Killing Grandpa

What seems a simple plot turns out to be much more in this Argentine import. Don Mariano Aguero (Federico Luppi) becomes disheartened with life and unsuccessfully tries to commit suicide. Left comatose by the attempt, his vulturine offspring impatiently await his death; after all, Grandpa is worth $30 million. But Don Mariano's handyman is hardly willing to give up on his boss, and invites his half-sister, Rosita (Ines Esteves), to heal the bedridden patient. See, Rosita has special powers, and through her seductive science she revives Gramps to his powerful, patriarchal position. Still, greed burns deeply in the minds and pocketbooks of his kids, as they try to bury both Don Mariano and the charming Rosita. With entrancing and refreshing performances, Luis Cesar D'Angiolillo's pic breathes life into the usually stale, inheritance-motivated murder movie. Recommended. (M. K. Lau)