HEFILM

The thing which makes this memorable is the second story, the first one is talky and predictable and very very slow moving.

Mexican genre films can be rather cheap looking this one has better than average sets and doesn't have any wrestlers in it, now maybe that will make you NOT want to watch it, or may tell you this is more serious film.

It's all decently directed if a little overlit, the music will remind you of the jazzy German Crime films of the same era.

The English dubbed version I watched is quite well dubbed, the lips seem to match and the vocal performances are good too.

The first story has lots of slow walking around and talking and cheats on it's premise and has no real final payoff that might have given it some impact.

The second story is more unique and has some odd cutaways and an ending that kinda does and kinda' doesn't wrap things up.

The final piece of voiceover is rather thoughtful actually and interesting, perhaps more interesting than what has preceeded it.

My rating gets all its stars from the second story the first one you can skip in my opinion.

It's same same set up as SO LONG AT THE FAIR, or THE LADY VANISHES that's ok as it's been awhile and probably most people haven't seen those films, or if you're a fan of this type thing you probably have, in which case, don't bother.

The bigger the name actor the less they have to do, they really only exist so you can tell them apart and assume they are quilty, perhaps.

Knightley is good, as she always is, but her character never doubts her own sanity or is ever in real danger so there is nothing dramatic going on. The set up is there but then goes nowhere and gets tedious as situation after situation is the same, we and she sees something, no one will believe her, over and over.

It's all decently done and the ship it's shot on keeps it more interesting than perhaps it really is, but then it turns into, or tries to turn into a kind of action chase type movie and fails totally, the situations are ridiculous in the final 15 minutes. A bunch of supporting henchmen have to suddenly appear in order to keep things going and well it's just not like anything remotely believable happens to keep things going. The director can't stage any of the action excitingly or convincingly.

Yes it's offputting to start with all the "white" actors playing Aztecs but once you get used to this the story is on the side of the Aztecs, not the Spanish and their Christian campaign is shown as a type of genocide which isn't what you'd expect, perhaps especially from DeMille.

The film is centered on the female who constantly drives the story. The final battle is pretty impressive,the final moment sappy, which in the face of tougher view seems more out of place.

The early section does get pretty slow but once you get through that it steadily builds. The costumes and sets are pretty impressive and get more so as it moves along.

It's hard to find a good version of this, the ones that seem to be around are all intertitled in French! So you have to put up with ready tiny subtitles in English.