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I received a note from writer / director Anthony Cooney a couple of months back asking if we’d be interested in checking out some of his work. It’s taken me a couple of months to get around to watching and reviewing any of his stuff but I’m glad that I did.
The first flick I popped in was called The Dirty Sanchez. Released in 2013, it stars Rob Romero as Sanchez, Rob Suarez, Lillian Lamour, Anita Nicole Brown, Aydan Quinn as well as a few others rounding out the small cast. The film runs 25 minutes long so I’m also classifying it as a short film. Anthony has asked me to keep my review spoiler free so I’ll certainly honor his request.
From the word go I got the distinct feeling of, “What the hell am I about to watch.” I’ll get this right out of the way up front: the title of the movie is in reference to a sexual act. I’m not going to bother explaining it here. If you don’t know and you’re curious head to Google but know that it’s 100% NSFW. That being said there’s no reference to the act in the film. On one hand I’m glad, on the other hand I’m not sure how you title a film The Dirty Sanchez and NOT make reference to it.
Plot & Thoughts
Per IMDB: A young loving couple decides to have a nice romantic weekend, but the local crazy gardener SANCHEZ has bloody plans for these love birds.
Production is low budget and grainy by design. The Mexican mariachi music is a nice touch and pulls together the “Sanchez” motif quite nicely. The first dialog we get in the film is, “Stupid fucking bitch” which sets the tone for what you’re about to see. This is a gritty film that pulls no punches. It goes places that many films don’t and while it’s over the top and really sort of gross in some places it does other things incredibly well.
The dialog here, what little there is, is forced. Things like, “You know… gonna get that booty,” coming out of the mouth of a 20 something white dude is just sort of silly and there’s really no way it can be delivered and NOT sound corny. That said, it doesn’t really detract from the film all the much. This is about violence and killing. There are some very innovative kills here such as the sheers through the mouth shown in the trailer. We’re not really told what Sanchez’s motive is and that makes him all the more creepy. Eating dog food directly out of the can is a great scene and ups the creep factor as well.
I could have done without the dick scene (also in the trailer) but I have to say that I give Cooney props for going there. As I said… this is a gritty film that pulls no punches. I’ve got to give MAJOR props for the rape scene. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of rape in any way shape or form, but this is clearly the “best” scene in the film for me. It’s shot in a way that uses close ups of the victim & rapist but doesn’t rely on actually showing what’s going on. That said its still a brutal scene that fits well in the overall film.
The ending was sort of a let down for me from a story line perspective but doesn’t take away from the overall experience. Take the title of the film out of the equation. If you’re looking for a relatively short blood soaked and gritty film that will give you something a little different The Dirty Sanchez is a mild recommend.
You can find more about The Dirty Sanchez on the film’s Official Facebook page, on IMDB or by following director Anthony Cooney on Twitter @Leafmassacre.
