What do you get if you mix the duality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with Satanism and the piano? If you go to Mexico, you'll find out!...
On a dark night, a woman experiences car troubles and stops by the nearest house. Upon opening the door, she is savaged to death by an unknown creature. Bystander and journalist Ricardo takes a personal stake in the case, and investigates. At the house come morning is a stern old lady, her pianist virtuoso son, and his young female protege. The matriarch bitterly warns Ricardo away, but he refuses to take the hint, and further murders in the area only strengthen his resolve. A monster is on the loose, and it all ties back to this house...
El Hombre y El Monstruo (The Man and the Monster) is a strong example of its genre. The film begins with an arresting prologue. It sets up keeps just enough offscreen, and presents an immediate mystery to get us invested/hooked. There's also a great title segue to really wow us.
The story here is quite good. Basic in all the right ways, and letting its characters bear the greater detail of the film. There isn't much of a mystery on the face of it, and we know exactly who the monster is, but the thrill is more in seeing how it all plays out, aided by many unexpected moments.
Hombre also has a neat musical nature to it. Music is what causes the monster to transform, so hearing the piano tinkle becomes a sign of suspense, building up the mood. It's also effective when hearing it change from a fairly normal and laidback piece to a discordant melody.
Where Monstruo also excels is in the action department! There are a few fights between man and monster, and they're great stuff. No expense is spared, from the impressive ragdoll bits, to the destructible sets. This is not a film that skimps on the good stuff!
The climax is a high point, although it dos get a bit carried away, and I kept zoning out while waiting for the piano concert to end. But once the melody shifts and he last bit of action kicks into gear, it's good stuff! Bit of a risky move from the heroes, and I'm not sure if this now means magic is a proven thing, but it's still a fun conclusion!
Onto the characters. Ricardo is a typical writer, clattering away on his old typewriter, with a big pipe stuck in his mouth. The love interest is nice enough, and while occasionally a damsel in distress, she also gets her own chances to shine, like her integral part on the piano during the climax.
The titular character Samuel starts off in a pathetic light. He's a man tormented by a foolish bargain he made to recapture his lost piano skills, clearly horrified with his violent rampages, yet addicted to them, either because of the madness, or his desperation to play music again is just too strong. Though his actions in the flashback made me lose all
sympathy. I thought he was just foolish, but then we see him commit murder, the
woman he loves no less, just because he's jealous! Dickhead.
The monster is like an extension of Samuel's worst desires, while also its own creature, uncaring of who he kills for the most part. The first reveal is one of the movies best scenes, where he serenades the corpse of his first victim as he laughs.
The mother meanwhile is is a stern and domineering woman, who is appalled by her son's actions, yet loves him too much, and covers for everything he does. Bit of a contrary lady really! One second she's chiding him for playing music again, then she helps him make a clean getaway to play some more!
The remainder of the cast are fine. The girl at the start was nice enough, but a bit of a dope. Her throwing the key to the man with the sinister voice seals her fate. Another person goes a similar direction by opening a door they really shouldn't have. Then there's an amusingly Mexican sounding
police chief. There's also a cute little girl who is a piano whizz! She has a tense encounter with the monster and...well, I sure hope she's ok!
The cast is a strong element here. Leading man Abel Salazar is good, Martha Roth is a nice love interest, and Ofelia Guilmáin does well as the conflicted old biddy. And lastly, Enrique Rambal delivers the film's best performance as the tormented musician, and the savage monster, living up to the title's promise.
The
effects in Hombre are standout. The violence is minimal but totally
convincing, the pristine corpse is . But most impressive of all is the
monster make-up. Whether or not you can take it seriously is one thing,
with its big nose and buck teeth, but one thing's for sure, not only is it
fantastically creative. I liked the wild expression on its face, aided
by the actor's eyes.
It takes over half the movie for the monster to be
revealed, but once it's there it's a constant presence This could've easily
broken the mystique, where showing as little of the monster as possible is
more effective. But here I think it worked, because of the confident effects, and how much of a character this monster is too.
The direction is creative too, with The film makes very good use of its minimal locations, and you'd never notice it goes back and forth so much. The settings feel real and lived-in, with good angles making the most of simple rooms
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