Rogue cop turned hitman Luisito (Manny Perez) AKA ‘La Soga’ flees to the US to get away from his life of handing out death sentences. He lives a peaceful domestic life with his girlfriend, Lia (Sarah Jorge León), interrupted only by the occasional frantic nightmare or last-moment move across state lines to keep ahead of those who wish to find him.
On the day of his graduation from English class, an American operative approaches Luisito with a job and a business card with ‘La Soga’ written on the back. Rightfully ruffled, Luisito hurries to collect some money he’s owed to fund his escape with Lia only to walk into a trap.
Lia is kidnapped and Luisito is roped into playing La Soga once again. While seeking the location of the recently tried drug lord he’s been ordered to hit, someone kidnaps Lia out from under the American’s nose. After completing his task, Luisito is devastated to find he must continue to act as La Soga to find Lia.
Often cheesy and reliant on classic action plot devices, La Soga: Salvation lacks substance. There are some very interesting aspects of Latino culture and immigrant struggles on display throughout the film, but these aspects are dwarfed by the very thin main plot, filled mostly with vague aspirations of rarely seen corrupt politicians in the Dominican Republic. Sarah Jorge León’s performance as Lia really shines: It’s a shame she wasn’t given more lines. While the action is very good at times, the dialogue outside of the conversations Lia and Luisito share is poorly written, poorly acted, and often soaked in cliché.
The limited special effects on screen are just plain bad and could have been avoided with some simple staging. While not all low-budget films are bad, this one really suffers from its obvious lack of funding. The eventual conclusion of the film as well leaves this reviewer wondering how anything that happened in this movie would be considered a ‘salvation.’ These issues and some racist depictions of Afro-Latinos make this film a purely optional purchase.
What public library shelves would this title be on?
La Soga: Salvation would fit best beside other Spanish language action films, but would also be at home in general Spanish language collections.