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The Spanish-slang title means both "the shot" (of heroin) and , "the Civil Guard agent". ( en, Overdose) is a
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...
Spanish film Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
written and directed by
Eloy de la Iglesia Eloy de la Iglesia (1 January 1944 – 23 March 2006) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. De la Iglesia was an outspoken gay socialist filmmaker who is relatively unknown outside Spain despite a prolific and successful career in his ...
. It stars
José Luis Manzano José Luis Manzano (born March 9, 1956) is an Argentine businessman and former politician. He is currently a partner in the second largest multimedia group in his country, Grupo América, and has investments in several economic sectors, includin ...
. The films centers on drug addiction, urban juvenile delinquency, and Basque nationalism in Spain during the 1980s.Torres, ''Diccionario Espasa Cine Español'', p. 376 ''El Pico'' was the most successful among several movies, notorious in the years of the Spanish transition to democracy, dealing with juvenile delinquency in Spain during the late 1970s and early 1980s, along with '' Perros Callejeros'' I and II, ''Los ultimos Golpes Del Torete'', ''Yo el Vaquilla'', mostly directed by
Jose Antonio De La Loma Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Galilea ...
; ''
Navajeros ''Navajeros'' () is a 1980 Spanish-Mexican action drama film, written and directed by Eloy de la Iglesia and starring José Luis Manzano, Isela Vega and Jaime Garza. The plot follows the misadventures of ''El Jaro'', a teen delinquent. It is base ...
'', ''
Colegas ''Colegas'' ( en, Pals) is a 1982 Spanish film written and directed by Eloy de la Iglesia and starring José Luis Manzano, Antonio Flores and Rosario Flores. The plot follows the misadventures of two young friends who are forced into street hustlin ...
'', ''
El pico 2 ''El Pico 2'' (''Overdose'') is a 1984 film directed by Eloy de la Iglesia. It stars José Luis Manzano and Fernando Guillén. The films centers on the relationship between a Civil guard and his heroin addict son who falls in an escalating life o ...
'', directed by Eloy de La Iglesia and ''
Deprisa, Deprisa ''Deprisa, deprisa'' ( en, Hurry, Hurry!) is a 1981 Spanish film directed by Carlos Saura. It tells the story of a gang of juvenile delinquents and is considered one of the classics of the quinqui film genre.' In the English-speaking world, it ...
'' by
Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career th ...
and later ''La Estanquera De Vallecas'', and others. These films starred unknown young untrained actors and were known as ''
quinqui Quinqui jargon is associated with '' quincalleros'' (tinkers), a semi-nomadic group who live mainly in the northern half of Spain. They prefer to be called ''mercheros''. They are reduced in number and possibly vanishing as a distinct group. T ...
'' films. Set in the Basque country in a cold and dark atmosphere, ''El Pico'' employs a rough, neo-realistic style.D’Lugo, ''Guide to the Cinema of Spain'', p. 86 The film was De la Iglesia's biggest box-office hit, and it spun off a sequel:
El pico 2 ''El Pico 2'' (''Overdose'') is a 1984 film directed by Eloy de la Iglesia. It stars José Luis Manzano and Fernando Guillén. The films centers on the relationship between a Civil guard and his heroin addict son who falls in an escalating life o ...
.


