Beat the Devil

Starring:Beat the Devil
Studio: Edi Video
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

The Bogart film you never heard of!
i bet they all had fun making this one
Good Movie, Terrible DVD Production
Beat him, thrash him

Humphrey Bogart: Beat The Devil
Starring: Ivor Barnard , Humphrey Bogart , Juan de Landa , Jennifer Jones , and Bernard Lee
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Desperate Hours
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Dark Passage (Snap Case)

ASIN: B00008G8OY
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Description

A wacky comedy that's played straight as any film noir and is even funnier as a result. Five men are out to garner control over East African land which they believe contains a rich uranium ore lode.

Includes "Bogart On Film" - a documentary, an introduction by Tony Curtis, and the trailer for The Big Sleep.

Menus: English • Spanish • Chinese
Subtitles: Spanish • Chinese

B&W Running Time: 100 min.

Customer Reviews:

The Bogart film you never heard of!.......2007-06-12

That's what my brother said when I popped it into the DVD player -- he couldn't understand how he could possibly have missed it, being a big Bogart fan. It was only in the last two years that I saw it for the first time myself -- I don't know where in the heck it's been but it's a very fun shot-on-location film (Mediterranean) with just a shade of Indiana Jones-ness to it. And I have always loved Peter Lorre, who adds a lot to this particular movie. And rotten scoundrels are rampant, (wonderful acting and casting all-around), all trying to cash in on treasure! The only somewhat negative comments (2) I have are regarding a number of weird camera angles and, the fact that the film seems grainy sometimes. My guess is, the director found himself on vacation with a pack of good actors in a great southern European location, pulled a script out of his briefcase and said, "Let's make a quick film!" I'm just guessing on that but when you see this flick, you'll understand what I mean. In the end, if you like Bogey, Lorre and, a VERY young and voluptuous Gina Lollobrigida, you can't beat, Beat the Devil!

i bet they all had fun making this one.......2007-04-22

john huston and humphrey bogart team up yet again for this noir spoof about smugglers caught in a place they cant escape from, with robert morley in the sydney greenstreet role, and peter lorre in the peter lorre role. probably more fun if youre a bigger fan of the genre than i am, and sadly the print is not in the best of shape, so ive taken away one * as a penalty.

Good Movie, Terrible DVD Production.......2007-02-07

The movie itself is great. It's funny with some great performances from brilliant actors. The producers of the DVD however have ruined the picture with very poor image quality, the worst I have seen in any reproduction of movies from that era. In addition, the "delta" insignia flashes on and off the screen intermittantly, distracting you from the show. The introduction and end comments from Tony Curtis are poorly edited in to the movie itself taking from the movie experience. Get the movie but not this version!

Beat him, thrash him.......2006-08-28

You'd think that "Beat the Devil" would be far better known than it is, since it was one of the last movies that Humphrey Bogart did before his untimely death. Maybe that's because Bacall wasn't in it, or maybe it was just too quirky for the masses -- a funny, wry noir-satire, with a gang of rather inept criminals.

Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) is part of a motley group planning to go to Africa, where a friend can help them illegally claim uranium. But trouble arrives: stuffy Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown) and his very imaginative wife Gwen (Jennifer Jones) arrive, and soon they're flirting with Billy and his sensual wife Maria (Gina Lollabrigida).

Even worse, Gwen's "exaggeration" habit is making the gang distrust Billy, thinking that he's withholding information from them. He isn't, of course. But all the personal plots and distrust come to a boil when everyone boards the ship, and Harry reveals that he knows everything about their uranium plot. Now Billy has to save himself and his friends, without Harry being bumped off...

"Beat the Devil" is an all-around satire -- it mocks grabby criminals, pathological liars, stodgy Brits, romance movies, crime capers, and even second-rate boats ("Of course, the captain is drunk!"). In fact, there's very little about this movie that doesn't poke fun at itself, or at the movies of the time.

And since it was adapted by John Huston and Truman Capote, you know that it's being witty as it makes fun. It languidly builds up in a sunny, ruined city where people plot and flirt, and then starts to boil when they get on board the boat. But even engine failures manage to be entertaining when Harry wrecks the oil pump while trying to fix it.

The cast is skilled in that under-the-radar way: Bogart plays a slightly more offbeat version of his noir characters, and Jennifer Jones is hilarious as the ditzy, chattery English girl. Peter Lorre and Robert Morley are also quite good as Bogie's pals, and Underdown plays the insensitive, straight-arrow dunce perfectly. You'll constantly want to smack him.

