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Heli

Play trailer Poster for Heli 2013 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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58% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A factory worker struggles to protect his family from a corrupt police force when his young sister inadvertently lands them in the middle of a drug war.

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Heli

Heli

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Critics Consensus

There's no denying the seriousness of Heli's story or the raw power of its more uncomfortable moments, but they're used in service of a grimly alienating film that many viewers may ultimately find unrewarding.

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Critics Reviews

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Joe McGovern Entertainment Weekly 12/03/2014
The film's nihilism serves as a metaphor for the merciless death pit of Mexico's drug war, but not much else. Go to Full Review David Lewis San Francisco Chronicle 08/07/2014
3/4
Director Amat Escalante and his gifted cinematographer Lorenzo Hagerman have crafted a powerful film that feels and looks a lot like Steven Soderbergh's Oscar-winning Traffic. Go to Full Review Randy Cordova Arizona Republic 07/10/2014
2.5/5
Although it obviously is made with some skill, it also is unrelentingly dire. Go to Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia 06/12/2024
5/10
Its crude approach to drug violence strikes me as inane, gratuitous, uselessly sensationalist. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review C.J. Prince Way Too Indie 06/19/2019
5.3/10
It's too hopeless and overdone to generate anything more than a shrug. Go to Full Review Alexa Dalby Dog and Wolf 06/06/2019
4/5
All the parts are played by non-professional actors, except for Ramon Alvarez, and Escalante gets powerful performances from them. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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09/30/2021 Heli is barely behind the no-crossing line of the kind of morbid porn-misery stories taht go far from the acceptable, but is exactly that (the raw power of its images and asronashing direction) what makes it so unforgettable and hard to ignore. See more 10/03/2019 Piece of crap . Extremely graphic. Animal cruelty . Pure example why Mexican cinema is still not worth watching. See more 10/16/2016 rather brutal and a difficult watch at times but still essential viewing See more 07/07/2016 Shows how hopeless life in Mexico currently is for the majority of Mexicans. See more 10/18/2015 "Heli" is an uncompromising, nihilistic film, angry behind dead eyes and graphically shocking. See more 05/24/2015 Retrato de las historias de "aquellos que vemos en el periódico". Lenta y profunda historia cimentada en un sombrío transcurrir, bien efectuado al contar uno de los tantos por qués de la suciedad en la que muchas famlias viven frente al factor narco que asecha a los más vulnerables (aquellos olvidados por la Ley y coaccionados por ella). See more Read all reviews
Heli

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Cast & Crew

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Amat Escalante

Director

Armando Espitia

Heli

Andrea Vergara

Estela

Linda González

Sabrina

Juan Eduardo Palacios

Beto

Kenny Johnston

Asesor Extranjero

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Heli

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Movie Info

Synopsis A factory worker struggles to protect his family from a corrupt police force when his young sister inadvertently lands them in the middle of a drug war.
Director
Amat Escalante
Producer
Jaime Romandia, Amat Escalante, Carlos Reygadas, Titus Kreyenberg
Screenwriter
Amat Escalante, Gabriel Reyes
Production Co
Conaculta, Lemming Film, unafilm, Ticoman, Le Pacte, IKE Asistencia, Mantarraya Producciones, Foprocine, Tres Tunas
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Spanish
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 1, 2016
Runtime
1h 45m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)