While on vacation in an unnamed Latin American country, American surgeon Eugene Ferguson (Grant) and his wife find themselves caught up in the political unrest which has long been brewing. The country's tyrannical leader, President Farrago (Jose Ferrer), has many enemies...many who want to see him dead or removed from power...so when the man is discovered to have a brain tumor requiring immediate surgery, there is no local physician he trusts to attend to him. As a result, Farrago's soldiers kidnap Dr. Ferguson and his wife as they are getting ready to depart the country.
Though furious at being detained, Dr. Ferguson stands up to the soldiers and the president himself; he insists he wants the freedom to come and go...without spies...without any following...and while he is at one of the local bars, he makes the acquaintance of the revolutionary group's leader. After explaining how the country has endured years of hardship under Farrago's tyranny, he makes no secret of the fact that he wants Dr. Ferguson to botch the operation so that Farrago dies. But can Ferguson---who as a physician has pledged to save lives---even consider doing such a thing? And if Ferguson won't willingly do it, is there anything the revolutionaries can do to force his hand?
Since I missed Crisis when it was on TCM back in December, I was thrilled to see it on the schedule again this month. With high hopes, I settled in to watch it a couple nights ago, and much as it pains me to say it, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed. While I'm giving this film 3 stars, the first 70 minutes were, for me, difficult to get through. The plot was painfully slow-moving, and I nearly gave up several times; I hung in there, though, and was rewarded with an interesting and exciting final 20 minutes. So, the 3 stars are for those last minutes.
I enjoyed seeing Cary Grant in this kind of role, and I definitely believe all Grant fans will want to see this film. It is out on DVD, so it ought to be fairly easy to track down.
Happy viewing!!
