--- title: "Beat the Devil" year: 1953 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/beat-the-devil" fi1m_id: "beat-the-devil" imdb_id: "tt0046414" tmdb_id: 22733 wikidata_id: "Q1470370" fi1m_score: 72 critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 5 published: "2026-09-25T06:40:39.302603+00:00" updated: "2026-09-25T06:40:39.685592+00:00" region: "CZ" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Beat the Devil (1953) Directed by John Huston · 1h 35m · Adventure, Comedy, Crime ## Identity Beat the Devil - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/beat-the-devil - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** beat-the-devil - **IMDb ID:** tt0046414 - **TMDB ID:** 22733 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1470370 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046414/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/22733, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1470370 **Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 67 (early) from 5 reviews *In a sentence:* We would happily let Jennifer Jones explain this plot, even if it meant understanding less > John Huston’s *Beat the Devil* is worth an evening for its cast’s comic assurance, particularly Jennifer Jones. The plotting is loose and some jokes fail, but the company mostly compensates. ## Synopsis Billy Dannreuther (Humphrey Bogart) and Maria Dannreuther (Gina Lollobrigida) share an adventure involving crime and comedy with Gwendolen Chelm (Jennifer Jones) and Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown). Peterson (Robert Morley), Julius O’Hara (Peter Lorre), Maj. Jack Ross (Ivor Barnard) and Ravello (Marco Tulli) also figure in the story. Its characters include Insp. Jack Clayton (Bernard Lee), an administrator (Giulio Donnini), and the captain (Saro Urzì) and purser (Mario Perrone) of SS Nyanga. John Huston directs a screenplay written with Truman Capote. ## Review *Beat the Devil* is an entertaining, uneven comedy whose cast makes its waywardness worth tolerating. John Huston approaches the crime adventure with enough irreverence to make the usual business of keeping track feel faintly beside the point. That can be liberating, particularly when the actors are allowed to enjoy an exchange without hurrying towards its consequence. It can also leave us waiting for a joke to justify the delay. John Huston and Truman Capote give the dialogue a pleasing readiness to wander. A conversation can seem to have forgotten its original purpose, and the actors make that forgetfulness amusing through their competing degrees of assurance. The trouble comes when verbal cleverness is allowed to stand in for a comic finish. Some exchanges carry on after their usefulness is exhausted, and the film is too indulgent to move them along. Humphrey Bogart gives Billy Dannreuther a welcome dryness, keeping the performance small enough for other people’s extravagance to register. His apparent reluctance to make a fuss is funny without needing an emphatic reaction at the end of every line. Gina Lollobrigida, as Maria Dannreuther, brings a more direct energy, and prevents his understatement from settling into mere inertia. Their performances are a good reason to accept a film that keeps finding excuses to take its time. Jennifer Jones, as Gwendolen Chelm, is the chief reason to stay with it. We laughed at her certainty, which gives the nonsense she is saying the air of a correction that ought to have been obvious to everyone. Robert Morley and Peter Lorre provide their own pleasures, especially in the weight they give to material that scarcely needs such careful handling. The humour depends on the performers taking this silliness seriously, and they are usually better at that than the screenplay is at knowing when to stop. Oswald Morris’s cinematography gives the comedy a visual composure that helps it resist becoming merely a succession of amusing voices. Ralph Kemplen’s editing is less consistently helpful: the space given to the performances is welcome, but the slack between laughs remains noticeable. Franco Mannino’s music helps maintain the lightness without becoming a memorable pleasure in its own right. None of this disguises the uneven writing, though the film remains agreeable to watch when the next laugh is taking its time. A crime comedy can afford a loose plot, but it still needs some sense that its interruptions have been chosen carefully. Here, the distinction between an enjoyable diversion and an unnecessary one is not always clear enough. The film asks us to take pleasure in its unwillingness to hurry, then occasionally supplies too little to enjoy while we wait. That is a real limitation, even if a more tightly regulated version might have discouraged some of the performances we like. At 95 minutes, the film is hardly a test of endurance, but it can feel longer when a stretch of dialogue produces neither surprise nor laughter. We would recommend it to anyone who enjoys actors being given room to be funny, with that qualification firmly attached. It is less suitable for an evening when the crime needs to matter and every detail needs to add up. Come for Jennifer Jones, and allow for some waiting between laughs. *Fi1m score 72, published 25 September 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Beat the Devil worth watching?** *Beat the Devil* is worth watching for its cast’s comic assurance, especially Jennifer Jones, and we score it 72 out of 100. We recommend it to anyone who enjoys dry delivery and wandering conversations, provided a loose crime plot and noticeable waits between laughs are not likely to spoil the evening. **How long is Beat the Devil, and what is it rated?