Though not as respected as it deserves, "Beat the Devil" is a little gem of a Bogart movie, with a witty, satirical script and lots of wild twists. Definitely a keeper.

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Jennifer Jones , Gina Lollobrigida , Robert Morley , and Peter Lorre
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Tokyo Joe
Sirocco
The Enforcer
The Harder They Fall
The Desperate Hours

ASIN: B00005YUNC
Release Date: 2002-01-22

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Jennifer Jones , Gina Lollobrigida , Robert Morley , and Peter Lorre
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Tokyo Joe
Sirocco
The Enforcer
The Harder They Fall
The Desperate Hours

ASIN: B00005BI9D
Release Date: 2003-01-01

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil
Starring: Humphery Bogart; Jennifer Jones
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Passion Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Minority Report (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
Casablanca
The Maltese Falcon (Three-Disc Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B0002DTIZS
Release Date: 2002-02-02

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil
Starring: Ivor Barnard , Humphrey Bogart , Juan de Landa , Jennifer Jones , and Bernard Lee
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Westlake Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Espionage | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Classics | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

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Ghost World
The Big Sleep
Humphrey Bogart - The Signature Collection, Vol. 2 (The Maltese Falcon Three-Disc Special Edition / Across the Pacific / Action in the North Atlantic / All Through the Night / Passage to Marseille)
Sirocco
Tokyo Joe

ASIN: B0000Z6N9C
Release Date: 2003-11-01

AMC'S Hollywood Tough Guys - BEAT THE DEVIL (1953), THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937), OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949), THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)

Average customer rating:

AMC'S Hollywood Tough Guys - BEAT THE DEVIL (1953), THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937), OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949), THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)
Starring: Luli Deste , and Claude Rains
Director: John Huston
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Classics | Genres | DVD | Video

4 movies on 2 DVDs
Over 6 hours running time.
Digitally remastered and sound enhanced.
BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) / THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937)
OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949) / THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939)

ASIN: B000MKP418

Product Description

Hollywood Tough Guys Swing Into Action! Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, George Raft and John Garfield Exciting escapades of Hollywood's infamous good guys/bad guys offer devoted fans thrills galore. It's all here: movies jam-packed with adventure, deception, intrigue, drama and occasionally a bit of satirical humor. Disc 1 BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) - This sophisticated and whimsical parody, written by Truman Capote and director John Huston, involves roguish travelers (Humphrey Bogart, Gina Lollobrigida, Peter Lorre, Robert Morley, and Jennifer Jones) on a steamboat, each hoping to carry off a huge swindle in the uranium fields of Northern Africa. THUNDER IN THE CITY (1937) - A failed American publicist (Edward G. Robinson) retreats to England to learn more about business and becomes embroiled in a crooked scheme while competing with an Englishman (Ralph Richardson) for a woman (Luli Deste). Disc 2 OUTPOST IN MOROCCO (1949) - A Foreign Legionnaire (George Raft) romances an emir's daughter (Marie Windsor) in order to learn more about the enemies' plans. THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939) - While hiding out on an Arizona farm, a hard-drinking boxer suspected of murder (John Garfield) befriends the juvenile delinquents (the Dead End Kids) working there. Unfortunately, a persistent detective (Claude Rains) closes in on him.

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil
Starring: Humphrey Bogart , Jennifer Jones , Gina Lollobrigida , Robert Morley , and Peter Lorre
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Unicorn Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005Q4EG
Release Date: 2001-10-02

Average customer rating:

Beat the Devil
Starring: Humphrey Bogart
Manufacturer: Greatest Sports Legends
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005M2D9
Release Date: 2001-06-06

Average customer rating:

"Hollywood's Golden Age of Classic Comedies (2006) ... Passport Video"
WELL WORTH THE MONEY
A lesser Lubitsch comedy -- still quite nice!!
On eof the best films!
Routine, adventure and humor

Beat the Devil/That Uncertain Feeling
Starring: Merle Oberon , Melvyn Douglas , Burgess Meredith , Alan Mowbray , and Olive Blakeney
Director: Ernst Lubitsch , and John Huston
Manufacturer: Sling Shot
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Ernst Lubitsch's Eternal Love
To Be or Not to Be

ASIN: B00003ETNA
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Customer Reviews:

"Hollywood's Golden Age of Classic Comedies (2006) ... Passport Video".......2006-10-21

Passport Video and Koch Entertainment Distribution present "CLASSIC COMEDIES FROM HOLLYWOOD'S GOLDEN AGE" (Dolby digitally remastered) --- relive the laughter from Hollywood's Golden Age...spanning the early years of comedy ('20s--'40s) --- this collection features signature films from comedy's greatest names...besides that you just discovered the essential collection of classic comedy performances --- this compilation features more hours of the best routines in comedy history than you could shake a stick at...laugh along with your favorite film, scene and actors that keep you coming back for more.

