Synopsis
Bolívar was instrumental in Latin America’s struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the most influential politicians and emancipators in American history. Libertador is told from the viewpoint of Bolívar, portrayed by Ramírez, about his quests and epic military campaigns, which covered twice the territory Alexander the Great conquered, and his vision to unify South America.
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Cast
- Edgar RamírezSimón Bolívar
- María ValverdeMaría Teresa Bolívar
- Iwan RheonDaniel O'Leary
- Danny HustonTorkington
- Imanol AriasJuan Domingo de Monteverde
- Gary LewisJames Rooke
- Juana AcostaManuela Saenz
- Leandro ArveloFernando
- Erich WildpretAntonio José de Sucre
- Dacio CaballeroSoldado irlandes
Recommendations
- 75
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
The Liberator may be a Cliff Notes version of South American history, but Ramirez breathes life into it and makes us care. - 75
San Francisco Chronicle
North American viewers will have one advantage over their South American brethren — the capacity to be surprised. We knew how “Lincoln” was going to end, but The Liberator is a question mark all the way to the finish. - 70
Los Angeles Times
The admittedly simple premise — that El Libertador fought the good fight, for a worthy cause — is refreshingly escapist. By only briefly addressing the complications of Bolívar's later life as a ruler, it lets us revel in the antiquated notion, if only for a couple of hours, that there are some battles worth fighting. - 50
The A.V. Club
It’s an equally fiery, magnetic star turn, but being trapped in a stolid, unimaginative, and simplistic example of the genre — a typical historical biopic, in other words — saps a surprising amount of its strength. - 50
Austin Chronicle
The film is vast and epic, featuring sprawling rivers, awe-inspiring landscapes, serious military campaigns, and the rich political and ideological history of the period. Still, without sufficient context, the films swirls grandly but without making much meaning. - 50
Arizona Republic
How disappointing that a movie about challenging authority should be such a slave to convention. - 40
Village Voice
Bolivar is eye-rollingly romanticized as a wonderful lover and an even better fighter in Alberto Arvelo's lushly produced, dully reverential The Liberator. - 40
The Dissolve
At best, The Liberator is a commendably old-fashioned affair that goes light on CGI backgrounds and heavy on dazzling scenery. At worst, it’s a reminder of all the extras-heavy would-be epics that got tossed on film history’s slag heap.
