Alberto de Mendoza Movies

Numerous plot holes give a bumpy ride to this flawed crime drama about a prisoner who breaks out of jail in order to hand over some hidden, stolen money to his friend and partner in crime, who is dying. The prisoner escapes with the help of three gangsters who take him to a hide-out where an attractive prostitute, the "woman" of the leader, clearly takes an interest in him. The two soon develop a desire for each other and run away from the hide-out together. Through these escapades and those to follow, illogical actions undermine the story and the motivations of the characters -- for example, the fugitive's photo is repeatedly shown on television, yet he goes out into the city as though no one had a TV set to see his picture. Replacement director José Martinéz Suárez could not take the story or the action past the limitations of the script, even when eliciting fairly good performances from the actors. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A group of idealistic and free-spirited Spanish youngsters occupy an abandoned house and set up a "commune" there, occupying their time with free love, putting on plays for neighborhood residents, and running a free nursery. Eventually, an unidentified group of bullies drives them away from their new lives. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

What Changed Charley Farthing stars Doug McClure as a wayfaring sailor stopping over in Havana. In the tradition of The African Queen, the sailor becomes a reluctant hero when he is hired to give safe passage out of Cuba to a young woman (Hayley Mills) and her father (Lionel Jeffries). This involves stealing a boat, ducking the authorities, and avoiding bullets. David Pursall and Jack Seddon adapted the screenplay from a novel by Mark Hebdon. What Changed Charley Farthing has been run repeatedly on American television under its alternate title The Bananas Boat. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sexual situations abound throughout this Italian/English language film, which uses many quickly shown images (montage) to further the mood and the story. Nino Castelnuovo is Mario, the boyfriend from hell, who consigns his girlfriend Licia (Adrienne La Russa) to a whorehouse for an evening in order to get the photographic goods with which to blackmail her father (Rossano Brazzi). To get her out of the way, Licia is then consigned to a mental hospital by her father. When she goes genuinely insane, she is released. Revenge for all this mistreatment is the order of the day. No one escapes Licia's tricks as she uses sex, psychological torture and murder to get even. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A Confederate deserter battles a Mexican bandit when the deserter's child dies for lack of milk. Warner (George Hilton) receives word his girlfriend is dying and about to give birth to the couple's child. The woman is the daughter of Don Pedro Sandoval (Ernest Borgnine), who hates all gringos and Warner in particular. Warner sets out for Juarez, but is captured by a Confederate unit and jailed. He escapes with two other men when they flee from their grave-digging detail. Warner arrives in Juarez where he finds his lover has died of cholera after having given birth to a baby boy. Sandoval gives the squalling, sickly infant to Warner, but the locals refuse to help Warner find milk for the baby. One callous rancher drops a bottle of milk rather than help the hated gringo. The baby dies, and Warner and his men join a group of outlaw monks led by the Padre (Leo Anchoriz). Warner seeks revenge on those who would not help his cause. Staying one step ahead of the cholera epidemic and the Confederates. Warner returns to the rancher who dropped the bottle and drowns him in a bucket of milk while the townsfolk watch in horror. The gang continues to rob and pillage, taking refuge in a bar and pawing at the saloon girls. Warner then sets his sights on Sandoval. He tracks the bandit to a bull ring where the two fight with knives for the inevitable showdown. The film is plagued by poor English dubbing. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

The Italian-Spanish Vengeance is Mine should not be confused with the 1948 British film or the 1980 Japanese production of same name. Spaghetti-western veteran George Hilton plays a man who spends the early portions of the film seeking out the person who allowed his family to die of disease during the Civil War. When that man (Ernest Borgnine) turns out to be unrepentant, it's all cat-and-mouse until the climactic showdown. A certain amount of sweaty intensity elevates this Spanish-Italian oater. Vengeance is Mine was released in Europe as Quei Dispe Rati Che Puzzano di Sudore et di Morte. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this drama, two Polish brothers escape from a Russian labor camp and try to join the exiled Polish Army in Afghanistan. While awaiting the man who will sneak them over the border, they rent a room. There, one of them falls in love with the landlord's wife, and the other for a local waitress. The Russian secret police are everywhere around them, so every action is taken with great anxiety. The pressure of waiting mounts as the days stretch on. One of the brothers was injured in labor camp and is rapidly losing his vision. The other is struck down by typhoid on the day they are to leave. He must immediately have adrenaline or he will die and so begs the landlord to get it for him. While the landlord is gone, the almost-blind brother makes love to the landlord's wife, and afterwards the guilt-filled wife attempts suicide but is saved by the ailing brother. The landlord returns, and the brothers attempt their escape. The landlord, his wife, the smuggler, and his family go too, but, unfortunately, they are spotted at the border. The brother with typhoid makes one final sacrifice to assure the safety of the others. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this crime drama, a gang of thieves steal an armored van carrying a gold shipment in the Moroccan desert. Though the caper is successful, the gang members begin fighting over the loot and two of them are killed. Three members are left and more trouble ensues when two of them (they are lovers) steal the gold and leave the other. The abandoned one swears revenge and begins to chase the two doublecrossers. When the angry crook catches up with the pair, the woman ends up betraying her lover and fleeing with him. The newly abandoned one, who decided he loved the girl more than he did the money, stays behind to nurse his broken heart. Eventually the fleeing crooks are cornered by the police and killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi