The Courier (2024)

I saw this film, yesterday, on Netflix. Although originally in Spanish, it was dubbed into English, only showing subtitles when the cast were speaking in French or German. Also, the place names are written in Spanish, with their translated names below. Most of them were legible in their original language.

This is an adventure film about a young ‘chancer’ who couriers money across borders to help his bosses launder ill-gotten gains. There is a lot of violence, drug usage and sex, as you might expect from a business that is already breaking the law. There is also a fair amount of swearing, as you will see here:

Plot

The plot is set in 2002 against the backdrop of the beginning of circulation of the euro. It follows the rise of a young valet from Vallecas (Iván) through the ranks of an international cartel dedicated to money laundering.

Wikipedia

Watch at your own peril. It’s so full of testosterones, you might expect it be nothing but a wet dream.

But here’s the kicker: it is based on a series of sensational crimes that came to light in and around 2006. The use of TV news reports emphasizes the actual arrests and the eventual downgrading of Spain in financial markets. That is unusual: our (anti-)hero is the kingpin of the whole enterprise unravelling.