A shot of a cat feeding on the fingers of a corpse and a dazzlingly inventive title sequence set the tone for this deliciously macabre comedy. Always something of a maverick, Alex de la Iglesia pushes his comic book sensibilities into Hitchcock territory with mixed results in the twisting tale of an estate agent who stumbles across a lottery stash in a Madrid tenement, only to discover that the other residents have murderous designs on it.
The first hour is endlessly entertaining, as Carmen Maura (sportingly surpassing the frantic mugging she managed in Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown) is torn between a passionate fling with a tango teacher and absconding with the loot. But while the pace never flags, Maura's repeated escape bids become rather predictable and the high-rise finale lacks knockabout panache. It's still good fun, though.