Pedro Armendariz shines in his portrayal of an arrogant pelota champion ; his philosophy is almost Nietszche 's will to power , where the weak has no room ; his motto is "you will be better off with one fifth of a powerful man than with the whole of a mediocre one "and he takes a hard line with the "inferiors" ;a womanizer ,he treats his wife and lovers like sexual objects or as cash cows (the scene when he forces the aging woman to look at herself in the mirror is revealing )

The script in the second part is perhaps not as firm as in the first one, but it involves elements of pure film noir (a la "the harder they fall" or "the set up" )and melodrama (the girl he got pregnant and the awful act he puts on her ) ;and the very last sequence is one of the best I know about human vanity ;a Bunuelesque scene which recalls "los olvidados" .

In "La noche avanza" there are no good or decent characters. There are only anti-heroes and self-assumed victims who do not hesitate a second to become perpetrators to take revenge on their own perpetrators: jealous, liars or possessive women, dangerously self-destructive; And men whose maximum value is opportunism. There is no trait of kindness here, only facets of selfishness. Considering the improbability of this happening (not only in Mexican cinema of that time but in cinema in general), La noche avanza has a spectacular and quirky freshness.

In addition, the frenzy accelerates as the night advances. Quite a few scenes from the second half of this film could be considered even pre- tarantinescan. So far the best movie I've found of the so-called Mexican Noir and the second best of the director Roberto Gavaldón (after Macario, 1960).

Colour me surprised that this made-in-Mexico drama hasn't garnered any reviews until now. Directed by Roberto Gavaldon, the film stars Pedro Armendariz as Marcos, a professional jai alai player undefeated on the court in 26 matches. The super confident Marcos has acquired a Trumpian disdain for weak losers, including a fellow player who suffers a fracture as a result of Marcos' carelessness. When he's not dominating his opponents, he's trying to balance his relationships with several women, including recently widowed old flame Sara (Anita Blanch), nightclub thrush Lucrecia (Eva Martino), and mother-to-be (uh oh!) Rebeca (Rebeca Iturbide). Marcos promises to wed Rebeca without telling her he's about to leave Mexico permanently, setting in motion a plot by Rebeca's brother Armando (Carlos Muzquiz) to blackmail the first class heel while also getting out of his debt to gambler Marcial (Jose Ma. Linares Rivas). A potent blend of soap, intrigue and jai alai action, La Noche Avanza is virtually unknown in the United States but is well worth tracking down.