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It’s very clear what Pelayo De Lario is aiming for with his film Tales of Babylon. Written and directed by the young director, Tales of Babylon is a crime comedy that heavily resembles every other film we’ve seen in the past that revolves around shady criminals that ultimately find each other in a convoluted third act. At least, the director recognizes this and doesn’t go for anything else. No attempts at changing the rules, no new experiments with the genre. He finds himself building a generic storyline that’s good enough to him to achieve his idea. Anything else? Not necessary.
In a sort of self-pointing scene, the director includes an early reference to Tarantino’s crime epic Pulp Fiction, a very obvious inspiration for Tales of Babylon. The joke riskily goes for too long, but the punchline is extremely funny and it ultimately works. There’s a crystal clear self-awareness that allows the film to easily go back and forth with comedy and drama, without submitting the story to new limits, new characters or awkward twists. Tales of Babylon is predictable in its own way, but De Lario holds himself from early revealing the most effective surprise of all. You’ll find out when an erratic character shows up and turns the tables. The film tells the story of a group of London criminals involved in a mission that will ultimately bring them together. I won’t spoil more for you.
However, De Lario writes and insists on the genre’s attractive sense of overkill. He doesn’t filter out anything and Tales of Babylon becomes one long tale that gets boring at some point, and relies on a reckless segue into the resolution. The film has too much fat in it, and it unnecessarily plays on for too long (121 minutes). You could edit out some of the secondary characters’ plots and nothing would happen.
There’s no question Tales of Babylon looks great. It has a certain texture that speaks highly of the crew that’s behind the film. In this regard, De Lario has noticeably grown after his last feature that wasn’t among my favorites. You can tell crime dramas are more of his territory because of how clever his screenwriting work is. Even if the film could be cut, that excess comes from the middle parts that don’t really help the story progress.
Again, you can see what the writer/director goes for and it’s to be celebrated just because he reaches the objective with confidence and story logic. There’s nothing to question in the matter of the story because all elements fit. It’s an admirable accomplishment given De Lario’s short career. After Tales of Babylon, we can’t help but be excited for what’s coming next. I just hope he gets rid of the excess: The clearest example is when he homages westerns in the film’s resolution. The clash between criminals has brought them inside a warehouse. They all point at each other with their guns, and De Lario plays and plays with their facial expression and close-up shots that resemble those that were featured in spaghetti westerns. One’s enough, but De Lario jumps the shark with his attempt at comedy.
Founder of Screentology. Member of the OFCS. RT Certified Critic
Dog dad.
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– Armessa Movie News