A Life in the Balance

Having acted alongside Spencer Tracy in 'Bad Day at Black Rock', Lee Marvin continued to go unnoticed in supporting roles such as in this film. In fact, he could pass for a Mexican because there was that ethnic strain to his demeanor.

A serial killer (Lee Marvin) has Mexico City in a state of unease as he stabs his young female victims and leaves them with their arms folded. It's a bizarre part for Marvin and he does it perhaps like no one has ever seen him. He kidnaps the only witness to his last deed, an eleven year old boy, who is forced to accompany him over the course of a night in which one scene has them in church and Marvin is praying and asking God who he should kill next while the boy watches him and looks for a way to escape. The boy's father (Ricardo Montalban) is widowed and an unemployed musician, and the neighbors who live next door are angling to take the boy away from him due to his lack of money and instability. Montalban is OK in the film, but the emergence of Anne Bancroft as another out of work and broke character, whom he meets in a pawn shop run by the mean and greedy Dona Lucrecia, is quite interesting. As Marvin is on the run with the boy, night becomes morning, and the police dragnet is closing in. The film is a decent balance of the two strands, the fight over the boy and Marvin's psycho serial killer. The boy's character brings them (the two strands) together fairly well as the night unfolds and the police eventually close in.

I saw this film today and have to say that it was magnificent! I am responding here to earlier reviewers that obviously don't know what they are talking about. One reviewer from Canada states "El Stinko Noir!" well he obviously has no film taste! In an early film role for Ricardo Montalban he plays an out of work man in Mexico who smashed a music machine for printing out terrible music His son Paco seems to get around and finds "The Killer" played by Lee Marvin. Lee Marvin in this film hardly seems like a menacing or insane killer, but seems to have tendencies of insane behavior.

Anne Bancroft has never been lovelier, and seems to have a pedestrian role. For those who like Mexican cinema if you liked "Sombrero" you will love this film (*** out of ****) PS: This is not a film noir and anyone who thinks so is an idiot!!

Ricardo Montalban and Anne Bancroft star, but Lee Marvin steals the picture in my opinion.

Marvin plays the villain so expertly that it's hard not to hate him.

He kidnaps a young boy, Paco, son of Ricardo Montalban's character, Antonio.

And becomes obsessed with Paco, dragging him across Mexico City, evading the entire 500 man Mexico City police department, highjacking a city bus which he promptly wrecks, and winding up at the world famous University of Mexico City as the backdrop for the exciting grand finale.

The little boy is also quite effective, much of the movie depends on him, and he doesn't fail to deliver.

Anne Bancroft's character is never given a chance to be fully developed, but she proves her motherly instincts at the very last moment, ignoring her own safety, risking her own life.

Anne Bancroft, Ricardo Montalban, Paco and Lee Marvin are the whole enchilada. The dozens of police officers do a lot of running, and chasing, but are not much more than uniformed props.

The lady who played the woman in the pawnshop was also quite effective.

The crumby title doesn't express the definite Noir thrust of the movie.

Not even close to being one of the best of Film Noir.

The worst part was the speech Ricardo Montalban gave at the conclusion of the picture still in character, as if he had to explain everything we had just seen. Totally anticlimactic.

Despite being a contract player for the top studio of the day, MGM, Ricardo Montalban was apparently not happy about the sorts of roles Hispanic actors got in Hollywood...hence he later started a non- profit ("Nosotros") to encourage Spanish-speaking actors and Hispanic themes in films. So I am pretty sure he was thrilled with a chance to star in "A Life in the Balance", as he was able to play a Mexican man and the film is set in Mexico City!

When the film begins, it's very apparent that Antonio (Montalban) loves his son, Paco, very much. But he's lost his job and they barely make ends meet. Additionally, the boy often is on his own while his father is working. There is a lot of pressure on Antonio to let the neighbors raise the boy...but he won't consider it.

Despite losing his job, Antonio pretends that he does have work and tries hard to convince the boy that everything is fine. In fact, he even promises to buy his son a guitar! But when Antonio goes to an old girlfriend to get some money she owes him, they argue a bit. Later, after he's gone, a serial killer (Lee Marvin) murders her and folks assume Antonio did it! To make things worse, Paco saw the murder and the maniac has captured him. What's next? See the film.

I liked this film and was very prepared to give it a score of 7. However, at the very end, the characters all started talking and philosophizing...and it all came off as unnecessary and preachy. This was clearly a case where the film was finished...but they kept filming and talking! Still, despite this, the movie's pretty good viewing...and must have made Montalban happy because he was able to get back to his roots.