Beat the Devil

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigda, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Edward Underdown
Directed by: John Huston
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama
1953

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A British couple (Jennifer Jones, Edward Underdown) fall in with a charismatic, mysterious man (Humphrey Bogart) and his beautiful wife (Gina Lollobrigda), who are connected with a group of criminals (Robert Morley, Peter Lorre)

Review:

Tim: I love Humphrey Bogart and I love John Huston, so I figured I would at least like this movie- worst case scenario. Nope, I was wrong. I disliked this movie strongly. I was bored, disinterested, and tired of the film almost immediately. It is a weak, disappointing film. In fact, this may be the worst Bogart film I have seen.

I understand that supporters of this film oftentimes criticize those that don't like it for simply not understanding it. I suppose I could fall into that category. I understand this film is a comedy, a parody of those spy/crime movies prevalent in the 1940s. Still, with this knowledge, the movie was wholly unenjoyable for me regardless. I didn't find the movie funny or entertaining in the least. The script is oftentimes a giant mess. The plot is hard to follow, not particularly interesting, and all in all, very, very weak. I read somewhere that Bogart once said that only "phonies" enjoyed this movie. That is exactly how I feel about it.

The cast isn't very good. Bogart is such a talented, experienced actor that he easily gives the best performance of the film, but there is little he can do to help the movie. The film all around him is a giant waste of time, and his faint light isn't nearly enough to make up for all the darkness. Jennifer Jones certainly brought some energy to her role, but she far too often ventured into the territory of sheer annoyance. I was not much of a fan of her at all.

The rest of the cast isn't much better. Edward Underdown is mostly ineffective, oftentimes just coming across silly. Peter Lorre was fine, but he doesn't have an opportunity to do anything of substance. I did like Robert Morley, who gives one of the better performances of the film.

Beat the Devil is certainly a different movie. I tried hard to understand what it was trying to accomplish, but it just didn't work for me. The characters are quirky, but not particularly interesting. The story is unique, but sadly, boring. Despite its efforts, John Huston's film is a bomb. I am not surprised it was mostly ignored by audiences and criticized by critics. This is not a good movie, and in fact, is a pretty giant mistake.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Key Largo, Casablanca, Across the Pacific, Dark Passage, The Desperate Hours