Production notes

Produced by Zeta Film and AltaVista Films, production began on 12 April 1999. The DVD of Amores perros has a commentary track, by the director and the screenplay writer. A controversial aspect of the film is the dog fighting sequences. González Iñárritu explains that no dogs were harmed during the making of Amores perros. In the scenes where dogs are apparently attacking each other, they were actually playing. Their muzzles were covered with fine fishing line, so that they were unable to bite another dog. In the shots where dogs are apparently dead or dying, they were sedated (under supervision of the Mexican SPCA). The grittiness of the scenes is amplified by quick cuts and sound effects. Another unusual aspect of the production of Amores perros was the danger to the cast and film crew while filming in the poor parts of Mexico City. The director and some of the crew were actually robbed by street gangs. The Director's cut includes a cameo from the veteran Japanese singer Kazuyo Togawa singing A cappella, credited as "Fat Lady".

Amores Perros has been widely praised and seen as a representative work of the Nuevo Cine Mexicano, also named as New Mexican Cinema. After its commercial success, Amores perros has also received attention from reviewers and scholars. The film’s portrayal of male characters across different social backgrounds has been discussed in relation to structural violence, social problems, and shifting models of masculinity in post-NAFTA Mexico. Most critics have praised its unique narrative structure and its portrayal of contemporary urban life in Mexico City. The film was critically acclaimed and received many nominations and awards. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 93% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 122 reviews, with an average score of 8.40/10. The consensus reads "The brutality of Amores Perros may be difficult to watch at times, but this intense, gritty film packs a hard wallop". On Metacritic, it has a score of 83 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

The film won the Prize of the Critic's Week at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language and Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix. The film won the top award at the 2001 edition of Fantasporto, defeating In the Light of the Moon, Audition and Ringu 0: Birthday. The film ranked 4th place for the Best Foreign Film Category at the 2002 Turkish Film Critics Association awards, ahead of cinematic heavyweights such as Cube, Run Lola Run, and Monster's Ball and blockbuster heavyweights such as A Beautiful Mind, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. The film won the prestigious Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics, defeating Yi Yi, The Pledge and Memento. The film won the Melhor Filme Estrangeiro Prize at the 2002 Grande Prêmio do Cinema Brasileiro, defeating Moulin Rouge! and Apocalypse Now Redux. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film but lost to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Amores perros also appeared on Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time where it ranked at number 492. It was one of the films voted for the "Readers' Choice" edition of The New York Times' list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century" in 2025, finishing at number 257.

The film opened on 215 screens in Mexico and grossed $1.77 million in its opening week from 664,490 admissions. After four weeks of release, it had grossed 55.9 million pesos ($5.7 million) from 2.2 million admissions.

Amores perros drew widespread attention to and condemnation of the practice of dog fighting in Mexico. Lead actress Vanessa Bauche has supported animal advocates' anti-dogfighting campaign. Dog fighting was finally outlawed in Mexico on 24 June 2017.