Of Smugglers, Vigilantes and Cartels: The Construction of the Urban Landscape in Monterrey Films

Abstract

Ever since its origins, Mexican film has been an important source of narrative imaginaries of the city. Through a multiplicity of genres and themes, it has contributed to the construction of a sense of identification and belonging in our culture, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century. From the 1980s on, this sense of identity and nationality has faded, giving way to new narratives on the relationship between the global and the local. An example of this can be seen in the action genre, modeled after Hollywood B movies, which are characterized by specific narratives of urban phenomena seen through semiotic codes of local action. This article examines the cultural landscape depicted in films produced and set in the city of Monterrey