuary and accused without evidence, witnesses or proof of murdering his wife. Why the hell he didn't call a lawyer? He would have been out of there in a second!
The man gave a confession without witnesses present or without consulting with a lawyer. He can later say that he was coerced by the aggressive detective to confess and the court would drop the case!
The man was arrested without telling him his rights.
But this is not the biggest issue about the movie. The biggest issue is the detective's/daughter's plan conclusion.
So the millionaire lady is dead and so is her husband... So if the plan was to kill the lady and her husband WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE WHOLE MOURTUARY SCENE? Why go to all the trouble of removing the lady's body and making the husband confess and blah blah blah if HE WAS GOING TO DIE ANYWAY A FEW HOURS LATER?!!
Neither the husband or the lady were going to face prison because they were dead so the whole removing the body/confession was COMPLETELY POINTLESS!! The lady died without the detective or the daughter confronting her about the fatal car accident so her death (from a revenge/justice perspective) was pointless too.
After the daughter poisoned the husband the detective could just have waited a few hours and before the husband passed away the detective could just have met him and told him the truth about his daughter and the car accident and that's it!
No need for the mortuary super idiotic plan!!!
The man gave a confession without witnesses present or without consulting with a lawyer. He can later say that he was coerced by the aggressive detective to confess and the court would drop the case!
The man was arrested without telling him his rights.
But this is not the biggest issue about the movie. The biggest issue is the detective's/daughter's plan conclusion.
So the millionaire lady is dead and so is her husband... So if the plan was to kill the lady and her husband WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE WHOLE MOURTUARY SCENE? Why go to all the trouble of removing the lady's body and making the husband confess and blah blah blah if HE WAS GOING TO DIE ANYWAY A FEW HOURS LATER?!!
Neither the husband or the lady were going to face prison because they were dead so the whole removing the body/confession was COMPLETELY POINTLESS!! The lady died without the detective or the daughter confronting her about the fatal car accident so her death (from a revenge/justice perspective) was pointless too.
After the daughter poisoned the husband the detective could just have waited a few hours and before the husband passed away the detective could just have met him and told him the truth about his daughter and the car accident and that's it!
No need for the mortuary super idiotic plan!!!
An awesome suspense film with a solid jaw-dropping twist. Hitchcock wud have been really proud.
Fella_shibby19 June 2018
This film was on my radar for a very long time. Saw The Invisible Guest (another awesome suspense thriller) directed by the same guy before this film.
The director managed to make this film very interesting to watch n the script played a very important role.
A very intriguing plotline and a jaw- dropping twist at the end will satisfy Hitchcock fans. Hitchcock wud hav been really proud.
I avoided reading too much about this film n i avoided the trailer too n i advise the same to all.
The plot in short without any spoilers:
A chemist's very rich n older wife dies due to heart attack. The chemist has knowledge about some cardio toxin which can cause heart attack after ingestion without leaving any trace. The chemist is also having an extramarital affair with a young student. Sounds like an open n shut case uh.
Wait till u watch this awesome suspense film.
Interesante historia
0U22 February 2020
This Spanish Mystery/thriller/Noir film from Oriol Paulo and starring Belen Rueda(Julia's eyes, the Orphanage) had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. What's starts out as a mystery concerning the disappearance of a corpse from the morgue soon turns into a game of cat and mouse as nothing is what it seems and not even the dead can be trusted. Pure dread oozes through the entire film and by the end you are left with the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end and your blood running COLD.
Spain rules
dbdumonteil14 April 2015
In the fifties,in Europa , France used to rule over the thriller.No Longer so.Spain has been releasing great thrillers for almost two decades now whereas my native land lost the good recipes a long time ago.
Why do I mention France?Because I think that ,much more than any Hitchcock's masterpieces ,"El Cuerpo" reminds me of Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic "Les Diaboliques" (1955),currently in IMDb top 250.
A woman killed by diabolical lovers ,a woman whose body disappears and thus might or might not be dead;the assassin's growing terror;the wealthy wife's wickedness -Clouzot's characters are often pure evil-and the murky atmosphere ,the morgue,the disturbing corridors of a police station,the gruesome details;and like in Clouzot's (or Hitchcock's) works,a firm screenplay which does not fall apart in the first third,and grabs you till the final unexpected twist, as brilliant as that of "Les Diaboliques" and which justifies the first pictures which may puzzle the viewer.
The hero is like a puppet- but who pulls the strings?- ,a brilliant chemistry professor but a weak little boy under a matronly wife's thumb.Her appearances in flashbacks (or in sequences in which the husband is seeing things?) gives the jitters .Like in Clouzot's film,the victim is more disturbing than his/her killers.
