What do you want?
Ma...
You aren't my son.
You haven't been my son for a long time.
Why are you here, Ma?
You don't deserve this.
l'd rather rot in here than live among real rats.
And my brother?
Where's Juan?
-They can't find him. -What?
They don't know anything.
They won't tell me anything.
Why did he become a soldier? Why did you let him go, Ma?
How long has he been missing, Ma?
Everybody says you're the most powerful man in Mexico.
They say you're unstoppable.
lf that's true,
and if you want my forgiveness,
there's only one thing you can do,
Julian Perez.
Anything, just ask.
Bring my Juan back.
Alive.
SAVlNG PRlVATE PEREZ
Well,
first of all,
where the hell is lraq?
Julian, gentlemen...
lraq, its neighboring countries Kuwait, Turkey,
Saudi Arabia and lran.
Russia and Afghanistan are up north.
Even before the Gulf War, lraq was considered one
of the most dangerous areas in the world.
Eladio, get to the point, man.
Forget the history lesson, and let's get down to business.
This is the area where Private Juan Perez was last seen.
His squad was hit by a car bomb, occurring
at 1500 hrs on May 1 2th, 2003.
The American Army has classified Private Perez
as missing in action.
Okay.
Here's the deal.
l'm gonna need you to assemble a small team of men
to get me in and out of there quickly and safely.
l don't care who they are or how you find them.
l want those names by tomorrow.
Julian...
With all due respect, what you're planning is suicide.
Diving into a war when we have one going on here, at home.
Benito Garcia is teaming up with the guys from the South to attack us.
Plus, there's the DEA and FBl to consider.
lt's the worst possible time to try something like this,
assuming your brother is still alive.
Juan is alive, Eladio.
He has to be.
l must bring him back.
l can't ignore my duty to my family,
to my mom.
Arrange a meeting with Benito Garcia to buy us some time.
l need you to take care of my family.
What else?
Tell me!
We found a bomb under your car today.
Thankfully, we found it before your son got in.
-Didn't you have dinner? -Yeah, but l got hungry again.
How was your game?
Remember, it's not only about swinging hard,
but guessing what the pitcher is thinking.
Did you shower?
Did you pray for Mommy?
-Yes. -Good.
Are you taking me to school tomorrow?
No.
You're gonna stay here for a couple days.
A tutor will come to teach you.
-l'll be away for a few days. -Where are you going?
l'm taking a trip.
But l'm bringing back a surprise for you.
What is it?
You won't even believe it.
Promise me you'll be safe.
-When l'm not home... -l'm the man of the house.
That's it.
Look me in the eye.
No one knows this business as well as l do.
l paid a lot for your loyalty.
You know that l take care of my people.
l protect them from any threat.
And you endangered my son!
Don Julian!
l'd never hurt your son. l...
l swear, l...
There's only one thing l'll do for you.
l'll make it quick.
l have a message from Don Artemio:
Sincere condolences.
He wants you to know we'll take care of the funeral.
For you and your kids.
My husband is dead because of that dirty money.
Listen, lady,
if you want to see your husband so badly,
we'll gladly send you and your boys to heaven with him.
Julian!
Everyone knows Antonio ''The Cannibal'' Hernandez,
one of our most loyal man.
Good choice, but no.
He's too hot-headed.
He can't keep his cool when needed.
This mission isn't for him.
Next.
We all remember Chema Diaz.
He is not a youngster anymore,
but he's an experienced fighter.
He was in Vietnam and the cartel wars.
Chema's health is in excellent condition,
and he's the best strategist we had.
He's retired and he lives in his manor in Beverly Hills.
Here's a snack for the road, Daddy.
Why would they bother you this late at night?
l'll only be gone a few days.
l need some fresh air, don't you think?
l can't say no.
lt's a matter of honor.
Something good.
You'll be proud of me.
l don't need you to do anything.
l'm not asking you to save the world.
Not bad.
-Who else? -Rosalio Mendoza.
A top student from the Air Force Academy
and responsible for most of the Colombia-Cancun deliveries.
There's no radar that can detect him.
He's a trustworthy man, and a very important link
between the USA and our organization.
Cheers!
Where are your manners, man?
You trying to ruin my goddaughter's party?
Tell me who sent you or l'll kill you where you stand.
Very good.
Not bad.
Next.
Our next man is held at Las Animas Maximum Security Facility.
He's facing trial for several murders.
Juventino ''Pumita'' Rodriguez will be extradited...
Eladio, l'm not in the mood for jokes!
