Ana (Mónica Sugranes) , a four-year-old little girl , leaves school and gets into the car driven by the family chauffer (Vicente Ávila) as usual. Then a guy (Alberto de Mendoza) who is chasing them ends up kidnapping her and taking her to a country house . After that, she contacts the father (Albert Dalbes) of the girl and demands a ransom, but several unforeseen events complicate the kidnapper's plans. Soon after, the kidnapper finds himself harassed by the police that's commanded by a cunning police inspector, Don Francisco (José Marco Davó).
At the beginning we contemplate in brief chained scenes without dialogue during the opening credits to our starring Alberto de Mendoza losing in a game of poker, betting on frontón and horse racing, then happening the engaging action , as a little girl, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, is kidnapped by him and taken to a country house to await the collection of the ransom . Interesting and thrilling police movie , filmed by the eclectic director , screenwriter and producer Luis Maria Delgado from Madrid . The film deals with a peculiar subject, little exploited in the Spanish cinema at the time , the cold- blooded kidnapping of a sweet creature , just for economic reasons , a plot similar to one of the English thrillers in the Sixties . The picture was heavily censored and recut by the strict censorship committee , as a result, and since producers didn't modify some sequences , several credited actors , most notably Julieta Serrano are nowhere to be seen in the definitive version . On the other hand , the style that this compelling movie assumes is reminiscent of ¨French Polar¨, above all because of the coldness and dispassion with which the criminal is portrayed, whom Alberto de Mendoza gives a magnificent acting . Special mention for the girl, Mónica Sugranes, she gives a wonderful and charming acting that was logically due to the masterful direction of Luis Maria Delgado who knew how to get out of Monica the sensitivity, curiosity, ingenuity and sympathy typical of children . She only interpreted this film and the classic Spaghetti/Paella Western : Duccio Tessari's ¨The return of Ringo¨. She is truly a child prodigy similar to Pablito Calvo , in fact this film pays tribute to child prodigies because in one of the most exciting and
rousing moments of Secuestro en la ciudad (1965) it is taking place in the exchange of the ransom in a cinema while projecting Ladislao Vadja's ¨My Tio Jacinto¨(1956) with Pablito Calvo. They're stunningly accompanied by a good Spanish cast with plenty of familiar faces , such as : José Marco Davó , Alberto Dalbés , Agustín González , Erasmo Pascual , Pilar Gómez Ferrer , and Julieta Serrano as the kidnapped little girl's mother , though her scenes were deleted to provide speed up enough to the nimble narrative .
It displays an atmospheric jazzy and piano musical score by Adolfo Waitzman . Well financed by Halcón P. C. and Chamartín, the production companies that needed a financial success after a series of failures . As well as brilliant and evocative cinematography in black and white by Jose F. Aguayo. The motion picture was competently directed by Luis Maria Delgado . He was son of filmmaker Fernando Delgado who directed ¨Currito De La Cruz¨ . Luis Delgado's film debut was ¨La Estrella Del Rey¨, though previously directed with Henri Decoin ¨El Deseo Y el Amor¨, with Dulio Coletti ¨Los Italianos Estan Locos¨ and with Fernando Fernán Gómez co-directed ¨Manicomio¨. Luis directed various kiddies films such as ¨Secuestro En La Ciudad¨, ¨Aventuras En Las Islas Cies¨, ¨Hamelin¨ a musical starred Miguel Rios , ¨Chispita Y Sus Gorilas¨ and ¨Loca Por el Circo¨ with Ana Belén . Luis Delgado made multitude of comedies , most of them written by playwright Juán José Alonso Millán , and mostly vehicles for known Farceurs or comedians as ¨Tip and Coll¨ in ¨Garbanza Negra Que En Paz Descanse¨ , Alfredo Landa in ¨Onofre¨ , ¨Guapo Heredero Busca Esposa¨ , ¨Cuando Cuerno Suena¨, ¨Alcalde Y Politica¨ , ¨Profesor Eroticus¨ , ¨Obsesiones De Armando¨, Paco Martínez Soria in ¨La Tia De Carlos¨ and Manolo Escabar in ¨? Donde Estará Mi Niño¿¨ . And he directed ¨Diferente¨ at his best and considered to be a real ¨Cult Movie¨. Rating : 7.5/10.
