Sadly Over-hyped

best movie i've ever seen.

Absolutely Fantastic

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

Bernard Lee made an acting profession playing various detectives, predominately as the first "M" in the Sean Connery era of James Bond from 1962.Before this he specialised in playing various policemen like in the subject film made in 1957.He is frustrated by the non-existent extradition treaty between Mexico, the U.S. & the U.K. in his attempts to bring to justice a latter day Robert Maxwell type crooked financier, played by Rod Steiger.A previous reviewer suspected it was filmed on location in Spain to obtain a Mexican type atmosphere and this worked well.There were a few British type actors pretending to be Mexican like Eric Pohlmann and the actor who played the chief of Mexican police whom I have seen in more typical British plots.However the star of the film for my money was the dog actor who played "Dolores".She had a few expressive close ups with her doggy eyes which were very effective.When Rod Steiger initially rebuffed her, I was concerned that the R.S.P.C.A. would have to intervene.Nowadays when animals appear in films the producers invariably state in the credits "No animals were injured during the making of this film".The plot has already been effectively commented on by other users.Quite enjoyable I awarded it 7/10.

Interesting expansion of a Graham Greene short story. A millionaire embezzler tries to steal another man's identity and escape to Mexico. Rod Steiger is terrific in the lead and boldly unafraid to be unsympathetic. There's a solid noir feeling to the story, themes and especially the cinematography. There's a good deal of tension, too.On the other hand, the whole story depends on not just one but two whopping coincidences, along with a couple of those 'why doesn't the character just…?' moments, which hurt the overall effectiveness of the film. The score is a bit over the top too. But, for any faults it's still a well made, thinking person's thriller, worth seeking out if you're a fan of the genre or the elements.

After over a year, I watched Across The Bridge again, as companion piece to Treasure of the Sierra Madre. I had forgotten some of the twists and turns it takes, but enjoyed it just as much the second time around.My spontaneous reaction at the first time ("Citizen Kane meets Casablanca") still holds. It has the downfall of the rich and powerful man theme, as well as the strandedness under the whim of border bureaucracy. And much more... not to mention the dog.Of course it's dated, but that is no point against an old film. I loved watching it again, and reconfirm that this piece has several topics that I haven't seen in any other film - just to start with the borderline drawn across the bridge. I look forward to watching this again. 9/10.

Like other reviewers here, I saw Across the Bridge decades ago, but have never forgotten it.Rod Steiger plays a powerful, self-centered financier whose business empire, at the beginning of the film, is starting to crumble under charges of illegalities. He flees for Mexico on a train with a suitcase full of money.His disregard for others is confirmed when he casually murders a fellow train passenger in order to assume his identity and pass across the border.Once in Mexico, the authorities, under pressure from U.S. officials, put pressure on him to return "across the bridge" to the United States, so that he can be arrested. Most of the film is concerned with the slow stripping away of this once-powerful man's options, to where he is left sleeping on the streets, befriended only by a dog. The ending of the film is emotionally powerful, and probably the main reason why so many of us have never forgotten this movie.Since I wrote this review, I've seen the film again, on DVD (in 2005). It does not hold up that well. There's a subplot I had completely forgotten about. I realize now what I remembered about the film was highly selective. In truth, the movie has some interesting parts, but it's not the classic I remembered it being. By all means see it, but it's rather dated.