Sorry, this movie sucks

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

What a wonderful comedy! In every scene it is evident how the director enjoyed filming it with such formidable actors cutting out such hilarious figures, all excelling each other in eccentric idiosyncracy. It's difficult to say who is best, they are all on top, Jennifer Jones as the flirty young wife, Gina Lollobrigida at her most beautiful and seductive, Robert Morley as the king of fools, Peter Lorre and all the others, and Humphrey Bogart giving probably his heartiest last laugh in all his films. It's a criminal comedy at its best bordering on parody all the way but with great irony and wit - the dialogue is thoroughly enjoyable and thick all the way, and the diction is perfect, even for those who speak with accents. I saw it 50 years ago and had forgotten everything except the car ride, the centerpiece of the comedy, and least of all did I remember that it was so hilariously funny. The only serious figure enters the last, and he has very little to say under the circumstances. This must be John Huston's funniest film.

Only Sydney Greenstreet is missing from the cast of "Beat the Devil," an entertaining comedy-adventure-mystery. But, Robert Morley fills his place very well. So, the cast is there, the plot and script are there, and one fine movie is the result. This film has a little bit of many things – intrigue, adventure, action, murder. And lots of other things – mayhem, romance, and comedy. Humphrey Bogart is Billy Dannreuther, a man who once had money and an estate in Southern France, but who now must deal with some shady characters for his future income. Morley plays Peterson, who heads a shady foursome that is out to swindle some wealthy mineral deposits out from under the nose of the government in Africa. The others of his quartet are Peter Lorre as Julius O'Hara, Marco Tulli as Ravello and Ivor Barnard as Maj. Jack Ross. Ross is their "hit man."Gina Lollobrigida plays Billy's wife, Maria. Saro Urzi plays the captain of the SS Nyanga. And into this assortment of characters come an English couple, Harry and Gwendolen Chelm, who are going to South Africa to run a small coffee plantation. They are played by Edward Underdown and Jennifer Jones, respectively. Each of the women in this slightly sinister but mostly hilarious farce is openly attracted to the other's husband. Or so it would seem – so obvious to all. The story has some undertones of crime, but comedy and skulduggery rule the day. Distrust among crooks, unhappy marriages, fantasies of wealth and status, and just plain wild imaginations are the vehicles of the comedy in "Beat the Devil." Look for the humor in many places. For one, there's Peter Lorre's name. He's an Irishman by the name of Julius O'Hara. That's laughable enough, but then his own companion, Ravello, can't pronounce "O'Hara." The hit man, Jack Ross, is a pint-sized Nazi fascist. Everyone contributes to the humor in some way. Underdown is hilarious as the English snob, Chelm. Jones steals her scenes as Mrs. Chelm with her wild fantasies of her husband's past and her dream life. This is a sophisticated comedy that spoofs many conventions of the time. Even the mode of travel for this coterie of crazy characters is a sham – a broken-down cargo ship out of a southern French port. The movie is based on a book by British journalist and novelist Claud Cockburn. Truman Capote and John Huston wrote the screenplay. Huston also directed the film. The script for this film is quite crispy. Humorous subtleties are sprinkled throughout the story. Here is a sampling of funny lines and exchanges.Peterson sits down at a café table with Mrs. Chelm. Peterson says, "I find it rather hard to believe that a man of your husband's position would go to Africa just for the coffee planting." Mrs. Chelm: "You're rather quick aren't you? In point of fact, he isn't. In point of fact he has a very special reason." Peterson: "So I suspected." Mrs. Chelm: "It has to do with sin." Peterson: "Sin?" Mrs. Chelm: "Since the war, my husband has been almost exclusively concerned with spiritual values. He feels that if he can get away there – in the heart of Africa, he will come face to face with essentials. He wants to work out the problem of sin." The expression on Peterson's face is hilarious. "Sin!?" he repeats, as though he hadn't heard her further remarks. Mrs. Chelm: "Why yes, of course. Isn't that what we're all most concerned with – sin?"Billy: "My conduct? Who do they think I am – their hired hand?" Maria: "But you are, Billy. You are." Billy: "How kind of you to remind me. How good. How true. How kind."Peterson: "Or perhaps you have even other reasons?" Billy: "Such as?" Peterson: "That's for you to know and for us to find out."The major: "Mussolini, Hitler, and now Peterson." O'Hara: "A great man. A great loss." Ravello: "I'm going upstairs and read my Bible."Mrs. Chelm: "I was in love with him." Chelm: "What did you say?" Mrs. Chelm: "I was in love with him." Chelm: "Really darling, have you no control over your romantic fantasies? Mrs. Chelm: "Please go away." Chelm: "He's dead, and I'm married to a fool like you. I'll just take these (aspirin) to Maria."Ship's steward in the hotel: "Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you the glad tidings. The captain is sober and the SS Myanga will sail at midnight."The shady foursome walks out onto the ship's deck at sea, and Mrs. Chelm is at a distance on the bow of the ship doing stretching exercises. Peterson calls out to her, "Good morning, Mrs. Chelm." He lowers his voice and mumbles to his comrades, "Let's hope she breaks her neck."

