Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Santo vs. Infernal Men Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 27, 2023

Joselito Rodríguez's "Santo vs. Infernal Men" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include Viviana García-Besné's documentary "Perdida"; archival materials; and more. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

If you wish to become a fan of the iconic Mexican cinematic hero Santo, move Joselito Rodriquez’s Santo vs. Infernal Men further down on your list of films to see. Placing it toward the bottom of this list might be the best thing to do because if you give it a chance now it could very well kill off your enthusiasm for Santo. No, unfortunately, I am not misjudging the film’s potential. Santo vs. Infernal Men is one of two films Rodriguez shot in Havana in the late 1950s, right before Fidel Castro’s gangs invaded the city, and is one of the weakest featuring the iconic Mexican cinematic hero that you could see. I am hesitant to describe it as a bad film because apparently the Mexican crew that worked on it prematurely wrapped its production, meaning that there are some legit reasons the film does not look great, but I cannot write that it is even relatively decent either. Simply put, it looks very rough and uneven, at times borderline amateurish, and given how the actors act in it, I am unsure it could have turned out a better film even if Castro and his gangs had not been on the horizon.

The prologue looks promising. A man (Joaquin Cordero) is seen trying to lose some shady characters but they corner him on an empty street. While running, they fire at each other and the man kills one of the shady characters. But another bullet hits the man somewhere in the chest, too. After the man collapses, the shady characters begin walking away from him, but Santo (El Santo) comes out of nowhere and they start fighting. Actually, Santo begins beating them up. However, the sequence abruptly ends, right in the middle of the beating, creating the impression that the Mexican crew abandoned it because it was time to leave Havana, and what comes next are the film’s opening credits. After another abrupt cut, the injured man is then seen receiving an injection while his mind begins to drift away. Now, the film jumps back in time where the injured man, who is apparently an undercover detective, is seen infiltrating a gang of contrabandistas. Before he is welcomed into the gang, the man does a couple of gigs to make the right impression, and Santo is always close by to assist him. The man and Santo become partners after realizing that they are both working hard to destroy the gang. Eventually, the flashbacks merge with the present, where the man is seen in a hospital bed but already looking substantially better.

As presented on this release, Santo vs. Infernal Men looks like a very rough cut of an abandoned film. It has a few modestly attractive sequences revealing a peaceful Havana but the acting is very inconsistent and the editing rarely looks right. Frankly, this version of Santo vs. Infernal Men is quite easy to summarize as the creation of an amateur editor who patched up random footage that was made available to him for free.

Just as odd is Santo’s presence before the camera. The screenplay refuses to treat him as anything else but a random secondary character, so in addition to having a limited time before the camera Santo almost always looks awkward, too. This is a problem because the real star in Santo vs. Infernal Men is the undercover detective and no one else, including Santo, even attempts to pretend otherwise.

So, what is the value of Santo vs. Infernal Men? Clearly, it has a historical value, and not only because of its association with Santo. The footage of pre-Castro Havana is very interesting because this city looks a lot like a different version of Miami. It is vibrant, very attractive, and full of energy and optimism, the type of first-class tourist destination that Miami has been for decades.

*Santo vs. Infernal Men is included in Enter Santo: The First Adventures of the Silver-Masked Man, a two-disc box set. The second film that is included in this box set is Santo vs. Evil Brain. Both films have been recently restored in 4K from the original camera negatives.

Santo vs. Infernal Men Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Santo vs. Infernal Men arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a 4K master that was prepared after Santo vs. Infernal Men was fully restored in 4K from the original camera negative. I think that the overwhelming majority of the film looks very good. While different segments of it were clearly shot under different conditions, delineation, clarity, and depth usually range from very good to excellent. The grayscale is very convincing as well. The blacks are solid but not boosted while the grays and whites are wonderfully balanced. Grain exposure is very nice and, I think, as even as it could be. What does this mean? There are a few spots that reveal slightly blotchy grain, but it is because of inherited surface imperfections. A few frames are missing too, so, during skips or transitions, you will notice small unevenness in grain exposure and distribution. There are no traces of any problematic digital adjustments. All in all, despite a few obvious source limitations, I think that the 4K makeover of Santo vs. Infernal Men is very nice. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Santo vs. Infernal Men Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, like the video, the audio reveals various minor but noticeable fluctuations that are inherited. Sometimes the audio abruptly becomes a bit thin. Sometimes there is minor dynamic unevenness. In a few areas, I even noticed small instability in the upper register. I do not think that these fluctuations will affect your viewing experience, but you will be able to tell that the audio has aged.

Santo vs. Infernal Men Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Perdida (2011) - in this recent documentary, Viviana García-Besné, granddaughter of Jorge García-Besné, examines the cinematic legacy of her family. Besne's grandfather produced the first Santo films that are included in the Enter Santo: The First Adventures of the Silver-Masked Man box set. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (96 min).

• Perdida Image Galleries -
  
  1. The Calderons: A Family Business
  2. Azteca Studios: Behind the Scenes
  3. The Alcazar Cinema Chain

• Book - limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Luciano Castillo, an archival newspaper article on Mexican wrestling, Christian Cymet on the history of the mask in Mexican wrestling, extracts from Carlos Monsiváis' The Rituals of Chaos and Jimmy Pantera's Los tigres del ring, an archival interview with Griselda Cruz, daughter of comic-book writer José G Cruz, Michael Donnelly on Perdida, an archival interview with Viviana García Besné and Alistair Tremps, and film credits.

• Poster - limited edition exclusive poster.

Santo vs. Infernal Men Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Santo vs. Infernal Men has an undeniable historical value, but what about its entertainment value? I found the footage from old Havana very intriguing, but Santo's antics were quite underwhelming. Does this mean that Santo vs. Infernal Men is a bad film? I certainly would not describe it as a good film because it looks quite rough and uneven, plus its attitude toward Santo is very suspicious. (The real star of the film is an undercover detective that goes to work to take down a gang of contrabandistas). However, it appears that the Mexican crew that shot it had to prematurely end their work as Fidel Castro's gangs approached Havana, so the real Santo vs. Infernal Men film was never made. At least this is my take on the situation that produced the current version of the film, which may not be entirely correct but explains why this version looks as it does. The release we have reviewed is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Enter Santo: The First Adventures of the Silver-Masked Man two-disc set, which is Region-Free and available for purchase in the United Kingdom as well. (See our British listing here). RECOMMENDED to diehard Santo fans only.