Beat the Devil

Appeals to viewers who enjoy dry, morally slippery capers with eccentric ensembles, brittle relationships, and comic schemes that unravel at an unhurried pace.

Tone

darkly comic, satirical, adventurous

Payoff

amusement, reflection

Pacing

steady

Intensity

moderate

Structure

linear

Themes

deception, greed, marital distrust, opportunism, colonial ambition

Setting

postwar era, Mediterranean ports and a shabby passenger vessel