15 Fabulously Funny Feature Films (in alphabetical order in which they appear)

1. FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND (1951) Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor & Joan Bennett
2. GENERAL, THE (1927 Buster Keaton
3. GOLD RUSH, THE (1925) Charlie Chaplin
4. HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell
5. INSPECTOR GENERAL,THE (1949) Danny Kaye & Elsa Lanchester
6. JUDGE PRIEST (1934) Will Rogers & Hattie McDaniel
7. LIFE WITH FATHER (1947) William Powell, Elizabeth Taylor & Irene Dunne
8. MILKY WAY,THE (1936) Harold Lloyd & Adolphe Menjou
9. MR. ROBINSON CRUSOE (1932) Douglas Fairbanks Sr.
10. MY MAN GODFREY (1936) William Powell & Carole Lombard
11. NOTHING SACRED (1937) Fredric March & Carole Lombard
12. PALOOKA (1934) Stu Erwin & Jimmy Durante
13. SPEAK EASILY (1932) Buster Keaton & Jimmy Durante
14. THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING (1941) Merle Oberon & Melvyn Douglas
15. TOPPER RETURNS (1941) Joan Blondell & Roland Young

Great job by Passport Video for releasing "Classic Comedies From Hollywood's Golden Age", the digital transfere with a somewhat clean and clear print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s ... order your copy now from Amazon or Passport Video where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch performances mixed with laughter ... they're funny, they're sad, but most of all they're passionate ... here's a side-splitting collectioin of classic comedies that appeal to every sense of humor from slapstick to sophisticated --- they say that laughter is always the best medicine, try some you just might like it..

Total Time: 1315 mins on 5-DVD's ~ Passport Video DVD #5870 ~ (7/11/2006)

WELL WORTH THE MONEY.......2004-06-08

The studio that puts this out is a little confusing. This double feature is from Triton/E-Realbiz.com. Also Slingshot is mentioned on the cover. I've been gobbling up these releases where I find them. For some reason Amazon is not stocking this.
Most of the reviews are a little old, but I'm still confused about their issues of quality. For the money it's pretty good. On "That Uncertain Feeling," I'd give the image a B- and the sound a B-. On Beat the Devil I'd give the image a B+ and the sound a B. Overall you get two intriuging, rewatchable and entertaining movies for a budget price.

A lesser Lubitsch comedy -- still quite nice!!.......2003-12-27

A blithe screwball comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch about an "ideal" modern couple (known to their friends as "the Happy Bakers") whose marriage is on the rocks... Merle Oberon has a six-year itch; her husband (Melvyn Douglas) is a bit of a boob, an all right guy, but a bit obsessed with his work and at times inattentive. When Merle bumps into a free-thinking, artsy malcontent (a young Burgess Meredith, in a choice, juicy role), she falls in his arms and throws her marriage away. The story was originally filmed by Lubitsch in the silent era, but whether it's 1925 or 1941, the plot is still startlingly frank and modern: Douglas takes the affair and divorce in his stride, and even does a bit of fooling around on his own in a bid to get his wife back... The film features brisk, witty dialogue and a zippy start, and though it kind of loses a little steam midway through, it's still pretty fun. Several great character actors are in the cast, including Eve Arden and Sig Rumann... Maybe not the greatest Lubitsch film ever, but it's still a gas. Recommended!

On eof the best films!.......2003-02-19

This is a very entertaining film. A rich an married socialite, with a devoted, but buisness minded husband, works selling insurance. The wife, Jill is neglected and wants some excitement and attention, as well as more romance. She turns to a self-centered man who plays the piano, and is said to be great in art. He says "Phooey," about practically everything. Husband and wife reconcile and all is forgiven. It's a really must see movie and is one of the best in my opinion.

Merle Oberon Melyvn Douglas are brilliant in it. They make a romantic, and comical couple at times. It deserves many many stars.

Routine, adventure and humor.......2002-05-04

This love story is original by the level of humor it contains. A wife can get bored in her married life by the lack of unforeseen events, by the routine of her husband's money-earning lifestyle. She might get attracted by some marginal artist or personality that seems to shine and glow with an unforeseeable life. But this attraction is only superficial and it gets boring in its turn by the total unpredictability of the new man and the film implies woman wants some stability and regularity. So the love affair comes to an end because of this conflict of psychological interests in the woman. Well done and very funny in many ways, though rather anti-artistic and anti-modern art.