A tense suspense which thrillers buffs must not miss!
Why do I mention France?Because I think that ,much more than any Hitchcock's masterpieces ,"El Cuerpo" reminds me of Henri-Georges Clouzot's classic "Les Diaboliques" (1955),currently in IMDb top 250.
A woman killed by diabolical lovers ,a woman whose body disappears and thus might or might not be dead;the assassin's growing terror;the wealthy wife's wickedness -Clouzot's characters are often pure evil-and the murky atmosphere ,the morgue,the disturbing corridors of a police station,the gruesome details;and like in Clouzot's (or Hitchcock's) works,a firm screenplay which does not fall apart in the first third,and grabs you till the final unexpected twist, as brilliant as that of "Les Diaboliques" and which justifies the first pictures which may puzzle the viewer.
The hero is like a puppet- but who pulls the strings?- ,a brilliant chemistry professor but a weak little boy under a matronly wife's thumb.Her appearances in flashbacks (or in sequences in which the husband is seeing things?) gives the jitters .Like in Clouzot's film,the victim is more disturbing than his/her killers.
A tense suspense which thrillers buffs must not miss!
Pretty entertaining thriller
schroeder-gustavo24 May 2015
The Body executes its ideas very well and has some solid acting. I like these kind of movies, because you feel like you are trying to be a detective as well and trying to figure out what the hell is going on. This is the case with The Body, a movie that will have you gripping your seat trying to find the answers for the entire duration of the movie. And you probably won't, until it is revealed. And when it is, well I won't lie it really has that been there, done that feeling. No spoilers but it seems it borrowed a lot from Usual Suspects, but the things that actually unfold seem a bit unrealistic. I didn't buy the ending, which is the weaker part of the movie you could say. But still, solid entertainment coming from a Spanish production.
Spanish Christopher Nolan
Diphasan30 March 2019
Wow! just wow! what a brilliant idea. this movie is a masterpiece. The director of this movie is very brilliant and underrated. this guy deserve worldwide base. low budget and limited cast no vfx no green screen but this movie feels like interstaller, inception or predestination. i think this guy the movie director is a spanish version of christopher nolan. his previous two movie the body 2012 and the invisible guest 2016 was also a masterpiece.
Build-up v Ending
stemal-111 June 2014
Although enjoyable as an old-fashioned thriller, The Body (El Cuerpo) ultimately disappoints.
Overall it's a good watch. OK, it takes almost two hours to tell a slim story, but you don't lose interest.
The problem was that it spent far too much of those two hours telling a fairly predictable tale before speeding through a satisfying explanation.
It might be that I found the ending rushed because of the fast cuts and subtitles. But it would have deserved another star with a slightly tighter build up and more time for the wrapping-up.
Overall it's a good watch. OK, it takes almost two hours to tell a slim story, but you don't lose interest.
The problem was that it spent far too much of those two hours telling a fairly predictable tale before speeding through a satisfying explanation.
It might be that I found the ending rushed because of the fast cuts and subtitles. But it would have deserved another star with a slightly tighter build up and more time for the wrapping-up.
what a masterpiece!
madan-t5223 November 2014
One of the best Mystery "suspense" thriller of all time!! Be it Acting, screenplay, direction, background score, an amazing movie! The Body, a really good thriller, and its mentioning as Hitchcock style is not too far off. Its music was also akin to The Shining, but in the way that it perfectly fit the scene.. Now since I won't go into depth about the story, its only fair that I tell you that this movie really pays off in the end, so don't write it off if some of it doesn't make sense. Besides, watching Álex freak out at each clue is truly worth it all on its own. What initially caught my eye about this film was the mention Hitchcock-style psychological thriller. After watching the film I did indeed feel as if I just say a Spanish version of a Hitchcock film.
Worth watching but certainly not above average
carloenrico-salvadori4 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
There are no actual spoilers in this review, but I just want to make sure some lines are not misunderstood. This Spanish thriller certainly has a strong pace and some really good basic ideas, though not particularly original. Alex Ulloa's wife Mayka dies of a heart attack ,someone steals the body from the morgue and detective Pena must find it. There are certainly some tricky cliffhangers but in the end some details do not quite fit. Besides the photography and the dialogs are a little too the CSI kind, at least for 75 percent of the movie. At the end of the movie you are going to regret about this telly mood, thinking what could have been done on a subject like this, by Korean directors such as Park Chan Wook (old boy) or Kim Jee Woon (I saw the devil).
Certainly not ashamed of the director Paula
tranlam-246414 September 2021
The film has a very subtle angle, creating suspense and curiosity for viewers. The script is very good, leading the audience from one surprise to another. In general, it was not until the last minute that I started to have doubts. Hopefully the next works will still surprise the audience like that.
