BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) Devlishly good fun

Though it was panned when it first came out - even by its star, Humphrey Bogart - BEAT THE DEVIL has become a minor cultie. It's about a fortune-hunting couple (Bogie and Gina Lollobrigida) who hook up with a derelict group of four men (Robert Morley, Peter Lorre, Ivor Barnard, Marco Tulli) to find a uranium mine in Africa. While waiting for their ship to depart from Italy, they run into another scheming couple (Edward Underdown and Jennifer Jones). Soon, all eight characters vying and scheming to see who can claim the fortune first. Directed by Walter Huston and scripted by Truman Capote, this movie is a hoot. Capote wrote the script as the filming progressed, with some dialog being completed minutes before the cameras rolled (who knows - maybe as they were rolling). The actors improvised many of the scenes, and most of the cast never knew what motivated their characters or what direction the film was taking. But who cares with lines like this one: "The only thing standing between you and a watery grave is your wits, and that's not my idea of adequate protection."