护民官马塞勒斯(理查德·伯顿 Richard Burton 饰)任职期间正值罗马帝国时期。罗马当局指控基督耶稣妖言惑众,并将其抓捕定罪,欲将基督耶稣钉死在十字架之上。在上级的指派下,马塞勒斯负责监督并执行这项任务。在一次赌博中,马塞勒斯赢得了一件耶稣曾用过的红色圣袍。此后,他就像中了魔咒一般,夜夜在噩梦和错觉的折磨下惊醒。然而在神谕的感召下,马塞勒斯发现他日夜恐惧的圣袍魔咒,其实来源于自己的内心。马塞勒斯最终选择了服从内心的声音,追随着心中的上帝,即便赴死亦义无反顾。
本片荣获1954年第11届金球奖剧情类最佳影片,并获得第26届奥斯卡金像奖最佳艺术指导(彩色)、最佳服装设计(彩色)两项奖项,以及提名奥斯卡奖最佳影片、最佳男主角和最佳摄影三项大奖。
“Lobo Feroz is a loose, revitalised adaptation of Big Bad Wolves. There were many changes that we made when you compare it to the original, given that we added new characters, plot strands and locations, and we introduced and fleshed out new themes teetering between dark comedy and police thriller. The film questions one’s principles, human behaviour and how ambiguous it can be,” the director explained to Cineuropa. “I’m very happy to be able to work with a dream Spanish cast, where everyone demonstrates their enormous talent and commitment in every scene and through every single detail.”
The screenplay for the movie – written by Juan Manuel Foode Roma and Eva María Alonso Moreno – follows a police officer on the fringes of the law and a woman seeking revenge. Their paths cross, as they are obsessed with discovering the identity of the murderer behind a string of brutal crimes involving various girls. They are both willing to do whatever it takes to secure a confession, even though they will have to take the law into their own hands in order to do so. At the same time, a model detective will do his utmost to avoid irreparable errors being made and to ensure that this desperate search for the truth does not transform into the fiercest of wolves.