Beat the Devil

Released Mar 12, 1954

1h 32m

Romance

Comedy

Crime

Drama

Adventure

List

68%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

53%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Billy and Maria Dannreuther are among a number of travelers stranded in Italy en route to Africa. While the Dannreuthers seem like an average couple, they have the same goal as Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm and some of their other shifty companions -- to lay claim to property that is supposedly rich with uranium.

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Steve D

Thin but quite entertaining with snappy dialog.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Scott H

Really appreciated the goofiness of this film...snappy dialogue (Huston and Truman Capote teamed up for it). Very clear on the narrative as well, unlike the Maltese Falcon.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/29/23

Full Review

Deke P

ALL STAR CAST! BOGART, LORRE, MORLEY, JENNIFER JONES, GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA. Despite the interesting story of how it was put together, it is an entertaining film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/01/23

Full Review

Josh G

A Funny, Quirky, well acted vintage film. Peter Lorre is a stand out and great in comedy. Humphrey Bogart is going thru the motion and having fun. It predictable and fun, But doesn't wow.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

r b

It had some interesting scenes, but the sequences were often disjointed.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Russ G

Bogie: "I can make a movie without Jack Warner; I'l show him!" Me: Um, no, Mr. Bogart, you can't! OK, you have your old buddy John Huston to direct the film, and shooting in Europe stretches the meager budget, but it might be nice to have a SCRIPT from which to shoot instead of winging it! The presence of Robert Morley standing in for Sydney Greenstreet and a now rotund Peter Lorre don't save this, but at least Bogie got to appear opposite another movie bombshell in the person of Gina Lollobrigida. Every Bogie fan should see this to appreciate how bad it is. Another Vanity Project; What Could Go Wrong? Well, Bogie lost his shirt on this and eventually he even lost his YACHT, the Santana, after which he'd named his production company. OK, the Studio System may have sucked, but at least it kept Bogie and Bacall in booze and butts!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/21/22

Full Review

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John Huston

Director

Humphrey Bogart

Billy Dannreuther

Jennifer Jones

Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm

Gina Lollobrigida

Maria Dannreuther

Robert Morley

Peterson (crook No. 1)

Peter Lorre

Julius O'Hara (crook No. 2)

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

It’s wilfully nutty, but the dialogue from Truman Capote is sublime.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 29, 2022

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

It operates under the assumption that everyone in it is drunk, lusty, a little crooked, and a little crazy, and once you tune in to their wavelength, it's fun to just hang out with them for an hour and a half.

Feb 17, 2017

Full Review

Howard Thompson

New York Times

For all the studiedly suave professionalism, though, "Beat the Devil" ends up beating itself.

Aug 8, 2006

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

I don't know what John Huston was thinking to direct 'Beat the Devil', but to tell the truth his adventure comedy starring Humphrey Bogart seems a bit dull to me. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 5/10

Oct 30, 2020

Full Review

Jesús Fernández Santos

El Pais (Spain)

An informal comedy that is at times critical, entertaining, and even discursive. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 16, 2019

Full Review

Josephine O'Neill

Daily Telegraph (Australia)

Their production is sheer picaresque adventure, which darts from point to point as their fancy takes it -- and sparkles with mordant humor.

Apr 2, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Billy and Maria Dannreuther are among a number of travelers stranded in Italy en route to Africa. While the Dannreuthers seem like an average couple, they have the same goal as Mrs. Gwendolen Chelm and some of their other shifty companions -- to lay claim to property that is supposedly rich with uranium.

Director: John Huston
Producer: Humphrey Bogart
Screenwriter: James Helvick, Truman Capote, John Huston
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Video, Madacy Entertainment Group Inc. [us], Reel Media International [us], United Artists, LS Video, Hollywood Classics
Production Co: Romulus Films Ltd., Santana Pictures Corporation
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 12, 1954, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.37:1)

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