WATCH YOUR FAVORITE
MOVIES & TV SERIES ONLINE
TRY FREE TRIAL
Home > Drama >

The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz

Watch The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz For Free

The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz

A bizarre black comedy about a man whose overwhelming ambition in life is to be a renowned serial killer of women, and will stop at nothing to achieve it - but not everything goes according to plan...

... more
Release : 1955
Rating : 7.6
Studio : Alianza Cinematográfica Española, 
Crew : Art Direction,  Set Decoration, 
Cast : Ernesto Alonso Miroslava Rita Macedo Andrea Palma Rodolfo Landa
Genre : Drama Comedy Crime

Cast List

Related Movies

Behind City Lights
Behind City Lights

Behind City Lights   1945

Release Date: 
1945

Rating: 0

genres: 
Drama  /  Crime  /  Romance
Stars: 
Lynne Roberts  /  Peter Cookson  /  Jerome Cowan
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates   2016

Release Date: 
2016

Rating: 6

genres: 
Comedy
Stars: 
Zac Efron  /  Adam Devine  /  Anna Kendrick
Zero Dark Thirty
Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty   2012

Release Date: 
2012

Rating: 7.4

genres: 
Drama  /  Thriller
Stars: 
Jessica Chastain  /  Jason Clarke  /  Kyle Chandler
Gambit
Gambit

Gambit   2012

Release Date: 
2012

Rating: 5.7

genres: 
Comedy  /  Crime
Stars: 
Colin Firth  /  Cameron Diaz  /  Alan Rickman
Wedding Season
Wedding Season

Wedding Season   2023

Release Date: 
2023

Rating: 6.1

genres: 
Comedy  /  Romance  /  TV Movie
Love's Greek to Me
Love's Greek to Me

Love's Greek to Me   2023

Release Date: 
2023

Rating: 6

genres: 
Comedy  /  Romance  /  TV Movie
The Wedding Contract
The Wedding Contract

The Wedding Contract   2023

Release Date: 
2023

Rating: 6.2

genres: 
Comedy  /  Romance  /  TV Movie
Stars: 
Becca Tobin  /  Jake Epstein  /  Thomas Darya
RoboCop
RoboCop

RoboCop   2014

Release Date: 
2014

Rating: 6.1

genres: 
Action  /  Crime  /  Science Fiction
Stars: 
Joel Kinnaman  /  Gary Oldman  /  Michael Keaton
Blame
Blame

Blame   2022

Release Date: 
2022

Rating: 0

genres: 
Drama
ZAPPER!
ZAPPER!

ZAPPER!   2023

Release Date: 
2023

Rating: 5.5

genres: 
Adventure  /  Fantasy  /  Comedy
Stars: 
Skye Armenta  /  Nick Gatsby
Adulthood
Adulthood

Adulthood   1

Release Date: 
1

Rating: 5.5

genres: 
Drama  /  Comedy  /  Crime
Stars: 
Evan Rachel Wood  /  Josh Gad  /  Anthony Carrigan
Game of Love
Game of Love

Game of Love   1

Release Date: 
1

Rating: 5.5

genres: 
Comedy

Reviews

MamaGravity
2018/08/30

good back-story, and good acting

More
TrueHello
2018/08/30

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

More
Allison Davies
2018/08/30

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

More
Maleeha Vincent
2018/08/30

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

More
christopher-underwood
2008/08/22

I have often cited this as my favourite Bunuel film and one of my favourite films of all. Watching it again after a period of some years, I am surprised that it seems so light and amusing instead of dark and dangerous. I suppose this is partly because when first seen the misogyny, the gleefulness at the prospect of killing a woman, is so shocking, that we notice less the playfulness. Whereas on a subsequent viewing we are less affected, having some idea how things pan out. Is this the only Bunuel film with a seemingly happy ending? There are still, of course, many shocking moments, like the bloody/sexy death of the woman looking after him as a child, the whole business concerning the mannequins (that seems burned in my memory for ever) and the most surprising early death of the nun/nurse. Maybe it's partly that when I watched this in my youth I rightly saw it as stunningly original and displaying conduct contrary to that shown elsewhere, whereas now the old cynic in me has been exposed to much more and is smiling throughout with barely a pause for a gasp. Always going to be fun to watch though.

