The War of the Madmen

The War of the Madmen a.k.a. The War of the Loonies (La guerra de los locos) is a 1987 Spanish drama film directed by Manolo Matji (in his directorial debut) which stars Álvaro de Luna, José Manuel Cervino, and Juan Luis Galiardo.

Plot
Set in August 1936 against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, the plot explores the plight of a group of asylum inmates, who come across a group of guerrilla fighters after escaping from the psychiatric hospital upon the break-in of Rebel forces.

Production
The film is a Xaloc PC (José María Calleja) production. It was lensed by Federico Ribes, scored by José Nieto, and edited by Nieves Martín.

Release
The film was released theatrically in Spain on 11 April 1987. It grossed 9,271,979 ₧ (30,446 admissions).

Reception
Ángel Fernández-Santos of El País assessed that despite the film suffering at its opening (in which the helmer should have explored the bad guy's evilness more and with more nastiness) it grows in potency as it progresses.

Accolades

 * rowspan = "2" | 1988 || rowspan = "2" | 2nd Goya Awards || Best Screenplay || Manolo Matji || Nominated || rowspan = "2" |
 * Best Actor || José Manuel Cervino || Nominated
 * }
 * Best Actor || José Manuel Cervino || Nominated
 * }