After the death of his parents, Mandrill goes to live with his uncle, Tío Chone (Alejandro Castillo). His past is delivered in a series of flashbacks that characterize Antonio as well as characterizes the relationship between he and his uncle. As a boy, he asked his uncle about his father and Tío Chone told him that he was like “John Colt”, a secret agent character from a series of crime movies. As an awkward teenager, Mandrill asks his uncle about women and how to get them to kiss him; these tender moments between him and his uncle define who Mandrill becomes; a smooth and sexy pseudo-mobster.
At the casino, he romances Dominik Del Solar (Celine Reymond), the casino owner’s daughter. They have much in common as the children of parents with dark and violent pasts. Using his professional sneak skills, Mandrill helps Dominik escape from the casino without her bodyguard and they go on a date where they drink “Carpe Diem”, the drink that John Colt drinks.
When the time comes for Mandrill to complete his mission and kill Dominik’s father, he is conflicted by his love for Dominik. The end has everything you need in a good drama; concealed identity, a twist of fate, an unexpected ending, and most of all, the quest for revenge. The best part is that it is presented so lightly, that the meaningful and emotionally heavy scenes are still congruent with the lighter parts of the film, so it doesn’t weight you down. Mandrill is a fun action drama with a little romance that won’t inspire a tear. It is pure entertainment and is a fun film to watch.
Mandrill on Blu-ray is presented in 1080P with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. It is a Chilean film and is in Spanish, but it has the option for English and Spanish subtitles. Special features include a behind the scenes featurette, anatomy of a fight scene, and a trailer.
