Second Chance

1953 "For the First Time--3D With Important Stars!"
5.9| 1h22m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 18 July 1953 Released
Producted By: RKO Radio Pictures
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

The story tells of Russ Lambert (Robert Mitchum), a prize-fighter with a lethal right-handed punch, who through no fault of his own, killed a fighter in the ring. Since the fight his life has gone downhill.

Genre

Drama, Thriller

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Second Chance (1953) is currently not available on any services.

Director

Rudolph Maté

Production Companies

RKO Radio Pictures

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Second Chance Audience Reviews

Titreenp SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?
Tacticalin An absolute waste of money
TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
brennanjp I was reading the reviews on here and generally agree with them regarding the story and acting, but it seems no one has seen this in 3-D. I did a few years ago, the only 3-D movie from the 50s that I've seen as intended. The 3-D makes all the difference. The plot is still nothing special, but from the RKO logo in 3-D with the letters popping out at you to the cable car scene at the end, it is at least visually memorable in 3-D. The scenery in Mexico is especially nice with the depth, and of course the cable car scene is another matter with the 3-D effects. This is well worth seeing if you ever get the chance to see it in 3-D, even with the annoying glasses. There was an intermission when I saw it to give your eyes a rest.
jjnxn-1 A standard tale of a woman in jeopardy and on the run aided by a handy tall, dark and handsome stranger but the stars make it worth checking out. Robert Mitchum and Linda Darnell have an excellent chemistry, a shame that they only made this one film together. Actually their costarring was not planned, Susan Hayward was originally scheduled to appear but Howard Hughes had a revealing wardrobe in mind to exploit the leading lady's figure in 3-D, Susan found it distasteful and backed out and Linda stepped in. The wardrobe ended up not being used since Hughes wasn't upfront with Linda either and she likewise refused the costuming so between the censors and she he backed down and her clothes are flattering without being overly revealing.The story may be standard but it is shot in some beautiful locations in gorgeous Technicolor and moves at a good pace with a suspenseful climax. It also has a fine villain in Jack Palance whose granite features were ideally suited to being a bad guy. Probably very impressive in the original 3-D this still has some impressive shots that give you an idea of what the audiences in the 50's saw. A good compact thriller that's worth your time.
RanchoTuVu One might expect more from a film from the early 50's with both Robert Mitchum and Jack Palance instead of this travelogue like tepid suspenser. Set somewhere in Latin America (probably Peru because people are buying tickets to Lima), Mitchum is a prize fighter who's doing the South American circuit. His "A" level of talent and fame is a bit high for this particular movie which is definitely in the "B" range, and that doesn't necessarily make it one of those forgotten masterpieces. It even manages to practically waste another standout actor, Jack Palance, who plays a hit man in love with runaway Linda Darnell. As with any questionable outcome, the possibilities were there to make something memorable, but they apparently were allowed to slip by, notwithstanding the interesting locations. The cable car finale, instead of being the film's exciting climax, is basically its worst part, with the best stuff coming in bits and pieces with Darnall and Palance sharing the scenes.
manuel-pestalozzi These are the last spoken words in this movie, before it ends rather abruptly. They characterize the whole affair accurately. Second Chance is a beautiful movie, the locations in Mexico look superb and made me yearn for my next holiday, despite the faded colors. In the middle there is a long sequence of a typical fiesta with fireworks and a surprisingly lascivious and suggestive dance scene – just for the fun of it. The action moves on to a spectacular old suspension railway which I also found impressive and entertaining.Unfortunately the story development is not good. It looks like nobody could decide what kind of movie this should be. It starts out like a film noir, then becomes a dreamy romance before turning into a classic, full fledged disaster flick with a suspended cable car full of different characters (look how all passengers assemble on the rear platform without the whole thing keeling over as I expect it should). Every part is OK in itself, but the different pieces do not tie together well.Anybody who is interested in old movies, where locations, objects and events may or may not have symbolic significance will like this Technicolor movie made by RKO studios in its last stages of existence.