Stars:Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray, Basil Rathbone
Plot: Three convicts escape from Devil's Island & hide out at a kindly merchant family - they repay his kindness by helping him through several crises.
Based on a Broadway play (which is turn was based on the French Play by Albert Hussens), "We're no Angels" can't escape its Broadway origins. Shot on a Paramount sound stage, its talky, plodding and predictable. What should have been a light souffle ends up as a heavy, ham filled biscuit. I found it a very a dull 106 minutes.
The mediocre dialog (maybe it was better in French) requires some great Comedic talent to succeed, but only has Bogart, Ray, and Ustinov. No one's a bigger Bogie fan than me, but he wasn't a comedic actor and lacks the flair needed for black comedy. Ray isn't funny at all (surprised?) while Ustinov is only adequate.
Conclusion: A big disappointment. Not a bad movie, but not very good either. Rating **1/2
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.