Beat the Devil

I'd been curious about Beat the Devil ever since it showed up in my Amazon recommendations. Not curious enough to buy it myself mind you, but I might have asked for it as a gift. Fortunately, it was in that noir collection with Quicksand and the rest, so I've been saved the trouble.

Beat the Devil is Bogart late in his life (released 4 years before his death). He's Billy Dannreuther, who's lead an interesting life, but he's low on money, and not content to live that way, has entered into a partnership with 4 other gentlemen: Peterson, Julius O'Hara, Major Jack Ross, and Ravello (O'Hara is played by Peter Lorre, also showing his age a bit, but an interesting character nonetheless.).

These four with to purchase some land in British East Africa they believe has uranium deposits. Billy has a contact in the government there who can make this happen, for a price. So they sit and wait for their ship to be ready to go (and for the captain to sober up sufficiently, his drunken, inarticulate screaming is one of my least favorite parts of this movie). While they wait, a young married couple, the Chelms come to town, also waiting for the ship. Billy and Gwen Chelm start flirting, and Billy's wife Maria starts making eyes at Harry Chelm.

It's not a serious movie. The 4 men are ridiculous, Ross' murderous edge blunted by his tendency to spout  stupid, impulsive crap. Peterson is a self-important ballon who finds himself frequently popped. O'Hara seems so relaxed as to be in a daze, unless he's using that as cover. All their plans go awry, whether it's delays with the boat, believing one of their group to be dead, letting word of their plan slip to the wrong ears, or conversely, trying too hard to conceal themselves and their purpose. Billy doesn't seem terribly interested in any of it, or them, but goes along with a sort of resignation. He needs money, this is the best way he has to get it.

I don't care for the ending much, largely due to my distaste for Harry Chelm. He's quite self-important, like Peterson, though Chelm's is centered more on what's "proper". The difference is while Peterson is repeatedly deflated, Chelm's so far into his "stiff upper lip", he never becomes aware of his buffoonery. Also, there's an element of classism to him, looking down on these fellows scrabbling to make their money. His finally telegram states he purchased the land they planned to steal. Well, Peterson and his crew fully intended to pay someone for that land, and if you want to get down to it, the British stole it from the people who were living there before, so either way, it's purchasing stolen property. I just don't like his air of moral superiority. They should have let the captain shoot him.