That guy's killed more people, but he almost killed me too!
l still have a bullet in my ass!
Plus, he's with Benito Garcia! l only want to see that guy dead.
Actually, we sent a hit squad, but he managed to escape.
Julian, even if he's from the enemy cartel,
he has all the skills required for this mission.
He's cold-blooded, has military training,
he can improvise and has a deadly aim.
l was gonna die anyway.
But l'd rather you kill me than the gringos.
You're already dead, Pumita.
You're dead to your people
and dead to the Americans.
You're a breathing corpse.
But Julian Perez has an offer for you.
An offer of life.
When they said you'd be heading to the big leagues,
they weren't exaggerating.
We need your skills in a very special place.
You do?
Where?
lraq.
They say no man lasts till the end.
That the pain kills them before the poison does.
lf l give you this antidote in less than 60 seconds,
there might be hope for you.
Look, Pumita,
this is like a game show.
And you get to choose one of two prizes.
You can either visit the wonders of the Middle East,
or we'll see if you can fly.
Fine.
We'll see what we can do.
Even with Pumita,
we need one more man.
I know where to find him.
l see you're as feisty as ever, Carmelo.
No.
l've changed.
But you've always known how to bring out the worst in people.
l heard about Amelia.
l'm sorry.
Cancer.
lt's been almost four years.
Carmelo,
l need your help.
lt's not what you think.
Nothing good comes from you.
You're still my best friend.
We aren't those kids anymore.
Pain has torn us apart.
This is my land.
lt's best you leave.
Juan is missing in lraq.
Someone will have to take care of my lot while l'm not here.
They'll have to replant what you've ruined.
We'll move to the Syrian border
and we'll enter lraq from there.
Where the hell is lraq?
Everyone knows that, Carmelo!
lt's right next to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Holland!
-Plus, we're taking maps! -With all due respect, Don Julian,
l think it's important to have a local contact there, because
according to our strategy, we have to move fast.
Not to worry, Chema. That's been taken care of.
Okay, fellows, as you all know,
what you'll be paid is much more than in four lifetimes.
lf any of you doesn't return,
the money will go to whoever you want,
you'll have a funeral fit for a king, with your own soundtrack and everything.
One more thing: The code word for this mission,
our call sign, our battle cry
will be
''Tomato.''
Look at that beauty.
Chill out, Carmelo.
lt's easier to fall off a horse than a plane.
Well, l don't like horses either.
-Freeze! -Don't move or we'll shoot!
What do you want here?
-This wasn't part of the plan, was it? -Stay calm, everyone.
Let me talk to them.
ldentify yourselves! You have no idea what you have done!
Speak up, or l'll have you all executed!
My friends are awfully absent-minded.
-lt's their first time in Turkey. -Who the hell are you?
Look here,
you idiot.
Understood?
Or do you want to know who l really am?
You scum!
Let's go!
Welcome, my friends! Sasha Baginski.
Look, Carmelo! Look, look!
To your right, Don Julian, please.
No problem.
Here's what you asked me for.
Your weapons.
-Stand still! -Go off.
-How will we get out of here? -We'll travel in the traditional way.
So?
Do you regret what you did?
No.
Ah, kid.
l was also a kid when l killed my first.
You know what they say.
''The first step is the hardest.'' But then...
Why go to the USA?
You'll be a nobody there.
You already had a good start here.
We all need a family
to survive.
Plus, your mom and brother
will have someone to protect them.
That's why we're men, right?
To protect what we love.
There's something special about you, boy.
l would hate to kill you...
Because here,
you're either with us
or you're gone.
This bullet
was for you.
Morning!
Good morning, Chacha.
No, it's ''Sasha.''
Good morning, Mexicans!
Just a little, l'm pretty sick.
And your friend with the long hair?
What's this?
Babooshka's recipe. My grandmother.
lt tastes a little different.
Give me some Tabasco.
l would have appreciated a dish like this in Afghanistan.
Here!
Here they come.
Thanks, Julian.
This is a great gift.
Don't mention it.
A great partner like you deserves the best.
l heard you entered new markets.
What could l do?
lt's easier to sell weapons than a glass of water around here.
Thanks to my business vision we have one chance
to save your brother.
However, l have to tell you that this one chance
is very slim.
Hey, kitty cat!
Nice tattoo!
There are some safe roads.
Here
and near the Tigris River.
Or was it on the other side? Here.
A small group of men
in a single car
will not look suspicious.
-What are we waiting for? -Calm down.
Do you want to just get to lraq and get killed
or get there and save your brother?
