Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist – Netflix Review (3/5)

CRIME DIARIES: THE CELEBRITY STYLIST on Netflix is a crime thriller based on a true crime case. The production quality of this Spanish-language production from Colombia is gorgeous. Read our full Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist movie review here!

CRIME DIARIES: THE CELEBRITY STYLIST is a new Netflix thriller from Colombia (org. title: Historia de un crimen: Mauricio Leal). This obviously means the spoken language is Spanish, and if you’re familiar with productions from Latin America, you may recognize a few of the actors.

All of this is secondary to the fact that this is a movie based on a true crime case about the killing of famed stylist Mauricio Leal. If you’re familiar with the case, some of the mystery is lost on you as we follow the investigation. Then again, it does seem like a fairly “open-and-shut”-case from the beginning. One person definitely stands out as the most likely perpetrator.

Continue reading our Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist movie review below. On Netflix from November 22, 2023.

The murder of Mauricio Leal

This new Colombian movie on Netflix is about the murder of Mauricio Leal. Or rather, it’s “based on” or “inspired by” and not only did Mauricio Leal die, but the body of his dead mother was also found next to him. The movie actually begins when the celebrity stylist [Mauricio Leal] is found stabbed to death next to his mother.

The original Spanish title is Historia de un crimen: Mauricio Leal), which makes sense as he was a famous stylist. Still, to get even more subscribers intrigued, I understand why the more saying title of “Celebrity Stylist” was chosen.

Also, it goes without saying that some “liberties” have been taken in this retelling of the true crime case. Hence the whole “inspired by” and “based on” descriptions. After all, this is a feature film, not a documentary.

In this Netflix movie, a young detective is given 20 days to solve the case. This is a high-profile case and people need to see that the police can solve it. And fast!

A solid lead and gorgeous production

While I could’ve done without some of the added personal drama, I very much enjoyed this movie. It’s a very impressive and gorgeous high-quality production, which isn’t always the case when a true crime case is made into a feature film.

Sometimes, it feels like it just needs to be made fast rather than made well. A bit like the detective getting 20 days to solve the case!

Speaking of the detective in Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist, she is a very intriguing character. Probably one of the “liberties” taken by the filmmakers, but one that works well. Especially as Juana del Río does an impressive job of portraying this character.

She’s serious and focused without ever being just a “pretty” detective. The fact that she wears cool three-piece suits doesn’t hurt. This is what many male detectives would wear and it creates both armor and exudes confidence.

If you’ve watched the Netflix series Green Frontier (org. title: Frontera Verde), you’ll surely recognize Juana del Río from that. She’s an impressive actor who we will no doubt be seeing more and more in the years to come.

Watch Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist on Netflix now!

This new Netflix movie from Colombia (org. title: Historia de un crimen: Mauricio Leal) was written and directed by Jacques Toulemonde. He also worked on the Netflix limited series Frontera Verde/Green Frontier and has worked on several other productions.

This new Netflix true crime thriller has a runtime of just 1 hour and 11 minutes, so it tells a very tight story. It sets the stage and gets the facts out, before wrapping up nicely. It didn’t have to be any longer and I can certainly respect that it didn’t add scenes to drag out the runtime.

If you like crime thrillers with a mystery (if you don’t already know the facts from the real case, obviously), then this is an intriguing and quick watch. Plus, it ends with several updates as to where the real case stands today. One ending is shown in the movie, but things are still changing in the real world.

Crime Diaries: The Celebrity Stylist is on Netflix from November 22, 2023.

Details

Director: Jacques Toulemonde
Writer: Jacques Toulemonde
Stars: Juana del Río, Johan Velandia, Walter Luengas, Alejandro Gomez, Myriam de Lourdes, Santana Rosa, Camilo Colmenares, Nelson Camayo, Ernesto Benjumea