If there’s ever a crazy, primal, rage-fuelled desire to punch someone out and you know it’s best not to, may I suggest watching Diego Fuentes’ Matapanki (2026) do the work instead? It’s so punk rock, some viewers may well wonder why this film hasn’t arrived in theatres before. After a huge debate with a certain telecom company, I’m with Ricardo (Ramon Galvez) in wanting to get that frustration out, stick it to the man, and not worry about the ramifications. With a wonderful soundtrack from the anti-monarchist punk-rocker Brits of Idles, I can scream “oh yes” and hope the corporations get what’s coming to them.
Here, our young hero lives with his grandmother, and he loves her dearly. After meeting up with Claudia (Antonia McCarthy) and Mella (Diego Bravo) and having a good time out, he finds a strange brew that changes his life around! It turns out the bottle was planted, and after being made a guinea pig, he’s ready to hand out his own brand of justice!
This film is a partial parody about the state of things in a certain South American city. Life is not pretty, and getting by means either sucking up to others or keeping your head low and hoping the authorities don’t single you out. But our hero is more than just a kid with issues. Yes, he has superpowers, and he doesn’t know what to do with them. It’s life at first punch, or rather, who deserves to get knocked out? There are some moments that read like Batman Gone Wild, but there’s no mask to hide anyone here.
What makes this film different has to do with the larger picture. There’s a lot of geopolitical tension going on in Chile, and the big point seems to concern a president who’s all too happy to let his country be swallowed up by American pride. It’s a curious bit while the kid runs around, punching people and literally knocking their heads to the moon! That super strength is earned, but is it, really? He certainly has issues, and the performance from Galvez really sells it. And the dude’s easy on the eyes, too. I see a promising future for this actor.
The story borrows from Captain America’s serum origin, a bottle that turns a regular guy into a weapon, but the idea of moral authority behind it seems thin. I won’t spoil all the details here, but when that narrative is overlaid in monochrome film stock, that grittiness and wild frontier is well established in Vicente Correa’s cinematography. The fine grain and street art look helps establish that not everything is a proverbial bed of roses. There are pivots and obstacles to face. Just how well it can be dealt with (cleaned up) depends on whether the camera wants to change its lens and wipe the dust clean off.
Honestly, I don’t want it to. What’s presented is raw. The story feels authentic since it’s not trying too hard in the early acts to be like a comic book fantasy. That does happen in the later act, where the David vs. Goliath narrative becomes key to bringing the tale full circle, and overall, the approach works. Although the character development for our hero seems a little thin, I’m okay with not knowing too much. He’s not a young punk. Instead, he’s a man who needs a reason to go on. I’m sure life in this country isn’t easy, and finding a position of power means showing everyone he can take a hit, and if he becomes the next president, yeah, I’d vote for him.
4 Stars out of 5
Matapanki Movie Trailer