A great rescue is done with a cool head.
And at the moment,
-our blood is boiling. -l know, l know.
But now it's my own blood that calls to me.
You're going to need the best backup there is.
Sasha!
Sasha.
He's my best man. He'll help you and go with you.
This is not a standard mission.
We may not come back.
l'll be with you till the end, Don Julian.
We just received a message. lt's from your people in Mexico.
Julian, this was recorded three days ago.
This is good news.
Your brother is alive.
Bad news is, the rebels who appear here
belong to a radical group.
Their policy.; No policies.
I'll send you all the info over the satellite phone.
Pumita...
How does it feel to be above ground again?
How does it feel to leave the retirement home?
When l look at you, l see a brat, looking for something to steal.
Hiding under a car so no one sees you cry.
One day you found a gun, and suddenly, you felt like a man.
Nobody cares about you, Pumita.
They only dig you up to hire you
or kill you, am l right?
You're lucky l pity you.
lt'd be a waste to use a bullet on an old man like you.
No matter how cocky you are,
you'll always be that screwed up little punk.
A drink
of Mexican power and energy.
-Hear, hear. -Cheers.
Comrade...
You're a very strong, brave, and good-looking man. You'll make it.
Good luck.
Likewise.
You serious?
What?
Just look at the color.
l won't discuss matters of night camouflage with you.
You do know we're arriving by day, right?
That's a pretty song.
Hey, Chacha.
ls this the safest road?
Of course it is.
lt's the safest road.
lt's a map to avoid land mines.
Keep trying.
Don Eladio, a call for you.
-Good morning, Secretary. -I have to talk to your boss.
Julian is busy, but rest assured, delivery times remain as planned.
I didn't make myself clear.
I heard you guys are up to something funny.
We heard about certain secret meetings
with Benito Garcia.
Tell me, what are they offering you?
No! Two shipments to New York
and three to Miami, not the other way around!
Right. Hey, listen.
What?
Get the hell out, Doc. Now!
Nothing. Well, learn how to listen, damn it!
Fine.
BENlTO GARClA'S MANOR
What's up, dear Giorgio?
You're good at that.
You're a wizard, man!
But you've been painting that for 6 months.
Hurry up! You practically live here.
What's up, George?
lt's really pretty!
Let's see.
When does it spin?
Where's the water?
The fountain doesn't work.
What do you mean ''complicated''? Gringo!
l want my world spinning by tomorrow!
Got it?
l can't believe it.
All that begging to negotiate a truce, and Julian sends his butler.
Don Benito.
Don Julian sends his regards
and regrets not being able to attend this urgent meeting.
l am fully authorized to make any deal on his behalf.
And what could possibly be more important than this?
A family emergency.
KARBALA, lRAQ
Don't get distracted, Pumita.
l don't want to get killed because of your nerves.
The contact is waiting for us there.
What?
No idea.
l'm your contact! l'm your contact!
Don Julian! This man is our contact!
We're sorry. You'll understand that we're under some stress.
There's a town near An Najaf.
The Americans destroyed everything with bombs from above.
The Americans destroyed everything with bombs.
They don't suspect that this is
where the resistance keeps their hostages, including soldiers.
They don't suspect that this is where the resistance keeps
their hostages, including soldiers.
So they have my brother!
-ls this soldier there? -No, no, l've never been there
and l don't know who is there. lf he's not dead, maybe he's there.
lf your brother is alive, chances are that we will find him there.
l want facts, not just ''chances''!
This isn't what we agreed!
We need real, reliable information!
We're in lraq! You won't get any better information!
l'm a professional, not like this big-nosed moron
who prefers to punch me for no reason.
He says his information is as reliable as possible,
and he does not like you very much, to tell the truth.
Where's my money?
First you insult me and now you won't pay me!
-We must pay him! -Here!
Easy... Easy!
Our position is compromised! We must leave!
Get him!
Carmelo!
-lt's safer this way! This way! -Let's go!
Drop your weapons!
Drop them now!
We aren't with the Americans! We come in peace!
We're on a rescue mission!
No one is ''neutral'' here! This is a firefight!
They saved me and my mom!
Hey, wetback! Burritos for everyone!
You're not a boy anymore.
And you're not just a hired gun.
Now you're the boss.
Congratulations.
l came to take you to Mexico.
So you'll live well.
You're my family, l want to give you the best.
You know that can't be, Julian.
Mom and l left Mexico
because we don't want to be like you.
We can't be like you.
Nobody will hurt you.
Everybody respects me now.
No, Julian.
