The Depraved (1957)

That was an excellent one.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

As has been stated by another reviewer this is basically "Double Indemnity" in a British setting made cheaply without the genius of Billy Wilder.So everything about this film is fairly predictable.There is a slight flaw in the plot that the writer overlooked.When Robert Arden hits the husband before putting him in the car,he forgets that when the post mortem takes place not only will the bruise show up but also he will not have a significant amount of water in his lungs which will lead to the conclusion that he was dead or near death when he went into the water.Also the fact that the invitation was hand delivered will not go unnoticed.

This is a nice and neat little suspense piece in the tradition of "Double Indemnity." and "The Postman Always Rings Twice" An army captain (Robert Arden) falls for an abused wife (Anne Heywood) of a rich man (Basil Dignam).The most noteworthy thing, and what attracted me to watch the movie, is that it was written by master story teller Brian Clemens ("Danger Man," "The Avengers," "Captain Kronos: Vampire Killer"). Clemens' works always move quickly and mix humor, adventure and suspense in a generally pleasing manner. This movie shows that Clemens knew his craft from the beginning of his 50+ year career.He puts in three or four clever plot twists that help refresh the formulaic plot. For example, the abused wife is not nearly as helpless as we thought upon first seeing her.I found Robert Arden quite good and believable as the captain. Although he did a good amount bit roles in television work, this seems to have been his only really starring movie role. It is a shame. He has a Fred MacMurray type of niceness to him which should have led him to more straight heroic roles.Anne Heywood is our femme fatale/heroine.I knew Anne Heywood from her terrific acting in "The Fox." She is very good here as well. One sees exactly why Captain Dillon is willing to risk everything five minutes after meeting her.While this does have elements of classic Film Noir, it is not really representative of that genre. In classic Film Noir, the hero has some disturbance in his past that catches up to him. Here Ms. Heywood is the new and only disturbance.I think suspense and mystery fans will generally enjoy it. It is only slightly above the level of a good detective television series, but as long as you are not expecting too much that will do.

Whether the film makers would admit this or not, this film is re-make of the classic film "Double Indemnity" (1944)...a relatively bland one. So, my question is--why not, then, just watch the original film?! The film is set in the United Kingdom. A pretty young lady is married to an older and abusive drunk. He is no prize, so you certainly sympathize for the lady--and so does an American office who is stationed nearby. He sees firsthand what sort of a nasty piece of work the husband is...and that makes him vulnerable to the wife. Why? Well, because she's also pretty horrible..and plans manipulating him into killing the husband. Can they get away with it and how will it all end?! Well, if you've seen the earlier film, you kind of have the idea...I gave this film a 5 simply because although is not at all original, the plot is a good one. Too bad the acting is pretty poor and the production looks so cheap. At its best, it's only pedestrian. My recommendation is this one only if you are a film noir nut or you like poor remakes.

Wow, with a title like that you can't go wrong! And it was Brian 'The Avengers' Clemens first screenwriting credit! And...uh oh...it's, erm, another dreadful quota quickie from the Danziger Brothers. Except for a little visual flare in the first reel, Depraved depressingly displays the Danziger's desparately drab demimonde. Avoid.