Overview
A darkly comedic exploration of obsession and morality unfolds in the mind of a troubled bachelor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- macabre
- witty
- surreal
- late night cinephile viewing
- surrealist film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Luis Buñuel’s macabre Mexican crime comedy as a sharply crafted and highly inventive study of desire, repression, and fantasy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Archibaldo’s desire for innocent women is intertwined with fantasies involving straight razors, mannequins, and death.
Archibaldo oscillates between hallucination and reality, making his apparent murderous capacity fundamentally ambiguous.
The affluent bachelor’s refined lifestyle and ceramic artistry coexist with compulsive, depraved fantasies.
The suave protagonist’s polite social world contrasts with the darkly comic fantasies of violence surrounding him.
Films like The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, and why
The Exterminating Angel
surreal black comedy, obsession, and unstable boundaries between fantasy and reality
Belle de Jour
macabre desire, bourgeois repression, and provocative surrealist humor
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
psychosexual surrealism, dark comedy, and morally unsettling fantasy
Peeping Tom
stylized crime, erotic obsession, and psychologically ambiguous violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Luis Buñuel
- Release Date
- 1955-05-19
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (182)
Cast
- Ernesto Alonso
- Miroslava
- Rita Macedo
- Andrea Palma
- Rodolfo Landa
- Ariadna Welter
- José María Linares Rivas
- Leonor Llausás
- Eva Calvo
- Enrique Díaz 'Indiano'
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Night Flight Plus, HBO Max
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz about?
- A suave Mexican bachelor turns murderous fantasies, erotic fixation, and bourgeois refinement into a wickedly ambiguous surrealist comedy.
- What is The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz?
- Critics broadly regard Luis Buñuel’s macabre Mexican crime comedy as a sharply crafted and highly inventive study of desire, repression, and fantasy.
- Which films are like The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz?
- Films with a similar feel include The Exterminating Angel, Belle de Jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and Peeping Tom.
- How long is The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz?
- The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz?
- In United States, The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Night Flight Plus, HBO Max.
