Very best movie i ever watch

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

With a convincing Spanish accent, Jennifer Jones takes a big risk in playing a Havana bank clerk who becomes involved in the fight against government corruption after witnessing the assassination of her brother who was murdered for spreading anti- government propaganda. Jones becomes involved with an American freedom fighter (John Garfield) who plots to assassinate a high powered official to stir up the population to rebellion. Jones is continuously followed around by the man she witnessed killing her brother, recognizing her from somewhere but not sure where when he meets her at the bank. He begins to court her on the premise of taking her to a concert, but her suspicions of him and her anxious desperation to see him dead gives her continuous nightmares, making her more determined to go through with her plan. The excellent Pedro Armandariez is riveting with a performance that is a combination of creepiness and undeniable charm that sneaks out here and there. He is an example of how ugly can sometimes be seductive, but the desire is mixed with disgust. But his character is sadomasochistic and malevolent, so narcissistic that you wouldn't mind seeing his character have a slow, torturous death.Several popular Latino actors have small roles here, adding authenticity to the passionate story of the desire to end tyranny, even if it means their own torture and death. Among them are Gilbert Roland and Ramon Novarro, both veteran Latin lovers who became excellent character actors. Directed with a passionate determination by the great John Huston (making a cameo as well), this is not a pretty film, quite ahead of its time in dealing with horrific situations bluntly, often having rather unattractive characters giving everything from their soul to reveal the passionate desire for social justice. David Bond is particularly unforgettable as the pathetic Ramon who rambles in a drunken manner about his ideals and pays for it in the most gruesome way. This is not a Cuba you want to visit, but a Cuba of a one sided government that hates it's own people and wants to see them forever oppressed and petrified, something no government should ever have the power to do.

A worthy effort that is spoiled by a false ending. I always felt that John Garfield was one of Hollywood's best actors, but here he is not challenged and given a role well within his ability. He doesn't have to extend himself and I thought his part was unworthy of his great talent. Jennifer Jones was miscast, Gilbert Roland was better (disregard Maltin), and Pedro Armendariz was excellent.All that said, I kept waiting for some suspense and it came in small doses. The movie was anticlimactic - forgivable, since it was based on historical fact, but maybe a little embellishment was in order. And so, it was a movie which promised adventure and excitement but did not deliver, and in the end lapsed into an unwelcome Hollywood ending. It had some soaring and poetic dialogue but needed 'rewrite', a favorite Hollywood byword, to 'punch it up'.

China is a bank teller living in Cuba in 1933. Her brother is working with a group of revolutionaries who are trying to depose the government. Her brother is caught handing out leaflets for their cause, and he is shot and killed. China grows upset (understandably) and joins the revolutionaries herself. She meets an American named Tony Fenner and he comes up with the plan to blow up all of the heads of government. To do this, they will use China's house as a base. They will tunnel under the ground to a nearby cemetery. Then they will kill a prominent politician and blow everyone at his funeral up.The plan gets complicated when the man who murdered China's brother finds China and begins to suspect she is doing something shady. Also, China and Tony begin to fall for each other, all the while Cuba descends into a totalitarian state.It is hard to watch this film without taking into account the revolution in Cuba in the late 1950s and early 1960s. That revolution, which put Castro into power, makes this film seem very outdated. Even though it is set in 1933, this film still feels heavily dated and unrealistic. That is not the only problem. This film tries to achieve two objectives, to be a political thriller and a romantic drama, and it fails on both accounts. It appears that Huston just couldn't direct a thriller. Both The MacKintosh Man and The List of Adrian Messanger were spectacularly thrill less.It is not as if the film is a mess, but it just had no sense of direction. With a better director, someone who cared more, this could have been a pretty good thriller. But Huston's tepid direction is nothing short of boring. Even the veteran actors on display could not save the film. Jennifer Jones is a great actress, but here she is not good. Her role is so poorly written that it just screams cliché. Her Cuban accent is rough and unbelievable. Her line deliveries are stodgy, and her character is just boring. The revenge plot device runs out of steam quickly, and we are left with people digging a tunnel for an hour.John Garfield is a good actor when given good material, which he is not here. His character is from average from the get go, and it hurts his performance dearly. He is not accomplishing anything new in this film, and his persona wears thin quickly. The one standout in the cast is Pedro Armendariz. His character's scenes are few, but he has one standout scene which he excels in. That scene is also the highlight of the film, due much to Armendariz's talent.The script seems to never know what it wants. It jumps back and forth between political thriller and romance. The romance seems forced, and the political side seems dated. And of course, the thrills are non-existent. The script however could have been improved, and it could have made for a good film. That, unfortunately, was not the case.The cinematography is actually quite good. It is shot like a film Noir, with terrific lighting. However, Huston's camera refuses to be original or move much. It stays completely still, bringing an air of stuffiness to the screen. The score is good enough to listen to, but you forget about it completely after the film ends. It is just like the film, unmemorable.I have talked often about Huston's laid back style of direction. It can definitely work for some kinds of films, but you can not direct in a thriller in a relaxed fashion! The whole point of a thriller is to thrill, not to just show stuff that can be considered thrilling. You have to put your camera into the scene, you have to make audiences feel the stakes. This film does none of that. And of course, the film is so anticlimactic. **SPOILER ALERT** Just after they kill a politician and are having the bomb made, they find out that the funeral is being held somewhere else. All the work they did was for nothing, and that's it. That's the end. Then there is a shootout and the revolutionaries win! **SPOILER ALERT**It feels so false, that it becomes hard to take the film seriously. Perhaps I am bashing this film too hard, but I can't help it. This kind of boring, thrill less exercise feels like a waste of my time. It is not that bad of a film, but it is definitely not as good as it could have been. It left me just as quickly as it came to me, and it is one film I do not think I will see ever again.We Were Strangers, 1949, Starring: Jennifer Jones, John Garfield and Pedro Armendariz, Directed by John Huston, 6/10 (C-)(This is part of an ongoing project to watch and review every John Huston movie. You can read this and other reviews at http://everyjohnhustonmovie.blogspot.ca/)

Revolution comes to Cuba in 1933. Funny, Fulgencia Battista's name is never mentioned. He is the one who would rule Cuba until 1959 when Fidel ended his rule.Half way through this tedious film and we still don't know anything about the John Garfield character. Is he a soldier of fortune? Finally, it's revealed that he is a native Cuban.Jennifer Jones has an authentic Spanish accent even though it appears that her tongue has been rolled back. There are certain scenes that she appears as erudite as Miss Dove. Something is missing here and that's more action. The conspirators plot the end of the dictatorship by building a bomb which they will detonate at a cemetery. Of course, they expect everyone to be there based on the person they have chosen to assassinate so as to make a funeral necessary. When this fails to materialize, it appears that all is lost until Garfield shoots it out with the government officials in the home of Jones, his lover and compatriot. Her brother has been shot to death for participating in revolutionary activities. By the way, this shoot out is not exactly For Whom the Bell Tolls. It's not even a Duel in the Sun.As luck would have it, as the Garfield character is dying, the people of Havana begin a revolution.Great to have freedom and to be free of this tedious, monotonous story. People sing and dance in the street as our hero Garfield lay dying. Gilbert Roland, with his usual Spanish demeanor, sings a song in praise of 1933, liberty and his friend Fennel (Garfield). This was utterly ridiculous.