Description

A wacky comedy that's played as straight as any film noir and is even funnier as a result. Five men are out to garner control over East African land which they believe contains a rich uranium ore lode.

Includes "Bogart on film" - a documentary, an intro by Tony Curtis & the trailer for The Big Sleep.

Menus: English • Spanish • Chinese
Subtitles: Spanish • Chinese

B&W
Running Time: 100 min.

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greats.......2007-02-12

This movie has a an excellent line-up, Humphrey Bogart, and the great Peter Lorre. This is not a very well known film, but I personally enjoyed every minute of it.
Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) is part of a motley group planning to go to Africa, where a friend can help them illegally claim uranium. But trouble arrives: stuffy Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown) and his very imaginative wife Gwen (Jennifer Jones) arrive, and soon they're flirting with Billy and his sensual wife Maria (Gina Lollabrigida).

Even worse, Gwen's "exaggeration" habit is making the gang distrust Billy, thinking that he's withholding information from them. He isn't, of course. But all the personal plots and distrust come to a boil when everyone boards the ship, and Harry reveals that he knows everything about their uranium plot. Now Billy has to save himself and his friends, without Harry being bumped off...

"Beat the Devil" is an all-around satire -- it mocks grabby criminals, pathological liars, stodgy Brits, romance movies, crime capers, and even second-rate boats ("Of course, the captain is drunk!"). In fact, there's very little about this movie that doesn't poke fun at itself, or at the movies of the time.

And since it was adapted by John Huston and Truman Capote, you know that it's being witty as it makes fun. It languidly builds up in a sunny, ruined city where people plot and flirt, and then starts to boil when they get on board the boat. But even engine failures manage to be entertaining when Harry wrecks the oil pump while trying to fix it.

The cast is skilled in that under-the-radar way: Bogart plays a slightly more offbeat version of his noir characters, and Jennifer Jones is hilarious as the ditzy, chattery English girl. Peter Lorre and Robert Morley are also quite good as Bogie's pals, and Underdown plays the insensitive, straight-arrow dunce perfectly. You'll constantly want to smack him.

Bogart himself called it a "mess.".......2006-12-18

The plot, if you can call it that, concerned a group of six stranded adventurers in an Italian port whose plan is to buy up some East African land that supposed1y contains uranium... Double-crossing quickly becomes the name of the game as Bogart and his fellow conspirators (including Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Gina Lollobrigida, and a seemingly endless parade of bizarre characters) outdo each other in inspired crazy way...

Bogart, trying desperately to maintain his composure, delivered such priceless lines as: 'I'm only in on this because the doctor told me I needed plenty of money. Without money I become dull, listless, and have trouble with my complexion." But his lines weren't the only offbeat ones... In a room where he's being questioned after being captured, while a firing squad goes about its routine work outside, he is asked straight-faced, "Now tell me, do you really know Rita Hayworth?"

The film is one of those rare items that viewers either seem to love or hate, no middle ground accepted... and declared that only the "phonies" thought it was really funny... Many reviewers thought the whole thing was a tasteless joke and decried the waste of time, talent, and money...

In any case, Bogart gave an immensely satisfying performance in his tongue-in-cheek role and the film itself has now become a regular attraction in Bogart film retrospectives... It is also an excellent example of how much Bogart had matured as an actor, since it is not easy to overcome apparently inept material and still give a performance with some meaning and substance...

Time is a crook.......2006-07-05

You'd think that "Beat the Devil" would be far better known than it is, since it was one of the last movies that Humphrey Bogart did before his untimely death. Maybe that's because Bacall wasn't in it, or maybe it was just too quirky for the masses -- a funny, wry noir-satire, with a gang of rather inept criminals.

Billy Dannreuther (Bogart) is part of a motley group planning to go to Africa, where a friend can help them illegally claim uranium. But trouble arrives: stuffy Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown) and his very imaginative wife Gwen (Jennifer Jones) arrive, and soon they're flirting with Billy and his sensual wife Maria (Gina Lollabrigida).

Even worse, Gwen's "exaggeration" habit is making the gang distrust Billy, thinking that he's withholding information from them. He isn't, of course. But all the personal plots and distrust come to a boil when everyone boards the ship, and Harry reveals that he knows everything about their uranium plot. Now Billy has to save himself and his friends, without Harry being bumped off...

