Thursday night IFP (in conjunction with SAGIndie and Time Warner) organized a rough cut screening of “El Coyote,” a Mexican Spaghetti Wester/Horror feature now in the final stage of production and preparing for the festival circuit. I thought that Brooklyn-based first time filmmakers Sergio Palacios and Damian Rodriquez have the makings of a really dynamic film.
“El Coyote” is classic revenge story, with a lone former drug runner, thickly bearded and dressed in black, riding back into a tiny Mexican town to kill the honchos who once betrayed him and left him for dead. The film is shot with an eerie distance and a distinctly gritty look, placing the characters as imposing archetypes. An astonishing soundtrack–equal parts Sergio Leonie and heavy metal–fills out the mood and propels the story. The action is, at this point, concise and edgy, and the filmmakers are looking in particular for funds to help create more (low-budget) splatter effects. With references to boarder-crossing drug-running this film has political overtones, but the real thrill of it is the low-budget energy of a badass old-fashioned western.
WATCH A TRAILER.
I think the film has the possibility to do well at indie fests and as a niche release, and could certainly be very successful as a cult classic, particularly if they can tap into the Latino market.
They’re looking for investors on a very small scale, so if you’re interested, please get in touch with directors Sergio Palacios and Damian Rodriguez at -info@elcoyotethemovie.com-
You can also support the film by buying some of Sergio’s wicked art at www.vomitstyle.com. This one to the right is called “They Shot the President.”