Bodily function.
Pjtaylor-96-13804414 March 2021
'The Body (2012)' is an atmospheric thriller about a body that goes missing from the morgue and the consequences this has both on a detective assigned to the case and on the husband of the alive-as-of-this-afternoon cadaver. It tries to keep its audience guessing but, despite a few genuine twists and turns, it's actually quite straightforward. It doesn't really work as a whodunnit because it purposefully leads its audience down a specific path so that it can subvert their expectation, not so much leaving things open as narrowing them down. Basically, it's trying to leave its audience floored by its final exposition dump, rather than saying "I knew it!". Of course, that's not necessarily a bad thing. It peppers in just enough information for its final reveal to more-or-less make perfect sense while still being just out of reach for most viewers. Even though it all builds to its last revelation, it still feels like a worthwhile in-the-moment experience. It's quite compelling and, as I said earlier, atmospheric. It's also just enjoyable in an almost pulpy sort of way. It's a rock-solid thriller that does exactly what it sets out to. 7/10
Good film but didn't really make a great deal of sense...
engelskdan12 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This film didn't really make any sense. I appreciate that Hitchcock style psychological thrillers shouldn't be picked apart to expose the core, but the core itself had so many flaws.
To start with are we really supposed to believe that the security guard was conveniently hit by a car, meaning he could not expose the true identity of what he was running away from - the lead inspector or masked man with a gun? Had he not been hit by the car when randomly running petrified from the woods, he would have just said it was the lead inspector, or a man who fitted his description and then the whole ten year plan to avenge his wife's murder would have ended! But then there's no film I guess.
Secondly, the event chronology has no true bearing. The arc of the film itself is way off. The lead inspector asks the suspect to come into the lab. He wasn't aware of the intricate details such as the date the suspect used as a code, or the fact the wine glasses left to torment the suspect were identical to his home wine glasses. It is the little details, when studied in depth, that make this film totally incredulous to the viewer. The fact it tries to be clever as well makes for a worse viewing experience. After all, if it was a cheap attempt to insert plot twists you wouldn't pay too much attention.
Finally (amongst several other issues we perceive has the viewer), is the fact that we are told none of the neighbours of the flat where the suspects lover lived saw anyone inhabit the flat for "5 years or more". That is ridiculous! The two, albeit one using a pseudonym and avenging her Mother's death, did go to and from the flat and surely one neighbour would have heard them!? Then there's the fact we know the flat was inhabited and had multiple items of possession in there. Where did they go in such a short amount of time? And of course there's the case that we have to accept the daughter of the woman who was killed in the car crash - who is now the suspects lover (this is getting more ridiculous as I am writing this) - would put up with having a love affair despite the clear hatred and bitterness she had for the man...so much so that she would embark on a ten year journey to ruin him. No, no, no.
This film had a lot of promise, but when you really think about the fine detail it is about as smooth as a hedgehog. 3/10
To start with are we really supposed to believe that the security guard was conveniently hit by a car, meaning he could not expose the true identity of what he was running away from - the lead inspector or masked man with a gun? Had he not been hit by the car when randomly running petrified from the woods, he would have just said it was the lead inspector, or a man who fitted his description and then the whole ten year plan to avenge his wife's murder would have ended! But then there's no film I guess.
Secondly, the event chronology has no true bearing. The arc of the film itself is way off. The lead inspector asks the suspect to come into the lab. He wasn't aware of the intricate details such as the date the suspect used as a code, or the fact the wine glasses left to torment the suspect were identical to his home wine glasses. It is the little details, when studied in depth, that make this film totally incredulous to the viewer. The fact it tries to be clever as well makes for a worse viewing experience. After all, if it was a cheap attempt to insert plot twists you wouldn't pay too much attention.
Finally (amongst several other issues we perceive has the viewer), is the fact that we are told none of the neighbours of the flat where the suspects lover lived saw anyone inhabit the flat for "5 years or more". That is ridiculous! The two, albeit one using a pseudonym and avenging her Mother's death, did go to and from the flat and surely one neighbour would have heard them!? Then there's the fact we know the flat was inhabited and had multiple items of possession in there. Where did they go in such a short amount of time? And of course there's the case that we have to accept the daughter of the woman who was killed in the car crash - who is now the suspects lover (this is getting more ridiculous as I am writing this) - would put up with having a love affair despite the clear hatred and bitterness she had for the man...so much so that she would embark on a ten year journey to ruin him. No, no, no.
This film had a lot of promise, but when you really think about the fine detail it is about as smooth as a hedgehog. 3/10
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