"Beat the Devil" is an all-around satire -- it mocks grabby criminals, pathological liars, stodgy Brits, romance movies, crime capers, and even second-rate boats ("Of course, the captain is drunk!"). In fact, there's very little about this movie that doesn't poke fun at itself, or at the movies of the time.

And since it was adapted by John Huston and Truman Capote, you know that it's being witty as it makes fun. It languidly builds up in a sunny, ruined city where people plot and flirt, and then starts to boil when they get on board the boat. But even engine failures manage to be entertaining when Harry wrecks the oil pump while trying to fix it.

The cast is skilled in that under-the-radar way: Bogart plays a slightly more offbeat version of his noir characters, and Jennifer Jones is hilarious as the ditzy, chattery English girl. Peter Lorre and Robert Morley are also quite good as Bogie's pals, and Underdown plays the insensitive, straight-arrow dunce perfectly. You'll constantly want to smack him.

As for editions, pretty much none of them are "good" per se. They havne't been cleaned up or restored. But the best one I've seen is Diamond Entertainment's, which has a steady picture and soundtrack, and no splices, crackling, or so on. It's slightly fuzzy as for details, but not so that it isn't watchable or enjoyable.

Though not as respected as it deserves, "Beat the Devil" is a little gem of a Bogart movie, with a witty, satirical script and lots of wild twists. Definitely a keeper.

Review for Unicorn Video Release.......2005-02-06

I have only seen the 90 minute version, so whether it's inferior to the uncut version, I can't really say. This is one of my favorite Bogart movies however. It's also one of the few old movies with a sense of humor that doesn't seem outdated (to me at least).

Technically speaking this version looks as good as any old movie. The DVD is digitally remastered and features a digital 5.1 surround soundtrack, Dolby digital sound, scene access and interactive menus. I don't have the gear to evaluate the 5.1 or Dolby, but the sound is fine on my tv speakers.

I know that I bought the Unicorn Video version because of the price I paid, but Unicorn Video does not appear anywhere on the DVD case. If you're looking for this version in stores, the cover has a picture of Bogart against a wine colored background with 'Digital Gold Collection' in a gold banner at the top of the case.

Truman Capote and John Huston film a New Yorker cartoon.......2004-10-20

Beat the Devil is a subtle comedy of manners. It's not a big Hollywood film, but a small independent (Bogart's own production company) that happens to have an amazing cast, is directed by one of the best (John Huston), with a Truman Capote screenplay. It's become one of my favorite off-beat films and can't recommend it enough.

What's not to like? Quite a bit if you read some of the disgruntled reviews below! But don't be dissuaded, it's a gem. And remember, Pauline Kael was a huge fan of this movie; if she's a reviewer you trust, that might be enough for you.

Other reviewers have outlined the plot so I won't go into that, and in any case, that's not the reason to watch this movie. The plot's certainly as good as any amusing Hitchcock film, with its MacGuffin and several surprising twists and comic suspense subplots unraveling throughout.

There are subtleties to Beat the Devil that apparently escape many reviewers, who perhaps wanted another formulaic 'noir' classic or some kind of slapstick laff-fest. If you like New Yorker cartoons, you'll likely enjoy this movie as much as I do: I've watched this movie at least 5 times and still love it.

Beat the Devil escapes categorization, except to say that it's a brilliant comic screenplay performed with skill and insight by several of the best actors of the 50s. Robert Morley is sublimely funny, and brings out the best in Peter Lorre and the other criminals in the gang.

Jennifer Jones is sexy and charming in her role as a compulsive liar, as is her classic and earnestly doltish husband. They reek naive British charm and are marvelous together, providing a poignant tension in contrast to the gang of conniving scoundrels.

Bogart himself has one foot in each boat, and much of the film revolves around the conflict he suffers in this double life, playing each off the other. As in most Bogie flicks, he's hilariously dry and sly, with lollapalooza actress Gina Lollobrigida playing his scheming wife. Everyone's on the make except Harry Chelm, Jennifer Jones' character's husband.

There isn't the passion of a Bogie/Bacall film, and it's not the classic noir we all love with Bogart, so don't be disappointed.

One word of warning: Beat the Devil slipped into the public domain, so the DVDs on the market are of varying quality. The one I have is ok, but only just... it's like watching an old movie, with herky jerky pops and cuts and some noise. It doesn't bother me that much though, and emphasizes the 'rare find' quality if you're feeling charitable. If you're a digital maniac, you'll be better served watching something Criterion's had its way with.

Beat the Devil is one of the most unusual 50s movies I can think of, and I don't normally watch any movie as often as I've watched this one. With the possible exception of other Bogart classics.

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