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Beat the Devil (1953)

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Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 12
Fresh: 8 | Rotten: 4

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 1

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User Ratings: 2,671

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Movie Info

Humphrey Bogart stars as one of five disreputable adventurers who are trying to get uranium out of East Africa. Bogart's associates include pompous fraud Robert Morley, and Peter Lorre as the German-accented "O'Hara", whose wartime record is forever a source of speculation and suspicion. Becoming involved in Bogart's machinations are a prim British married couple (Edward Underdown and blonde-wigged Jennifer Jones). As a climax to their many misadventures and double-crosses, the uranium seekers

R, 1 hr. 29 min.

Action & Adventure, Comedy

Directed By: John Huston

Written By: John Huston, Truman Capote

In Theaters: Dec 17, 1953 Wide

On DVD: Mar 29, 2005

American Pop Classics

Cast

Humphrey Bogart
Billy Dannreuther
Jennifer Jones
Gwendolyn Chelm
Gina Lollobrigida
Maria Dannreuther
Robert Morley
Peterson
Peter Lorre
O'Hara
Edward Underdown
Harry Chelm
Ivor Barnard
Major Ross
Bernard Lee
Insp. Clayton
Marco Tulli
Ravello
Al Silvani
Charles
Saro Urz�
Captain
Juan de Landa
Hispano-Suiza Driver
Mimmo Poli
Barman
Giulio Donnini
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Critic Reviews for Beat the Devil

All Critics (16) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (4) | DVD (1)

If Beat the Devil puzzled audiences on its first release, it has charmed them since.

February 13, 2001 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

he film ranges from the diffident to the grotesque, with Huston selecting his lenses to make the performers look as freakish as possible.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

It looks like it's going to be a riot, but turns out almost laugh free.

August 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

An all-star home movie.

January 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Film Threat

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Phil Hall

Film Threat

Perhaps the oddest film Humphrey Bogart ever made.

October 15, 2005 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

You have to wonder what Capote and John Huston were thinking in trying to make a satire that didn't have any actual jokes.

September 27, 2002 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com

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Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

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Audience Reviews for Beat the Devil

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Beat the Devil is too comedy to be an adventure movie and too much of an adventure movie to be a comedy. You'd think getting John Huston & Humphrey Bogart (and Peter Lorre, too!) together again would be a great thing but the more I see of Bogart's filmography from the 50s, the more I realize that it just wasn't his

April 10, 2007

Michael Gildea

Super Reviewer

An oddball collection of individuals from varying backgrounds and parts of the globe board a ship bound for Africa to seek their fortunes. Obviously an homage to Huston's classic debut The Maltese Falcon, Beat The Devil is a curious mix of comedy and intrigue that doesn't really work as either. The collection of racial

May 11, 2008