Movie Reviews

‘After the Murder of Albert Lima’ Review – An Almost Real-life Supervillain Origin Story

By Dom Fisher
March 18, 2021
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Logline:

A man hires two bounty hunters to kidnap his father’s killer in Honduras.

What do you do when something consumes your every waking moment? It affects the way you eat, the way you sleep, all the way down to your dating life and friendships. You don’t mean to but the thing that bothers you becomes all you talk about and entrenches itself as part of your personality. You can attempt to ignore it but it may cause an eruption of emotion down the road. Asking for help is a logical next step but if those trying to help aren’t fully invested in resolving your issue it can lead to resentment and disdain. Therefore, the only option is to solve the problem yourself.

“I didn’t come here to get killed, I came here to fucking bring a man to justice…”

The road to justice is long, treacherous, and corrupt in After the Murder of Albert Lima. I’m pretty sure that this crime documentary almost became the origin story of a good man turned supervillain. It’s especially evident as the opening scene features the film’s focus on the phone plotting his kidnap of an elusive criminal. The film features Paul Lima, a man whose father, Albert Lima was viciously murdered in Honduras in 2000. Since then, Paul has tirelessly and relentlessly fought to see that his father’s murderer is brought to justice. After going through the proper steps and channel for over a decade, Paul wasn’t getting anywhere. He saw first-hand just how corrupt a justice system can be; especially in a country where the gangs and criminals reign supreme. This leads him down a road of self-reliance, forcing him to hire bounty hunters in order to do the job that the Honduran authorities won’t.

Walking a fine line between preoccupation and obsession, Paul, his hired help, Art and Zora, as well as the film crew are entering into a situation that could very easily get them all killed. Eventually questioning his own morals due to frustration and the lawlessness he has encountered, the grieving and angry Paul begins to see violence as a possible means to an end. The film does a great job of shining a light on the broken system that has plagued the Honduran people as well as the tourist that visit the Central American country. It also champions the government funding that was put in place due to Paul’s unrelenting efforts.

I can’t say that the doc is fully thrilling as the events are unfolding like your sitting in the backseat of their vehicle with them and it becomes rather tedious, but you become invested as you can feel and see Paul’s desperation. Part of you wants them to go all Rambo and go in guns blazing but then you remember that his team doesn’t seem to be fully about that life, nor are they equipped for anything close to that. The doc is rather humorous at times because there is a certain level of absurdity to the whole endeavor. At times, it feels as if it’s a documentary about a film that is about a documentary, but real life is funny that way. Nevertheless, Paul’s pain, anger, and focus are very real and it jumps out at you. Overall, I enjoyed After the Murder of Albert Lima. Its rewatchability is medium.

Plot & Pace

Thirteen years after the murder of his father, Paul Lima has done everything right in order to bring his father’s murderer to justice. He’s now fed up with the corrupt and lackadaisical justice system in the country where it took place. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, he hires two bounty hunters to aid him in bringing in the murderer. In a country where the criminals and gangs are seemingly untouchable, this will be a dangerous and life-threatening task.

The documentary begins rather quickly, catching your attention in the first scene. You feel as if you’re about to experience an action-packed crime drama, however, reality sets in not long after and the film becomes detailed and realistic.

Characters & Chemistry

Even with this being a documentary, it feels as if it’s full of characters. Paul seems to be the only genuine person. The two bounty hunters, Art and Zora feel ripped from a truTv reality show. Art seems as if he’s on vacation, he just wants to eat and have some drinks. He doesn’t seem to take the situation too seriously and his answer to all of Paul’s questions is, I don’t know. Zora seems to play the quiet methodical cop to Art’s carefree cop, but once she almost shoots herself, it seemed that Paul brought the wrong team.

After the Murder of Albert Lima premieres exclusively on Crackle on March 18th, 2021. Stay safe and enjoy.