# The Fury of a Patient Man
**The Fury of a Patient Man** (*Tarde para la ira*) is a 2016 Spanish revenge thriller directed by Raúl Arévalo in his feature directorial debut, co-written with psychologist David Pulido and starring Antonio de la Torre, Luis Callejo, and Ruth Díaz[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html). Set in the working-class barrios of Madrid, it follows a quiet man who has spent eight years preparing revenge for a robbery that destroyed his family, and who inserts himself into the lives of the people connected to the one man who was imprisoned for it[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fury_of_a_patient_man). The film premiered in the Orizzonti section of the 73rd [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival), screened at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival), and won four [Goya Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/goya-awards), including Best Film[3](https://amsterdamspanishfilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ASFF-2017.pdf) • [4](https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/tarde-para-la-ira/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title / year | *Tarde para la ira*, Spain, 2016; running time 89 minutes[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html) |
| Director and writers | Raúl Arévalo (directorial debut), screenplay by Arévalo and David Pulido[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html) |
| Lead cast | Antonio de la Torre (José), Luis Callejo (Curro), Ruth Díaz (Ana), Manolo Solo (Triana)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fury_of_a_patient_man) |
| Goya Awards | 4 wins from 11 nominations: Best Film, Best New Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Manolo Solo)[4](https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/tarde-para-la-ira/) |
| Festival honors | Venice Orizzonti 2016: Best Actress (Ruth Díaz); also selected at Toronto 2016[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html) • [3](https://amsterdamspanishfilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ASFF-2017.pdf) |
| Other awards | 5 Feroz Awards including Best Drama; José María Forqué Best Film; Cinema Writers Circle Best Film and Best New Director; 32 wins and 30 nominations in total[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4771896/awards/) |
| Critical scores | 100% Tomatometer (10 reviews) and 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes; 6.9/10 on Filmaffinity from over 38,000 votes[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fury_of_a_patient_man) • [1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story opens in Madrid in August 2007, when Curro (Luis Callejo) is the only person arrested for the robbery of a jewelry store[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html). Eight years later, his girlfriend Ana (Ruth Díaz) and their son are waiting for him to leave prison. José (Antonio de la Torre), a solitary and reserved man who seems to fit in nowhere, begins taking coffee at the bar where Ana and her brother work, and over that winter the family takes him in as one of their own; Ana comes to see the newcomer as an outlet from her distressing life[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html).
When Curro is released, hoping to restart his life with Ana, he finds that everything has changed in a very short time[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html). Rotten Tomatoes' synopsis states the premise plainly: a circumspect man quietly plots bloody revenge against the band of robbers who left him without a family[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fury_of_a_patient_man). As the plot advances, José pushes the newly freed Curro on a journey through Spanish towns in search of the other participants in the robbery, and what first looks like a series of casual encounters darkens into an implacable search for answers[6](https://as.com/meristation/cine/el-peliculon-de-manolo-solo-que-le-permitio-lograr-un-goya-y-el-reconocimiento-tardio-de-la-industria-f202607-n/).
## Development and production
**A slow eight-year build.** Arévalo began developing the story around 2008 with David Pulido, a psychologist he had met in 2007 through mutual friends; Arévalo sought from Pulido a realistic view of human behavior, and the two initially treated the project as an open-ended conversation rather than a committed screenplay[7](https://www.filmarkethub.com/entrevista-david-pulido-guionista-tarde-para-la-ira/) • [8](https://www.espinof.com/entrevistas/tarde-para-la-ira-es-un-western-entrevista-con-david-pulido-guionista). The idea grew from Arévalo's memories of his father's bar in a Madrid neighborhood, where he overheard customers imagining how they would react to a violent crime, in the heat of the moment and in cold blood[9](https://www.cineuropa.org/es/interview/313180).
Financing was the main obstacle. Arévalo has said that the first two and a half to three years went to writing, interrupted by other jobs, and that executives who read the project pushed for prettier, more commercial material: more action, younger characters, a cleaner look[10](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/cultura/entretenimiento/articulos/raul-arevalo-tarde-para-la-ira-me-fascina-estudiar-la-violencia/22834) • [7](https://www.filmarkethub.com/entrevista-david-pulido-guionista-tarde-para-la-ira/). Pulido estimates about five years of meetings and roughly ten script versions before producer Beatriz Bodegas of La Canica Films committed to the film[7](https://www.filmarkethub.com/entrevista-david-pulido-guionista-tarde-para-la-ira/). Shooting wrapped at the end of July 2015, with participation from RTVE and TVE[11](https://www.aisge.es/media/multimedia/ficheros/511.pdf) • [12](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160901/tarde-para-ira-opera-prima-maestra-raul-arevalo/1393841.shtml).
