Malaga mafia movie ‘Perros y diablos’ hits the big screen ahead of streaming release

In Perros y diablos, that sequence is flipped on its head. Malaga-born director Javier Ruiz shows us the aftermath instead - a post-heist gathering held ten years late. That is how long one of these gangsters has spent behind bars following a bank robbery in Marbella. Having kept his mouth shut, the ex-convict is welcomed back by his crew to honour his loyalty. But times have changed.

This promising Tarantino-esque opening sets the tone for Ruiz’s second feature film. It premieres this Friday, 4 September, at the Edgar Neville Auditorium in Malaga, presented alongside a cast led by Goya Award winner Joaquín Núñez. The event is already sold out, though negotiations are underway for a wider streaming release.

“There’s a clear nod to Tarantino, but also to Guy Ritchie, Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola,” Ruiz explains. “We’ve blended that with a local 'quinqui' thriller vibe reminiscent of Alberto Rodríguez’s films like Seven Virgins or Group 7.”

Unlike the Russian, Italian or Dutch syndicates usually depicted on the Costa del Sol, Ruiz turns his lens on local thugs with a true Malaga designation of origin. It is neighborhood film noir with international appeal. “Marbella is a global brand everyone recognises, so setting the bank heist there grounds the story in a location that feels both local and universal,” says the filmmaker.

Friendship, ambition, loyalty and betrayal drive this story of a 'perfect' heist gone wrong. When the fall guy returns from prison, old tensions, secrets and unresolved issues explode.

“Originally, I wanted to make a western based on my short film The Last Cowboy Standing,” Ruiz reveals. “When that proved too expensive, I brought the concept into the modern day and realised the closest equivalent was the mafia world.”

Ruiz understands figures as well as filmmaking. Alongside directing, he works for Gestrisam, the Malaga City Council’s local tax authority.

He returned to self-financed, low-budget filmmaking for this project, though it cost significantly more than the 5,000-euro debut feature You Have 24 Hours.“We expanded the budget to accommodate nine lead actors with intertwining storylines, more locations, four times the wardrobe budget and over 20 shooting days instead of two weeks,” Ruiz notes.

He admits that getting the film off the ground has been a “nightmare, but to make dreams come true, you have to face your nightmares”.

Throughout production, Ruiz kept in mind the advice of his co-producer and composer, Antonio Meliveo, who warned him that the second film is always harder than the first.

“I thought about his words constantly,” Ruiz admits. Coordinating a large ensemble cast stretched the shooting schedule from three months to six. “We planned to shoot from September to December, but had to extend through to March. It was tough, but we couldn't have done it without our incredible crew and cast.”

That cast features Joaquín Núñez (Los tigres), alongside Esther Garrido, Patxy Gamazo, Antonio Coca, Jorge Porras, Fran Chica, Sergio Coca, Manuel Jordán and Juanma Roldán. Together, they bring to life a spectrum of local criminals: drug lords, street crooks, ambitious hustlers, addicts and a pair of trigger-happy psychopathic brothers.

The soundtrack, composed by Meliveo, delivers a light-hearted score spanning rock ’n’ roll and blues. Ruiz also credits the Málaga Film Office for securing iconic filming locations across the municipality. Scenes were shot at Peñón del Cuervo beach, the El Viso industrial estate, Pinares de San Antón, the Miraflores de los Ángeles neighbourhood, as well as locations in Comares and across the wider Costa del Sol.

With opening night tickets sold out, Ruiz is focusing on securing a deal with major streaming platforms. His debut feature spent a month in Amazon Prime Video’s national top ten.

“Perros y diablos is going to be a success,” Ruiz says. “Our goal is to pitch it effectively so we can shoot our next project with a larger budget - and finally bring that western to life.”

A cast of actors who bring to life a whole array of criminals, ranging from the drug lord to the streetwise crook, including the ambitious, the junkies and a pair of trigger-happy psychopathic brothers. And among the director’s collaborators is his ‘mascot’, the composer Antonio Meliveo, who ‘understood the film from the very start and has created a spectacular soundtrack, with a light-hearted tone ranging from rock and roll to the blues’. He also adds the capital’s municipal film commission, Málaga Film Office, to his list of acknowledgements; they have provided all the locations, ranging from the iconic Peñón del Cuervo beach to the El Viso industrial estate, via Pinares de San Antón and the Miraflores de los Ángeles neighbourhood, as well as other locations in Comares and on the Costa del Sol.