More
Michael_Elliott
2008/02/28

Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, The (1955) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Luis Bunuel film that sounds more interesting than it turns out to be. As a young child, Archibaldo is told of a magical magic box that when turned on will kill. As an adult, Archibaldo comes across this box again and this times plans to use it to help him become a serial killer. There's a lot of black humor scattered throughout the film but very little of it made me laugh. The opening segments bashing the rich were funny but the film slowly falls apart in the middle and never regains any speed. The story is a very good one but the director does very little with it, which is a shame because this should have been a whole lot better.

More
Claudio Carvalho
2004/08/22

In the 50's, in Mexico, Archibaldo de la Cruz (Ernesto Alonso) comes to a judge to confess crimes of his own. He tells his life since he was a spoiled boy, in the days of the Mexican revolution, when he won a music box from his mother and developed a bizarre desire of killing women, becoming a serial killer. In the end, this movie is a psychological dark comedy of the Mexican phase of Buñuel. I have just had the chance to see this film on DVD, recently released by the best Brazilian distributor (Versátil), and I found it another excellent work of Buñuel, one of my favorite directors ever. The story is very ironic and unpredictable, and I totally disagree with the User Comments `Minor Buñuel' indicated for this film. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): `Ensaio de um Crime' (`Rehearsal for a Crime')

More
Night Must Fall
2002/06/18

(Spoilers) Misogynistic, yet emasculating serio-comedy from the great Buñuel. I have just seen this one for the second time, and enjoyed it even more than before. Although it has misogynistic implications (actually rather more explicit than implicit), the fact that Archibaldo (perfectly played by Ernesto Alonso)never does succeed in carrying out his daydreams of harm to the various women in his life, this fact emasculates his character. The women are not victorious, however, for for every Archie and his failed attempts, the ladies all suffer at the hands of the other men in their lives. Therefore, the misogyny prevails.I was a bit offended by this film the first time around (when I saw it about 3 years ago), but having seen more of Buñuel's work and more films, both foreign and domestic (US)) of its ilk since, I decided to give it another chance, and am glad that I did. The movie's ironic nature saves it from being too cruel to enjoy. That and the fact that, after the talk with the doctor, Archibaldo seems to reform at the film's end, drowning (in effect burying or suppressing) the music box (the symbol of his deranged desires, and the object to which he attributes dominance, power and virility), throwing away his cane (another crutch), and walking off with Lavinia, who seemed to make him happiest during the film (as opposed to the other women).The characters of Particia and Carlota (and Lavinia, to a slightly lesser extent) are seen as shrewish and scheming – they certainly all have their own agendas and never come across as wholly innocent – which lends feelings of sympathy towards Archibaldo (who is being used by all of them).Themes of Catholicism pervade the film, although not in a heavy-handed way. The symbolism, typical of Buñuel, was strong and put to good use, i.e.: the mannequin (represents Lavinia), the music box (see above), the straight razor (a phallic symbol and violence), the cane (a `crutch'), the pottery wheel (goes around and around and no way out, representing Archie's situation), the flaming drink (foreshadows his fantasy for Lavinia), her tour guide/interpreters job (language barrier miscommunication/repression of the true feelings of the characters).It is interesting to note that Alejandro, the married man with whom Carlota is having an affair, is often addressed as `Architect' instead of by his name. An architect creates and builds, whereas his character destroys – another great touch in a movie full of them.Some thoughts: 1) How long will Archie's reformation last – if it is genuine at all? 2) I felt sorry for Archie for not being able to actually carry out one of his dastardly fantasies – instead, in each case, he was `saved' by circumstance. This was surely the filmmakers' intent. Well, it worked! 3) Archie is guilty, in his mind, of actually committing the crimes – hence his `confession' to the doctor. This is why he throws the music box (he thought it was partially responsible) in the pond. Good character development/insight into his psyche. 4) I think the writer(s) and director did a an excellent job of conveying to us Archie's early life at home with his mother (who didn't seem to care about him), the hated Nanny (whose death started the chain of events), and the (absent) father. In including this glimpse of his early life, we gain a better understanding of Archie's character (his up-bringing plus this event) and can perhaps conclude that these may be contributing factors to why he did what he did/why he was who he was.RECOMMENDED!

More
Watch Instant, Get Started Now Watch Instant, Get Started Now