Cronicas (Chronicle)

I watched this 2004 movie on video tonight. John Leguizamo plays an American journalist who works for a Spanish-language Hard Copy-style tabloid news show. He's in Ecuador, pursuing a story about a serial killer. The movie follows him as he discovers and then suppresses information about the perpetrator. I thought the movie was grim but brave, especially the end - watching the journalist get on a plane for home, everyone thinking he's a hero, but the audience knows he completely sold his soul. There was no redemption for him or his team (who were complicit in his actions); in fact, there's no redemption of the situation at all. Even though I didn't actually enjoy the movie, I was struck by the fact that American movies NEVER do that - the good guy always has to win, balance always has to be restored, justice always must be served. And though that's "entertaining," it doesn't reflect real life. Not that movies must reflect real life, but it would be so nice if more American/English language movies were willing to leave us off kilter a bit more often.