The Lost City (Magnolia Pictures 2005)

I don't know what it is about Bill Murray but this is the third film he has appeared in Edge's Conservative Movies (See also Ghostbusters, Stripes). You would think an actor like John Wayne, Charlton Heston, or Jimmy Stewart would have this early honor, but no the award goes to...Carl from Caddyshack. I think everyone will have to admit he did a wonderful job in the film we're about to review.

As we all know (or should know) communism is a REALLY bad idea. Everywhere it has been tried it has failed...miserably. This week's film The Lost City tells the story of a wealthy Havana nightclub owner named Fico (played by Andy Garcia) who is from an upper-class family living in Cuba during the Communist Revolution of the late 1950's.

The transition between the cruel dictatorship of Batista and the revolution rips the proud family apart with Fico's three brothers siding with Che Guevara and his army of red goons. Unfortunately, things don't turn out to well for Fico's brothers. Two are killed after they and others attempt to assassinate Batista in his palace and the last one commits suicide after the revolution. One of the brothers tells Fico to watch over his wife if anything should happen to him.

Well, let me think about that for a minute, bro...

...OK.

The brother's wife is played by actress Inés Sastre and as you can plainly see she hit every limb falling off the babe tree! So Fico falls for her, but when the commies take over they use Sastre as the Widow of the Revolution making her feel special and giving her a prominent role in their new left-wing government.

Bill Murray plays a supporting role as The Writer who is a comedian and friend of Fico's and performs in his club. He provides comic-relief during the story. Dustin Hoffman is also in the film, playing the role of mob boss Meyer Lansky.

Later in the film, Fico begins to feel the pinch from the new regime after they take over his nightclub. They tell him what instruments he can and can't play, because after all folks government knows best right? He's forced to leave Cuba for New York, leaving his parents behind and the woman he loves who now is a true believer that Castro has the answers for their failing country.

This movie shows the harshness of government and the complete power that it can demand and manipulate over people. Make no mistake about it...Batista was a jerk. But like so many other jerks, the Shah of Iran for instance, they were America's buddies. Looking back at history we should have recognized that this was a problem and if Batista was removed could he be replaced by a government that was still friendly to us? I guess now we'll never know.

Here are some other interesting facts about The Lost City. Andy Garcia, who is from Cuba and directed this film, had the script written 16 years ago but could not find a Hollywood Studio to support it. Weird. While he was writing the script he was going to play the role of the youngest brother, but age caught up with him and he played the lead role.

Here is the trailer from the film.



Here is the first 10 minutes of the film.