Smoke & Mirrors (2016 film)

Smoke & Mirrors () is a 2016 Spanish thriller film directed by Alberto Rodríguez based on the 2006 non-fiction book Paesa, el espía de las mil caras by Manuel Cerdán. The film stars Eduard Fernández as Francisco Paesa, a former agent of the Spanish secret service who faked his own death after an infamous corruption scandal.

Plot Francisco Paesa — an ex-secret agent for the Spanish government who was instrumental in the most important operation against the Basque terrorist group ETA — is framed by his own government and forced to leave the country. When he is finally able to return to Spain, he is broke and his personal life is falling apart. It is then he receives a visit from Luis Roldán, the powerful former Commissioner of Police who offers him one million dollars for help with safeguarding twelve million dollars embezzled by Roldán from the police budget. Paesa plans revenge in order to seize Roldán's money, fooling an entire country in a brilliant and intricate operation worthy of the best illusionist.

Cast

Release The film premiered at the 64th San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it was awarded the Silver Shell for Best Actor for Eduard Fernández. It was also screened at the 2016 London Film Festival. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it was released theatrically in Spain on 23 September 2016.

Reception Fausto Fernández of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, singling out "the precision with which it is narrated and executed" as its hallmark.

Carlos Marañón of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, assessing that "Rodriguez takes [the] Spanish political thriller [genre] to another level".

Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter deemed the film to be "quick-thinking, showy, ambitious and stylish in its manipulations; but also, for most of the duration, it's as soulless as a briefcase full of used banknotes".

Guy Lodge of Variety billed the film as a "slick-as-Brylcreem political thriller".

Lee Marshall of ScreenDaily underscored that "this overlong, over-detailed story never seems entirely sure what it's trying to say".

Accolades

| rowspan = "29" | | rowspan = "2" | 22nd Forqué Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || || rowspan = "2" | |- | Best Actor || Eduard Fernández || |- | rowspan=10 | 4th Feroz Awards | colspan=2 | Best Drama Film | | rowspan = "10" | |- | Best Director | Alberto Rodríguez

| Best Screenplay | Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos

| Best Main Actor in a Film | Eduard Fernández

| rowspan=2| Best Supporting Actor in a Film | Carlos Santos

| José Coronado

| Best Supporting Actress in a Film | Marta Etura

| Best Original Soundtrack | Julio de la Rosa

| colspan=2 | Best Trailer

| colspan=2 | Best Film Poster

| 9th Gaudí Awards || Best Actor || Eduard Fernández || || |- | rowspan=11 | 31st Goya Awards | colspan=2 | Best Film | | rowspan = "11" | |- | Best Director | Alberto Rodríguez

| Best Actor | Eduard Fernández

| Best New Actor | Carlos Santos

| Best Adapted Screenplay | Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos

| Best Editing | José M.G. Moyano

| Best Art Direction | Pepe Domínguez del Olmo

| Best Production Supervision | Manuela Ocón

| Best Sound | Daniel de Zayas, César Molina, José Antonio Manovel

| Best Best Makeup and Hairstyles | Yolanda Piña

| Best Original Score | Julio de la Rosa

| 26th Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role || Carlos Santos || || |- | rowspan = "4" | 4th Platino Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Ibero-American Film || || rowspan = "4" | |- | Best Screenplay || Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos || |- | Best Actor || Eduard Fernández || |- | Best Sound || Daniel de Zayas, César Molina, José Antonio Manovel ||

Smoke & Mirrors (2016 film)

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