Having much of the same talent as 1951's masterpiece "The African Queen", this film comes off as a total contradiction in its entirety, giving a dark view of humanity at its most amoral and laughing at it at the same time. A group of strangers are crowded together on a steamer and something shady is afoot. At first, you really can't figure out what's going on, because every time that the writers drop an important plot point, a distraction occurs which moves it into a different direction. The film is alternately wise and confusing, one moment with leading man Humphrey Bogart standing out with me where he is informed that Hitler and Mussolini like leaders will soon destroy the world. Bogart simply states that he would like another year or two to continue to be miserable. That statement applies to how many people seem to feel today, a cynical society in an ever increasing dangerous world where unhappiness seems to be a better option than total oblivion.Replacing Sydney Greenstreet as the villainous fat man, Robert Morley is a total contrast to his fearful missionary in "The African Queen". He's so instantly smarmy, you're surprised anybody even wants to be around him. Add in Peter Lorre (sadly a very undefined character) and two leading ladies (Jennifer Jones, highly resembling Vivien Leigh in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and the luscious Gina Lollobrigida, obviously somebody's "kept woman" here), and you have a dream cast. The remainder of the cast are cynical men who seem intent on creating more unhappiness, and while there are some surprising plot twists and sudden turns (people are believed to be dead, incorrectly it turns out) and everybody is in danger at all times. A ship's steward politely tells Bogart that the ship is sinking as if announcing dinner. It is obvious that John Huston had his tongue so far into his cheek he could taste last week's dinner, yet the inside joke wasn't let out on an unsuspecting public who, according to reviews, just didn't get it. I did, but it may not have been the filmmaker's ideas that I got, just my own visions of what the film said, at least to me.Along with another independently made Bogart film ("The Barefoot Contessa"), this is a film that doesn't necessarily work but with its star performances and a few dropped intelligent witticisms, can inspire some great thought. Otherwise, however, it is a pretentious bore.

From writer Truman Capote (Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Innocents) and director John Huston (The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen, The Man Who Would Be King), this film featured in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, and that was good enough reason for me to watch it. Basically a group of international criminals: Peterson (Robert Morley), Julius O'Hara (Peter Lorre), Maj. Jack Ross (Ivor Barnard) and Ravello (Marco Tulli) have to wait for their steamer to be repaired, so are stranded in Italy. They are joined by the Dannreuthers, Billy (Humphrey Bogart) and Maria (Gina Lollobrigida), who are posing as vacuum cleaner salespeople, but they actually plan to buy some land in Africa supposedly loaded with valuable uranium. There are people with apparently similar ideas, so it is all a big scheme that will see the most clever and determined brains get what they want in the end. This is apparently a spoof of the Huston adventure movies The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Also starring Jennifer Jones as Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm, Edward Underdown as Harry Chelm, James Bond's Bernard Lee as Insp. Jack Clayton, Mario Perrone as Purser on SS Nyanga and Aldo Silvani as Charles - Restaurant Manager. Bogart does reasonably well as the head of the gang, Jones gets some good moments, and as the sly villain Morley has some amusing scenes with his posh English accent coming in handy, the other well known stars do fine too. I will admit that I did not understand the full story, and I didn't find myself laughing at much, but the adventure element is okay, and there are some relatively amusing moments, I'm not sure why it would be considered a must see film, but it is an alright comedy thriller. Worth watching!