Cronos: All magic comes at a cost. Magic that brings immortality is expensive, indeed.

Cronos is the first feature length script written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It unveils the twisted stories to come in his career of thrills and horror. The story starts with a preface. 

In 1536 an alchemist named Fulcanelli flees Spain for the New World to avoid persecution during the Spanish Inquisition. Upon his arrival in Mexico he attains the position of watchmaker to the Viceroy. He soon begins work on a bio-mechanical device that will unlock the secret of eternal life. Fast forward to 1937 when a structural collapse destroys an old home, killing its strange elderly old man. The ruins of the home are raised and it's contents sold at auction. The story opens in modern day (1990) Mexico. Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), his daughter Mercedes and his young granddaughter, Aurora (Tamara Shanath). 

After breakfast Jesus and Aurora go to Jesus' antique shop where he and Aurora play games while awaiting customers.  A scruffy looking young man enters the shop and starts poking around at old statues. He stops at a statue of St. Michael, the Archangel approaches and asks him what he's looking for the young man says nothing and immediately leaves the store.

he next scene opens in a factory where we meet two Americans, Angel de La Guardia (Ron Perlman) and  Uncle de La Guardia (Claudio Brook). Uncle has terminal cancer and is desperate to find the Cronos device which he believes will cure him of the cancer and give him life everlasting. In his pressurized clean room, Angel walks down a long aisle,  dozens of angel statues hang on either side. He tells his nephew to buy the latest. He instructs his angry nephew to purchase the lates statue. 

Meanwhile, Jesus discovers a hidden chamber in the base of the statue. He opens it where he finds a strange gold wind-up toy. Soon he discovers the strange secret of the device. Angel arrives at the shop to purchase the device sans the the golden toy.

Thus begins the brutal struggle for possession of the golden toy.

 The director uses Aurora, the little girl, to create an underlying state of tension that is there in almost every scene she's in which she appears. Jesus starts as a very kind, level headed  and loving family man; he soon finds his character tested by the promise of immortality and tempted by the restoration of youth. His struggle is within himself as well as the outside world

The de la Guardias on the other hand are petty and twisted from the get-go. Uncle is a bitter  old man who thinks of no one but himself. His ruthless pursuit of the Cronos device he  makes a thug  his not-so bright nephew. He's in it for the inheritance  yet doesn't realize that should his uncle ever attain possession of the device he will never inherit a penny; he will always be enslaved to the man he loathes. Guillermo del Toro said in an interview he created the pair as evil, two dimensional characters in  retribution for the way Mexicans are portrayed in Hollywood movies. 

This is a great film. I really find I prefer del Toro's  Spanish language work to his English films.  Good characters, script and acting are what make the film work. The English films come with big budgets ans special effects   

This film deserves my highest recommendation. There's a reason it won all those awards.!