** *Beat the Devil* runs 1h 35m. It is an adventure and comedy film. **Where can I watch Beat the Devil in Czechia?** *Beat the Devil* is streaming on Netflix in Czechia. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Beat the Devil, and is it suitable for children?** *Beat the Devil* has no UK or US certificate supplied here, so we cannot give a firm age recommendation for children. We describe it as a light, dialogue-led crime comedy, but have no specific content details establishing how violent or frightening it is; the absence of a certificate should not be taken as reassurance. **How does Beat the Devil compare to Trouble in Paradise?** *Beat the Devil* is the looser, more uneven choice beside [*Trouble in Paradise*](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise), which we recommend more confidently for its deft romantic comedy. Both offer amusing company and criminal behaviour made agreeable through dialogue, but *Beat the Devil* particularly suits an appetite for wandering exchanges and performers given room to indulge them. **Is Beat the Devil based on a true story or a book?** *Beat the Devil* is based on a novel by Claud Cockburn, rather than presented as a true story, with a screenplay by John Huston and Truman Capote. We cannot establish how faithfully it follows the book, but our recommendation rests on the comic performances and dialogue rather than any familiarity with the source. **What should I watch after Beat the Devil?** After *Beat the Devil*, try [*Trouble in Paradise*](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise) (1932, Fi1m 84): For elegant dishonesty and dialogue that makes criminal behaviour sound almost reasonable. Then [*The Ladykillers*](https://film.one/film/the-ladykillers) (1955, Fi1m 86): For more criminals whose confidence survives rather longer than their competence; and [*The Long Goodbye*](https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye) (1973, Fi1m 86): For another crime film that takes considerable pleasure in wandering off course. ### Reviews we read (5) - **Slant Magazine**, Derek Smith (4/5): Smith finds the film a gleeful, ramshackle farce whose narrative chaos is part of its charm. He particularly praises the Blu-ray’s gorgeous 4K restoration for rescuing the original cut from the public domain. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/blu-ray-review-john-hustons-beat-the-devil/) - **Empire**, empire (75/100, inferred): The review finds the film charmingly daffy and well played. It praises Truman Capote’s script for balancing daunting intellectualism with charm. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/beat-devil-review/) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (70/100, inferred): The review is favorable overall, though it notes that some intended comedy misfires. It praises Huston’s stylish direction and the strong performances, especially Bogart and Jennifer Jones. [Read](https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/beat-the-devil-2-1200417540/) - **Radio Times**, Tony Sloman (3/5): Sloman finds the film more fun to make than to watch, though the cast helps the jokes and romance work. He singles out Jennifer Jones for her performance as a pathological liar. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-9mf1gk/beat-the-devil/) - **The New York Times** (50/100, inferred): The accessible page does not reveal the critic’s verdict or any specific praise or complaint. The URL suggests a review connected to the title, but the article text is unavailable. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/16/movies/film-review-hard-to-beat-the-devil-a-detective-finds.html) ## Details - **Director:** John Huston - **Director:** John Huston - **Screenplay:** Truman Capote, John Huston - **Novel:** Claud Cockburn - **Cinematography:** Oswald Morris - **Editor:** Ralph Kemplen - **Music:** Franco Mannino - **Producer:** John Huston, Angelo Rizzoli, John Woolf - **Cast:** Humphrey Bogart as Billy Dannreuther; Jennifer Jones as Gwendolen Chelm; Gina Lollobrigida as Maria Dannreuther; Robert Morley as Peterson; Peter Lorre as Julius O'Hara; Edward Underdown as Harry Chelm; Ivor Barnard as Maj. Jack Ross; Marco Tulli as Ravello - **Runtime:** 1h 35m - **First release (the UK):** 24 November 1953 - **Genres:** Adventure, Comedy, Crime - **Budget:** $1 million ## Where to watch in Czechia - Netflix: streaming *Checked 2026-09-25.* Also available in: AU, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PT, RO, SI, SK, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Trouble in Paradise* (1932), Fi1m 84: For elegant dishonesty and dialogue that makes criminal behaviour sound almost reasonable. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/trouble-in-paradise.md) - *The Ladykillers* (1955), Fi1m 86: For more criminals whose confidence survives rather longer than their competence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-ladykillers.md) - *Big Deal on Madonna Street* (1958): Another criminal enterprise made considerably more enjoyable by the inadequacy of its participants. - *The Long Goodbye* (1973), Fi1m 86: For another crime film that takes considerable pleasure in wandering off course. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-long-goodbye.md) - *The Kid Detective* (2020): Dry humour and criminal investigation meet again, with rather more painful consequences. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/beat-the-devil