A Mexican crime lord is forced by his mother to plan a suicidal rescue mission to find his lost brother in the most unexpected place on Earth..
Julian Perez, Mexico's most notorious leader of organized crime, must embark on a mission given to him by the only authority he respects... his mother. Joined by a colorful band of infamous criminals, Julian must risk his life to fulfill his mother's wish & rescue his brother from the war-ridden bowels of the most treacherous land in the world,
Actors Miguel Rodarte and Gerardo Taracena told Efe that their new film, "Saving Private Perez," is based on an option open to many Mexicans coming to the United States in search of a better life - doing military service to obtain U.S. citizenship.
Rodarte plays Julian Perez, who goes to Iraq to rescue younger brother Juan, a private in the U.S. Army that he joined for exactly that reason.
"Julian is a very important and powerful businessman as well as being involved in organized crime," the Mexican actor, currently in Miami promoting the film, said.
"His mother is not happy about the kind of life he leads and asks him to bring back alive his brother who is missing in action in Iraq," he said about the feature film that premieres in the United States next week.
In order to rescue his brother, Julian goes to his best friend Carmelo, played by Taracena, who helps him put a team together.
Despite the comic tone, the actors were aware that the film describes the situation of many Mexicans who emigrate to the United States to find a better life.
"The director (Beto Gomez) wanted to do this movie because he had some friends who ended up going to war in Iraq so they could become American citizens. Starting with that premise, he set out to make a film in which the Hispanic won out over all the obstacles," Taracena said.
About the comparison of his film with "Saving Private Ryan," Taracena said that "the patriotic motives in 'Saving Private Ryan' are substituted by maternal motives. In the former, the homeland calls for action. In mine, it's mom who asks for it. We Latinos know that a mother's voice is all-important," he said.
