René Cardona, Sr. Movies
- 1988
A man facing almost certain death does his best to cheat the grim reaper in this Spanish-language classic starring Tin Tan, Valentin Trujillo, and Lina Santos. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
While he may not be a super-hero with magical powers, Valente has a way with arrows, knives, darts, pistols and various other mayhem-inducing hardware, as he secretly pursues (and kills) a variety of bad guys while protecting his reporter girlfriend in Los Angeles, California. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Valentin Trujillo, Patricia Maria, (more)
- 1986
This sex comedy features Perioache (Rafael Inclan), a loud-mouthed wrestling manager and his chauffeur Matuta (Guillermo Rivas). Perioache and his partner decide that the big money is in women's wrestling, not men's. So they sign up two female wrestlers for promotion -- one wrestler wears a mask and the other wears a bikini. Whoever loses has to take off her emblem -- the mask or the bikini, as the case may be. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rafael Inclán, "Chachita" Evita Muñoz, (more)
A man in danger seeks protection from the C.I.A. after he kills a gangster. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- 1976
This disturbing Spanish shocker is set in the early 20th century and chronicles the horrendous conditions and treatment suffered by incarcerated female criminals. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
In the grand cinematic tradition of Franklin Schaffner's Papillon (1971) and Alan Parker's Midnight Express (1978) comes the 1974 Mexican drama Island of Lost Souls. Adapted from the best-selling memoir by Jose Leon Sanchez, and directed by Rene Cardona (The Night of a 1,000 Cats), the film is a thinly disguised autobiographical account of Sanchez's gritty and harrowing travails as he is thrust into two decades of incarceration on The Island of Lost Souls. Bloody, brutal, and raw, the picture opens with a murder committed by Juanito (Erik del Castillo), who hunts down and slays a power-hungry politico for raping him. Violently cast into a penitentiary surrounded by the denizens of hell, and forced into hours of labor beneath the blazing Mexican sun, Juanito and his co-inmates edge toward escape. Wolf Rubinskis and Mariana Lobo co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
When a poor commoner falls for the beautiful daughter of a powerful millionaire, he finds that in order to win her heart he must first outsmart a jealous aristocrat in a romantic tale of true love and class conflicts starring Susana Dosamantes and Lucha Villa. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1971
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When Santo and an expedition team enter an ancient Aztec tomb, they unleash a curse and find themselves facing the ire of an evil mummy. Directed by Rene Cardona, 1971's Santo en la Venganza de la Momia is one of dozens of films starring the famous masked Mexican superhero. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Santo, Erick del Castillo, (more)
Cult favorite René Cardona, Jr. (Night of a 1,000 Cats) helms the 1973 Spanish-language western La Mula de Cullen Baker. Proving the old adage that he who laughs last laughs hardest, the film weaves the fable of Cullen Baker, a social pariah relentlessly derided and browbeaten by everyone. Cullen's life turns a corner, however, when he discovers a "super weapon": a Colt Dragon revolver that can shoot six consecutive rounds. Sensing the opportunity for self-empowerment, he accosts two armed soldiers in the shadow of night, seizes their weapons and then slays the rest of the men's troop. As Baker acquires an increasingly large arsenal, he begins to murder anyone who dares to confront him. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
When a group of escaped lepers go on a horrendous crime spree, it's up to Santo to save the day in this entry into the popular lucha libre series. As the lepers turn a small town upside down, the enraged citizens demand that Sheriff Dario put an end to their reign of terror. Though corrupt citizen Camerino attempts to cut a deal with the marauding gang that will benefit both parties, Sheriff Dario does his best to snuff out the nefarious plan and put an end to the chaos by calling in Santo to save the day before the citizens decide to take the law into their own hands. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Santo
Rene Cardona's Spanish language western El Caballo Bayo features Antonio Aguilar as Doroteo, a cowboy who has focused his life on avenging the death of his father. His ceaseless pursuit for revenge gets sidetracked after he falls for Isabel (Maricruz Olivier). Soon the man must decide if he is going to live for hate or for love. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 1969
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Prolific Mexican filmmaker Rene Cardona (Santo Contra el Estrangulador) returned to the popular masked-wrestling fantasy series with this stereotype-filled tale of a mad scientist named Dr. Mathus, who uses human blood to revive the dead. It is up to the heroic silver-masked Santo (Rodolfo Guzman Huerta) to prevent the evil doctor from using his zombie army to take over the world. Nadia Milton co-stars in this Santo entry with Freddy Fernandez and Enrique Lucero. Cardona, who had directed the ghastly La Horripilante Bestia Humana the previous year, also appears in the cast. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- 1968
Director René Cardona continues a short spate of successful children's movies (1958's Pulgarcito, and Santa Claus, 1959) with this drama that brings in child actor Josélito as a young boy in search of his father. Josélito and his mother are temporarily left back in Spain after his father goes to Mexico to pursue fame and fortune as a matador. But when his father does not come home after a long time, the little boy takes off across the Atlantic in a make-shift boat. Fortunately, he is rescued from this wobbly craft by a much better one and brought safely to the U.S. Once there, he continues his adventurous journey in search of his father and ends up in Vera Cruz, helped out by Pulgarcito. After all that determination, finding his father now is a definite shoo-in. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Enrique Rambal
A grieving husband seeks to settle the score with the man who killed his wife in director Rene Cardona's tense tale of bitter revenge. Upon escaping from prison, dangerous criminal Luis murders Gabino's beautiful new bride Alicia. Now, as the dangerous escaped convict carves a murderous path through the Mexican landscape, Gabino locks onto his trail and prepares to strike. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Antonio Aguilar, Irma Serrano, (more)
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