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Unit 7

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Unit 7
Theatrical release poster
SpanishGrupo 7
Directed byAlberto Rodríguez
Screenplay byRafael Cobos
Story by
Produced byGervasio Iglesias
José Antonio Félez
Starring
CinematographyAlex Catalán
Edited byJosé M. G. Moyano
Music byJulio de la Rosa
Production
companies
  • Atípica Films
  • La Zanfoña Producciones
  • Sacromonte Films
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • 4 April 2012 (2012-04-04)
Running time
96 minutes
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish
Budget€3,500,000
Box office$2,924,251 (Spain)

Unit 7 (Spanish: Grupo 7) is a 2012 Spanish crime drama- action thriller directed by Alberto Rodríguez. It was written by Rafael Cobos and Alberto Rodríguez and stars Antonio de la Torre and Mario Casas. The film was nominated for 16 Goya Awards.

General description and themes

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This atmospheric piece is set in Seville, Andalusia in the four years leading up to the 1992 Universal Exposition of Seville. It dramatizes the social changes experienced by the city in a major "before" and "after" the World Expo, honing in on the process of cleaning up the city, eliminating the drug dealing from the streets in preparation for the World Expo, from the point of view of four (and particularly two) police officers comprising the (fictitious) Unit 7, renowned for their exaggeratedly elevated drug bust rate.

The film discusses the concept of the end justifying the means, focusing on themes of corruption, police violence, the psychology behind the figures carrying it out, and the politics (embodied by the police chief and unseen politicians) giving them carte blanche to do so, while washing their hands of the dirty deeds, condemning their actions when scandals break and condoning them when major drug busts are successful. It also describes life in some of the (formerly) more sordid neighborhoods or slums of Seville, as well as the sense of community displayed by some of their inhabitants when they decide to fight back against. All of this is portrayed with the backdrop of the ginormous construction work being undertaken to build the World Expo grounds on the outskirts of the city, shown as an enormous, bulldozed wasteland with no construction ever being seen in action but rather idle machinery and only marginally built bridges and buildings.

It shows the police officers as people, where it is not so clear where right ends and wrong begins, people who are being both exceedingly brutal, and yet sometimes expressing great tenderness or love, and it shows how the group of four feeds from one another in an escalation of violence in the name of eliminating the drug scourge. The director states that the movie could also be seen as "the rise and fall of a band of gangsters, only our gangsters are on this side of the law".[1]

Plot

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Unit 7 has a tough assignment: to clean the most dangerous drug trafficking networks out of the city and bring an end to the corrosive power that has taken hold of the streets. A detail of four, the unit is led by Ángel, a young officer aspiring to the rank of detective, and Rafael, a violent, arrogant, yet efficient cop.

But Unit 7's modus operandi is slipping outside the bounds of the law through their use of violence, coercion, lies and half-truths. For them, anything goes.

As they gain ground in their mission, the two officers head in opposite directions. Angel takes the path of ambition and police excess while Rafael will begin to change as a result of his feelings for beautiful, enigmatic Lucia.

Cast

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Production

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The film was produced by Atípica Films, La Zanfoña and Sacromonte Films and it had the participation and support of Canal Sur Televisión, TVE, Canal+, AXN, Audiovisual SGR, Junta de Andalucía, ICO and ICAA.[3]

Release

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Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Intl. España, the film was theatrically released in Spain on 4 April 2012.[3][4]

It also screened on 20 April 2012 at the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) in New York.

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2012 2012 Tribeca Film Festival Best Cinematography - Special Jury Mention Alex Catalán Won
Best Narrative Feature Alberto Rodríguez Nominated
2012 Turia Awards Special Award Alberto Rodríguez Won
Neox Fan Awards 2012 Best Spanish film Nominated
Best Spanish film actress Inma Cuesta Nominated
2013 18th Forqué Awards Best Film Nominated [5]
Best Actor Antonio de la Torre Nominated
68th CEC Medals Best Film Nominated [6][7]
Best Director Alberto Rodríguez Nominated
Best Actor Antonio de la Torre Won
Best Supporting Actor Julián Villagrán Won
Best Original Screenplay Alberto Rodríguez, Rafael Cobos Nominated
Best Cinematography Alex Catalán Nominated
Best Editing José M. G. Moyano Nominated
Best Score Julio de la Rosa Nominated
Best New Actor Joaquín Núñez Won
Best New Actress Estefanía de los Santos Nominated
27th Goya Awards Best Film Nominated [8][9]
Best Director Alberto Rodríguez Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Rafael Cobos and Alberto Rodríguez Nominated
Best Actor Antonio de la Torre Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Julián Villagrán Won
Best New Actor Joaquín Núñez Won
Best New Actress Estefanía de los Santos Nominated
Best Original Score Julio de la Rosa Nominated
Best Production Supervision Manuela Ocón Nominated
Best Cinematography Álex Catalán Nominated
Best Art Direction Pepe Domínguez del Olmo Nominated
Best Costume Design Fernando García Nominated
Best Makeup and Hairstyles Yolanda Piña Nominated
Best Editing José M. G. Moyano Nominated
Best Sound Daniel de Zayas Ramírez, Nacho Royo-Villanova, Pelayo Gutiérrez Nominated
Best Special Effects Juan Ventura Nominated
22nd Actors and Actresses Union Awards Best Film Actor in a Leading Role Antonio de la Torre Won [10]
Best Film Actor in a Secondary Role Julián Villagrán Won
Best Film Actor in a Minor Role Alfonso Sánchez Won

See also

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References

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  1. ^ See the Director's Notes on La Higuera (in Spanish), which are more elegant and intelligent than this summary.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Holland, Jonathan (3 April 2012). "Unit 7". Variety.
  3. ^ a b "'Grupo 7' recauda un millón de euros en su primera semana en cines y acudirá al Festival Tribeca de Nueva York". 20minutos.es. 12 April 2012.
  4. ^ Maldivia, Beatriz (10 April 2012). "'Grupo 7', violencia policial con sabor auténtico". Espinof.
  5. ^ Belinchón, Gregorio (22 January 2013). "'Blancanieves' gana en la 18ª edición de los Premios Forqué". El País.
  6. ^ "'Grupo 7', 'El mundo es nuestro' y el sevillano Fernando Franco, premiados por el Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos". 20minutos.es. 12 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Nominaciones a las Medallas CEC 2012". Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  8. ^ "Lista de nominados a los premios Goya 2013". El Confidencial. 8 January 2013.
  9. ^ "Grupo 7". premiosgoya.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Maribel Verdú y Antonio de la Torre reciben el Premio de la Unión de Actores y Actrices". RTVE. 3 June 2013.
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