People don't respect you.
They fear you.
And that's never the same thing.
Do you think the gringos respect you?
Aren't you ashamed to be dressed like that? Huh?
You and l are brothers,
but we'll never be the same!
You call this life?
And you call that life?
Stop it, Julian. Stop it. For Ma's sake.
Let us live in peace.
Carmelo.
You feeling better?
Every passing minute, is a minute less for my brother's life.
Don't worry, Don Julian.
We'll find him, no matter what.
l've been in many situations like this one.
Vietcong, November 1969.
There was not one or two, but seven soldiers surrounding me.
How did you survive?
They tortured me and left me for dead.
Tomatoes!
-Stop, thieves! -You damn thieves!
-Dirty thieves! -Let the earth swallow them up!
Not a word of this in Mexico!
Cover your face, you'll give us up.
How long 'til we cross the city, Chacha?
Depends on the Americans.
We have a little problem.
This way!
DANGER FLAMMABLE
What was that?
We're in a tunnel,
the acoustics play jokes.
l don't like these jokes.
You okay, Julian?
Run!
A beer,
really cold,
in an ice bucket.
Hit the dirt, Tomatoes!
-Let's follow it! -Hide yourselves!
Don't move!
Follow him!
Freeze motherf...
There's something fishy going on here.
-What are they saying, Chacha? -Nothing useful.
But as Chema says, there's something weird.
What are two old guys doing in the middle of the desert, alone?
Yeah, two really nice old guys.
Keep working on the satellite phone.
Don Julian! lt's working!
-Let's see. -The battery won't last long.
Tomato One here!
Are you okay, Julian?
I've got information for you.
I've got new information for you about your brother.
Julian, there's no time to lose, do you copy?
You only have a few hours, do you copy?
Copy, Eladio. l copy. We made contact with some rebels.
They said they're gonna kill my brother at sunset! Over!
...you can find Juan in Karbala.
-What? -They'll kill them at sunset...
Do you copy? Julian?
At least we know something new.
Yeah, but now we have to find out how to get there!
My grandpa used to say it's important to know where you're going.
Once you know that
everything falls into place.
Your grandpa was right.
I've got information. Do you copy?
What's this? Who took the weapons?
Speak up! What happened?
Honestly, l never would have imagined that
hot peppers would work better than electric shocks for interrogating.
KARBALA, lRAQ
Who are you?
Chicken, chicken.
Show yourself!
Chicken, chicken.
Tomatoes!
Speak now!
-Speak now! -Don't you dare!
Come on!
Where are the prisoners?
You only have one chance! Where are they?
They're in the basement!
There's only one thing you can do,
Julian Perez.
Bring my Juan back.
Alive.
Julian?
Do you copy? Yuri!
What about them?
We can't leave them here.
Watch out!
Don Julian!
l finally reached Yuri!
We must leave at once!
Yuri will meet us there!
Julian!
-Why doesn't the Russian shoot? -lt's all fake... Chinese gifts!
We have to go back for Julian and Juan!
We only have one chance! lf we don't make it, we'll all die!
l don't want to die!
Go, go, go!
We made it! l knew it!
When we arrive at my house,
we'll have a barbecue.
A good one!
My daughter is a really good cook.
We did it.
of the year or the decade. Today, confidential sources
confirmed the presence of an armed unit
made up of Mexican gunmen that infiltrated
the military front of Karbala, a highly dangerous war zone in Iraq,
to rescue a Mexican soldier originally presumed dead.
During this rescue mission, this elite unit of ''Mexicans'' freed
dozens of prisoners of war and shifted popular opinion
as to who truly possesses the most powerful army in the world.
The Mexican President, who is now in the Netherlands
has not made any comments.
This event happened at a bad moment during his term
because one of his Cabinet members was arrested today
for criminal links with the Garcia cartel.
Garcia brothers were arrested while preparing an ambush on a rival gang.
Evidence shows that this unit operated completely autonomously
without any clear ties to any of the international participants
of the military struggle.
But there is no doubt, they are Mexicans.
TURKEY, lSTANBUL
To Juan Perez,
who will be home very soon.
To Julian.
To Chema.
For a new life.
Thanks a lot.
Good luck, gorgeous.
Are you sure about this?
l think this is a good place to start over.
Take care.
I'll tell you a story
about a man who traveled from the other side of the sea.
He traveled along with five brave men
to rescue his brother
from a hellish war.
There is no greater power
than the one felt
by family blood.
Julian Perez died three months later in an ambush.
His mother and brother are living now somewhere in Mexico.