**The title.** The film was originally called *Agosto*, but the name was changed because a [Meryl Streep](https://www.edgepedia.org/meryl-streep) film and a play already carried it[13](https://www.aisge.es/raul-arevalo). Arévalo describes *Tarde para la ira* as deliberately ambiguous, drawn from an obscure biblical quotation whose sense is that God knows how to wait to punish the unjust, and that the great failing of Christians is lacking the patience to await vengeance; the Hebrew translation yields the phrase "slow to anger, late to anger"[13](https://www.aisge.es/raul-arevalo).
**Locations.** The film was shot in Madrid's Latina, Usera, Puente de Vallecas, and Villa de Vallecas districts, with additional locations in Segovia[14](https://madridfilmoffice.com/en/production/tarde-para-la-ira/).
## Cast and performances
Antonio de la Torre plays José, and critics centered the film's tension on his performance. Screen Daily's Venice review noted that where the film moves from jittery and immediate to calculating and composed, de la Torre's acting follows the opposite trajectory, starting from restraint and gradually letting the character's inner ire surface, so that suspense comes from not knowing when the reserved facade will crack[15](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fury-of-a-patient-man-venice-review/5108943.article).
De la Torre has described how he and Arévalo worked toward credibility: Pulido, as a psychologist, argued that a man obsessively macerating a revenge would show pathological signs such as tics, and the actor said they sought "verisimilitude, emotion and truth: a normal guy who suddenly finds himself on that journey"[16](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160906/antonio-torre/1395443.shtml).
Manolo Solo won the Goya for Best Supporting Actor for Triana, a role of only a few minutes of screen time. Solo initially refused the part, fearing a character that could slide into the cliché of the marginal addict; in the first version the character had been openly a junkie, and Solo accepted, in his words, with a small voice, hoping the director might forget[17](https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/08/29/actualidad/1504000255_799671.html). RTVE noted that Arévalo asked Solo for a completely hoarse voice for the role[12](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160901/tarde-para-ira-opera-prima-maestra-raul-arevalo/1393841.shtml).
## Style and influences
The film opens with an urgent, shaky rendering of a robbery going wrong, then settles into a pensive groove, showing the adaptability of cinematographer Arnau Valls Colomer, whose work earned a Goya nomination[15](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fury-of-a-patient-man-venice-review/5108943.article) • [4](https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/tarde-para-la-ira/). Screen Daily described the film as progressing "from gritty, naturalistic beginnings to become a poised, polished thriller" with western leanings that it does not meekly follow[15](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fury-of-a-patient-man-venice-review/5108943.article). The Amsterdam Spanish Film Festival's program called it "a riveting revenge thriller influenced by the great Westerns of the past" that balances art-house aesthetics with enthralling action[3](https://amsterdamspanishfilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ASFF-2017.pdf).
The western framing came from the writers themselves. Pulido said in interview that at first they liked Tarantino and later preferred European cinema, and that the film is a western[8](https://www.espinof.com/entrevistas/tarde-para-la-ira-es-un-western-entrevista-con-david-pulido-guionista). Arévalo told Télérama that his main character was never directly tied to violence; he had simply remained imprisoned for eight years in the memory of a drama that pursues him[18](https://www.telerama.fr/cinema/raul-arevalo-la-colere-d-un-homme-patient-pourrait-plaire-a-clint-eastwood%2C157293.php).
The film's treatment of revenge avoids a simple confrontation between heroes and villains: it builds characters marked by guilt, pain, and frustration, in a world where rage accumulates for years until it erupts, and where each act of violence creates new wounds that are hard to close[6](https://as.com/meristation/cine/el-peliculon-de-manolo-solo-que-le-permitio-lograr-un-goya-y-el-reconocimiento-tardio-de-la-industria-f202607-n/).
## Reception and awards
The film premiered on 2 September 2016 in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival and reached Spanish theaters on 9 September[12](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160901/tarde-para-ira-opera-prima-maestra-raul-arevalo/1393841.shtml). At Venice, Ruth Díaz won the Orizzonti Award for Best Actress[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html).
At the 31st Goya Awards the film received 11 nominations and won 4 prizes: Best Film, Best New Director for Arévalo, Best Original Screenplay for Pulido and Arévalo, and Best Supporting Actor for Manolo Solo[4](https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/tarde-para-la-ira/). It also won the José María Forqué Award for Best Picture, five Feroz Awards from the Spanish critics including Best Drama, the Cinema Writers Circle Awards for Best Film and Best New Director, and the Fotogramas de Plata for Best Spanish Film; IMDb records 32 wins and 30 nominations overall[14](https://madridfilmoffice.com/en/production/tarde-para-la-ira/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4771896/awards/). It was nominated for the Ariel Award for Best Latin-American Film and for the Platino Award for Best Ibero-American First Fiction Work[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4771896/awards/) • [19](https://www.premiosplatino.com/libro/Premios_PLATINO_LIBRO_2017.pdf).
