Beat the Devil

Beat the Devil (1953)

  • 67% of critics liked it
    (12 reviews)

  • 52% of users liked it
    (2,756 ratings)

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… More

R,
Directed By
Written By
John Huston, Truman Capote
Genres
Action & Adventure, Comedy
In Theaters
Dec 17, 1953 Wide
On DVD
Mar 29, 2005
American Pop Classics

Critic Reviews

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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

  • Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

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

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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

  • Phil Hall, Film Threat

    An all-star home movie.

  • Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

    Perhaps the oddest film Humphrey Bogart ever made.

Read all 6 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Michael G


    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… More

  • xGary X


    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… More

  • AJ V


    A great cast in a great movie about a bunch of thieves. I highly recommend this movie.

  • Universal D


    with more fast shuffling than any fred and ginger effort, and much like "the usual suspects" wherein all are guilty until...well, forget about 'em not being guilty is all, and with a wink and a smile tossed in for spice, this is a bankers holiday for all involved and it… More

  • Bruce B


    How Could a Bogart Film Get any less then 4 stars, So many good actors in this one, 2 of the 50'ies most beautful women, film in Italy (Where I hope to rest my bones one day.) A Must see and buy.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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