Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

kijii It's always nice to discover a "new" Cary Grant movie. As I watched this one, I really liked it. As the movie begins, a renowned American neurosurgeon, Dr. Eugene Norland Ferguson (Cary Grant) and his wife, Helen (Paula Raymond) are on vacation in an unidentified Latin American country. When local civil violence breaks out at a jai alai game they are attending, they try to avoid it. However during the upheaval, they are kidnapped by the local police and taken to the mansion of the country's military dictator, Raoul Farrago (Jose Ferrer). Though they are welcomed and treated well by Raoul's wife (Signe Hasso), they are clearly captives of the government and become pawns of a civil war between the country's dictator and its rebels. Dr. Ferguson determines that Farrago has a brain tumor that needs to be removed. But, he has no surgical team or equipment with with to operate, and Farrago's entourage forbids him or his wife from leaving the mansion or moving Farrago to any hospital, for fear of the local rebels' wish to kill Farrago. Ferguson asks that his wife be moved to safety, and his wish is granted. But, the rebels soon grab her and demand that Ferguson let Farrago die or kill him on the operating table. However, as a physician, he cannot allow himself to be swayed by political upheaval, not even to save his wife's life. The movie continues to its conclusion, with tension in the operating room and tension on the streets of the Latin American capital.

dbdumonteil They say it was to be a widower and his child ,like in the novel.But the producers got their vow and they paired Grant with the bland Paula Raymond.Actually the real female star is Signe Hasso,a beautiful fascinating woman.Jose Ferrer is ideally cast as the great dictator.The main weakness of the screenplay is the fact that Grant does not receive the message:his moral dilemma is not as harsh as it could have been.Nevertheless ,"Crisis " is a strong debut from a great director .Good lines:Ferrer: "You 've done me and my people a great service."Grant: "I haven't voted for you" Ferrer :"Neither have they"The ending does not take the easy way out: the "revolutionary " man is actually a perfect demagogue and the country is probably waiting for the next dictator.

Charles Reichenthal CRISIS remains perhaps the only film that is completely forgotten when lists of Cary Grant films are offered. Even some of Grant's lesser vehicles are discussed, in depth, but Richard Brooks' CRISIS, which features a really stellar cast is 'lost' in contemporary cinema circles. There is no logical reason for this. Grant gives one of his very rare straight dramatic performances -- and one very very different from the dramatic range in NONE BUT THE LONELY HEART. It is a strong, forthright piece of work. The film deserves rediscovery for any number of reasons -- Grant's work, the first sign of Brooks' major talent... and one of the few (if only) Grant films that deals with modern political issues. I had remembered the film very well from my youth and never saw it listed for TV showings or any retrospectives. Thus, finding a rare DVD copy was wonderful ... and, surprisingly, very rewarding. Here's to someone pulling CRISIS out of obscurity and into a rung on the Cary Grant pantheon.

bmacv Even someone who's been keeping track of old movies for many years can be forgiven if this one slipped under the radar. Surgeon Cary Grant and his wife are vacationing in a South- or Central-American paradise when they are abducted by government forces. Seems the country's dictator (Jose Ferrar) has a brain tumor but is afraid to leave the country due to revolutionary activity. Grant is pressured into performing the operation. Only problem is, the guerrillas have captured his wife, threatening to kill her if Ferrar survives the operation. But the letter informing him of this never reaches Grant.... Supporting cast includes Leon Ames, Ramon Navarro (Ben-Hur of the silent era) and Signe Hasso as Ferrar's wife, an Evita Peron clone. This is a tense and often intelligent drama (and slightly out of Grant's usual debonair range) that doesn't merit the obscurity it seems to be buried in.