Ensayo de un Crimen
1955 / 89m - Mexico
Crime
1.0*/5.0*
The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz poster

Plot: The young Archibaldo gets a music box from his mother. He is told that the box has a special power that can kill people. Archibaldo is excited to try out his new toy, and before he knows it his governess lies dead on the floor. He likes how powerful this makes his feel, so he plans on becoming a serial killer.

Watches

August 04, 2024

1.0*/5.0*

The premise sounded like a lot of fun, but like most of Bunuel's films, the result is rather tepid and dull. While a comedy on paper, I didn't find much to chuckle at, even though the potential to be a mad black comedy was there. Instead, the pace was slow and the whole felt more like a drama.

The performances are mediocre, the presentation is dull and the pacing sluggish. Archibaldo is a power-mad serial killer who never really commits an actual crime, but the film lacks joy and wit to do justice to its premise. A disappointing film, but then that seems par for the course. I'm clearly not a Bunuel fan.