Film Review: The Convicted

Tommy Otis, The Convicted

Josh Mitchell of Wicked Pissa Publicity directed "The Convicted," and describes this Wickid Pissa film/Breezeway Production, written by Alexander Michael Helisek, as "One man's fall from grace and power."  Bottom Line Up Front, it's an extremely vulgar film not recommended for General Audiences; it's rated "Mature" on Vimeo. 
 
The film includes original music:

"Soy un monstro" [sic, "I'm a Monster"*] by Max Capote

"Tormento" ["Torment"] by Mon Laferte

"Broken Reality" by Kevin MacLeod 

Anjanette Miller is the Executive Producer.

Alex Helisek is credited as a Producer as well as the Writer.

Other credits include:

John Nodorft, Director of Photography
Chris Kaiser, Sound and Editing
Josh Maas, Gaffer,
Adrien Delstanche, Assistant Camera Nicole Waterman, Second Assistant Camera Jimmy Freixa, First Assistant Director
Productions Assistants, Mike McCarthy and John Plata
On Set Photography, Carrie Cavalier Photography
Props, Mike Tristano and Company
Costumes, Guidos Italian's Mens Fashion [sic], Tampa, Florida
Special thanks [location], Miceli's

The cast includes:

Tommy Otis, as Don Figaro   (See our interview)
John Curley, as Marty "Fingaz" Fingers (See our interview) Charlie Pecoraro, as Joey Taps
Dan Sutter, as Bartender Giseuppe/Guiseppe**, also known as "G"
Maia Ortiz, as Christina
Jessica Reinhardt, as Rochelle
Aida King, as Saphire
Jessica Lindsey Gilbert (who previously granted us an interview), as Natalia
Lauran de Winter (whom we previously featured in a press release), as Brett

Rey Engelhard, Josh Mitchell & Alex Helisek

The introductory, guitar music is the Spanish song, "Soy un monstro," which is heard during the opening credits, while Don Figaro, played by Tommy Otis,  models what is presumably an expensive, Italian suit, as he tucks a pistol tucked into the front of the pants, and  brandishes first a black baseball bat, then a Tommy gun (Thompson sub-machine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1918).  As best I can understand him, a man off screen sings the following words:

Estoy mal.  [I am wrong/not well.]

Hoy perdí.  [Today I lost.]

Hoy, yo, rey...  [Today, I, king...]

Me equivoqué.  [I made a mistake.]

Yo quise sorprenderte, [I wanted to surprise you,]

y te aterrorizé!  [and I terrorized you!]

Soy un monstruo.  [I am a monster.]

Soy un monstruo que quiso sorprenderte, [I am a monster that wanted to surprise you,]

y te aterrorizó!  [and terrorized you!]


No cuidé tu espacio.  [I didn't care for your space.]

No respeté... [I didn't respect...]

Te acorralé!  [I corraled you!]

Then the scene opens on the front of Miceli's Pizzeria (the one on Cahuenga Boulevard, near Universal City) where Marty Fingers and Joey Taps, played by John Curley and Charlie Pecoraro, respectively, are smoking and discussing business.  Mysteriously, Marty tells Joey not to worry about the boss anymore, and invites him inside for drinks.

Inside, a man who resembles Jonathan Goldsmith (perhaps Paul Michael Nieman)of Dos Equis fame frisks them before they go to the bar.  (He doesn't always frisk people, but when he does, he wears a suit.)  Christina, played by Maia Ortiz, accompanied by Rey Engelhard on the piano, begins singing Mon Laferte's "Tormento":

Mi amor fue sincero.  [My love was sincere.]

Te quise de verdad.  [I truly loved you.]

A pesar de tu silencio, te quise más...  [In spite of your silence, I loved you more...]

Un beso en el Metro...  [A kiss on the subway...]

Meanwhile, at the bar, G., played by Dan Sutter, shares a dirty joke, and serves them double shots of whiskey, since Marty tells him they're going "to the back."

Christina continues singing:

Nadie más te amará  [No one else will love you]

Como te pude amar...  [As I could love you...]

Marty and Joey taste their whiskey, then Marty heads to "the back," leaving Joey at the bar, where Christina joins him, after finishing her song.  No longer the loving Latin lover, Christina verbally assaults Joey, apparently because she continues to receive bills he promised to pay, and her home is about to be repossessed.

Joey tells her they'll discuss it later, but Christina tells him not to bother, and leaves.  

Aida King & Tommy Otis

Marty comments on Christina as he returns to inform Joey that "they" are not ready for them, so they take seats at a table.

Christina starts singing in Spanish again, as if to a lover she wants to be alone with.

Finally, Saphire***, played by Aida King, informs Marty and Joey that "he" is ready for them "in the back," so they join Don Figaro, played by Tommy Otis, at his table, where he sits, accosting someone via cellular telephone, with a pistol on the table in front of him.  

Don Figaro curtails his conversation with insults and threats, and welcomes Marty and Joey to his table.

Marty starts an intellectual discussion about happiness and fear, to which Don Figaro responds with his own treatise on power and trust, specifically implying that he doesn't trust Marty.

Apparently, Don Figaro is right not to trust Marty, because men outside are listening to this conversation as Don Figaro admits he killed a certain person.  

Dan Sutter & Josh Mitchell

This film begs the following questions:
Will Joey ever regain Christina's trust?

Will G. keep telling dirty jokes?

Are the people listening to Don Figaro, from outside, law enforcement officers?

Will they arrest Don Figaro?

Is Don Figaro named after the person referred to in the famous opera song?

For the answers to these questions, see The Convicted!

Film review by William Mortensen Vaughan
________________________

Josh Mitchell & Alexander Helisek

*The word heard in the song is monstruo, which means "monster," in Spanish
**Dan Sutter is credited as Guiseppe on IMDb, and as Giseuppe in the credits that roll at the end of the film.  His character's name should probably be "Giuseppe," which means "Joseph" in Italian.
***The correct spelling for the gem is "sapphire."