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 100% Tomatometer from 10 critics and a 78% audience score from more than 250 ratings[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fury_of_a_patient_man). Filmaffinity users give it 6.9 out of 10 from over 38,000 votes, and the site ranks it #125 among the best Spanish films of all time[1](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html). Writing in the [San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-chronicle) in 2020, critic Mick LaSalle called it a suspenseful, gripping crowd-pleaser that was never released in the United States, and noted that it would have won a fifth Goya had its two lead actors not been nominated in the same category[20](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/the-fury-of-a-patient-man-is-a-great-movie-21185973.php).
## Legacy
The debut established Arévalo, previously one of Spain's most valued actors, as a director, and the film is frequently cited among the strongest Spanish films of its decade[6](https://as.com/meristation/cine/el-peliculon-de-manolo-solo-que-le-permitio-lograr-un-goya-y-el-reconocimiento-tardio-de-la-industria-f202607-n/). Fellow director Daniel Sánchez Arévalo has called it a masterpiece as a first film, while noting from his own experience how difficult a second film becomes after such a celebration[21](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/02/daniel-sanchez-arevalo-vuelvo-a-ser-el-cortometrajista-que-siempre-he-sido-cadena-ser/). The film is available on RTVE Play and Prime Video in Spain[6](https://as.com/meristation/cine/el-peliculon-de-manolo-solo-que-le-permitio-lograr-un-goya-y-el-reconocimiento-tardio-de-la-industria-f202607-n/).
## References
1. [The Fury of a Patient Man (2016), Filmaffinity](https://www.filmaffinity.com/en/film509296.html)
2. [The Fury of a Patient Man, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_fury_of_a_patient_man)
3. [Amsterdam Spanish Film Festival 2017 program (opening film)](https://amsterdamspanishfilmfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ASFF-2017.pdf)
4. [Tarde para la ira, Premios Goya (31st edition)](https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/tarde-para-la-ira/)
5. [The Fury of a Patient Man (2016) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4771896/awards/)
6. [El peliculón de Manolo Solo que le permitió lograr un Goya, AS/MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/cine/el-peliculon-de-manolo-solo-que-le-permitio-lograr-un-goya-y-el-reconocimiento-tardio-de-la-industria-f202607-n/)
7. [Entrevista a David Pulido, guionista de Tarde para la ira, Filmarket Hub Filmlab](https://www.filmarkethub.com/entrevista-david-pulido-guionista-tarde-para-la-ira/)
8. [David Pulido, guionista de 'Tarde para la ira', Espinof](https://www.espinof.com/entrevistas/tarde-para-la-ira-es-un-western-entrevista-con-david-pulido-guionista)
9. [Raúl Arévalo • Director, Cineuropa interview](https://www.cineuropa.org/es/interview/313180)
10. [Raúl Arévalo: "Me fascina estudiar la violencia...", Vanity Fair España](https://www.revistavanityfair.es/cultura/entretenimiento/articulos/raul-arevalo-tarde-para-la-ira-me-fascina-estudiar-la-violencia/22834)
11. [AISGE interview with Raúl Arévalo (2015)](https://www.aisge.es/media/multimedia/ficheros/511.pdf)
12. ['Tarde para la ira': la ópera prima maestra de Raúl Arévalo, RTVE.es](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160901/tarde-para-ira-opera-prima-maestra-raul-arevalo/1393841.shtml)
13. [AISGE interview with Raúl Arévalo on the title](https://www.aisge.es/raul-arevalo)
14. [The Fury of a Patient Man, Madrid Film Office production page](https://madridfilmoffice.com/en/production/tarde-para-la-ira/)
15. ['The Fury of a Patient Man': Venice Review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fury-of-a-patient-man-venice-review/5108943.article)
16. [Antonio de la Torre: "Arévalo me ha llevado a un nivel emocional profundo", RTVE.es](https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20160906/antonio-torre/1395443.shtml)
17. ["El Goya me sobrepasó", El País (Manolo Solo interview)](https://elpais.com/cultura/2017/08/29/actualidad/1504000255_799671.html)
18. [Raúl Arévalo on La Colère d'un homme patient, Télérama](https://www.telerama.fr/cinema/raul-arevalo-la-colere-d-un-homme-patient-pourrait-plaire-a-clint-eastwood%2C157293.php)
19. [Tarde para la ira, Premios Platino 2017 catalog](https://www.premiosplatino.com/libro/Premios_PLATINO_LIBRO_2017.pdf)
20. ['The Fury of a Patient Man' is a great movie you've never seen, San Francisco Chronicle](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/the-fury-of-a-patient-man-is-a-great-movie-21185973.php)
21. [Daniel Sánchez Arévalo interview, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2025/04/02/daniel-sanchez-arevalo-vuelvo-a-ser-el-cortometrajista-que-siempre-he-sido-cadena-ser/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2015–2019 films › Crime drama and neo-noir films*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license