Plot

Paco and Urko, two teenagers living in
Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao , pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe , pushpin_map_caption ...
in Spain, become best friends while attending the same academy. They come from different backgrounds. Paco has two younger sisters; his mother, Eulalia, is a traditional housewife; while his father, Evaristo Torrecuadrada, is a
Civil Guard Civil Guard refers to various policing organisations: Current * Civil Guard (Spain), Spanish gendarmerie * Civil Guard (Israel), Israeli volunteer police reserve * Civil Guard (Brazil), Municipal law enforcement corporations in Brazil Histori ...
commander who holds right-wing views. Urko's parents are separated, and he lives with his father, Martín Aramendia, a leftist politician affiliated with one of the groups pushing for Basque autonomy. Unbeknown to their families, Paco and Urko are drug addicts. They hang out with Betty, a young Argentinian prostitute, who sleeps with both of them. In order to have the means to support their drug addiction, Betty puts them in contact with '' ("the lame one"), a drug dealer living in
Barakaldo Barakaldo ( es, Baracaldo; eu, Barakaldo ) is a municipality located in the Biscay province in the Basque Country. Located on the Left Bank of the Estuary of Bilbao, the city is part of Greater Bilbao, has a population at 100,881. Barakaldo ha ...
with his pregnant wife Pilar, who is also a
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...
addict. El Cojo provides the two friends with drugs that they begin to sell. Paco also hangs out in secret with Mikel Orbea, a homosexual sculptor, who tries to warn him against the danger of using heavy drugs. Although Paco is heterosexual, he has had sex with Mikel in the past. Evaristo Torrecuadrada is concerned about his wife, who is stricken with terminal
ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...
. He wishes that Paco would follow a military career, and as a gift for his son's eighteenth birthday, Torrecuadrada takes him to a bordello, but Paco arranges to be with Betty so the two lovers can keep the money for themselves. While returning home from buying medicines for his mother, Paco becomes a hero when he saves his father from an assassination attempt. However, Paco's life soon spirals out of control. His heavy drug use leads him to steal the
morphine Morphine is a strong opiate that is found naturally in opium, a dark brown resin in poppies (''Papaver somniferum''). It is mainly used as a analgesic, pain medication, and is also commonly used recreational drug, recreationally, or to make ...
needed by his mother to relieve her pain. Confronted by his father about the disappearance of the medicines and the bloody marks on his arm, Paco confesses that he is a heroin addict. Paco's father is stunned. Father and son have an argument, and Paco flees the house. Mikel offers him shelter on condition that Paco stops using heavy drugs. Paco then goes into a painful
withdrawal Withdrawal means "an act of taking out" and may refer to: * Anchoresis (withdrawal from the world for religious or ethical reasons) * ''Coitus interruptus'' (the withdrawal method) * Drug withdrawal * Social withdrawal * Taking of money from a ban ...
process. Meanwhile, Paco's father wants to investigate who provided his son with drugs, while trying to locate Paco's whereabouts. He assigns Lieutenant Alcántara to the case. Alcántara uses rough methods to extract information from his sources. In this way, he comes to interrogate El Cojo and his wife. They have been police informants in the past and lead Alcántara to Urko, who tells about his and Paco's addiction and drug dealings. In spite of his political differences with Martín Aramendía, Torrecuadrada summons him, informing him about what has transpired with their sons. Urko tells his father that he thinks Paco might be hiding with Mikel. When Commander Torrecuadrada finally meets Mikel, he asks him to tell Paco that his mother is dying and that she wishes to see him. Paco returns home to be with his mother in her final moments. After the funeral, Paco, completely free from drugs, decides to stay with his father and two younger sisters. Soon Paco looks for Urko, who also has recovered from his addiction. The two friends rekindle their friendship and go back to visit Betty, who is still hooked on heroin. After having sex with her, they can't resist the temptation and begin to use drugs once again. To get the heroine they crave, Paco and Urko go to visit El Cojo. Their plan is to rob him and take the money and drugs from him with the help of a gun Paco has stolen from his father. El Cojo is with his wife and their baby son. When assaulted, he opposes with violent resistance, and during the confrontation, Urko shoots him in the head. When Pilar yells out, Urko kills her too. Lieutenant Alcántara immediately suspects Paco and Urko as the culprits in the killing of El Cojo and his wife, based on the
ballistics Ballistics is the field of mechanics concerned with the launching, flight behaviour and impact effects of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguided bombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and a ...
of the gun and the witnesses' descriptions. While defending his son, Torrecuadrada communicates his suspicions to Aramendía. Paco and Urko go to Betty's place, where Urko overdoses on the stolen heroin and dies. At the morgue, while Torrecuadrada and Aramendía discuss telling the truth about what they know, Paco arrives to see the body of his dead friend. He cries and apologizes to Aramendía. Paco's father takes him to a deserted road by the sea and asks him to give him the stolen gun and the drugs, throwing them away into the ocean. Now there is no evidence that can be used against Paco.


Cast

* José Luis Manzano as Paco * Javier García as Urko * José Manuel Cervino as Evaristo Torrecuadrada * Luis Iriondo as Martín Aramendía *
Enrique San Francisco Rogelio Enrique San Francisco Cobo (10 March 1955 – 1 March 2021), better known as Quique San Francisco, was a Spanish actor and comedian. He was a noted figure in the so-called ''cine quinqui'' scene. Biography Enrique marked his theat ...
as Mikel Orbea * Lali Espinet as Betty *
Ovidi Montllor Ovidi Montllor (; 4 February 1942 in Alcoi, Spain – 10 March 1995 in Barcelona, Spain) was a Spanish singer-songwriter and actor. Career A native of Alcoi, at the age of 24 Montllor moved to Barcelona, where he was a member of various independ ...
as Lopez Garcia alias El Cojo * Queta Ariel as Eulalia * Marta Molins as Pilar * Pedro Nieva Parola as Lieutenant Alcántara


Notes


References

*D’Lugo, Marvin. '' Guide to the Cinema of Spain''. Greenwood Press, 1997. *Torres, Augusto. ''Diccionario del cine Español'', Espasa Calpe, 1994,


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pico 1983 films Spanish drama films 1980s Spanish-language films Films directed by Eloy de la Iglesia Films about heroin addiction Films shot in Spain Basque-language films 1980s Spanish films