Beat the Devil (1953) - 3/5

This movie is not quite funny enough to justify the detour, but if it’s your brand of comedy of course you’ll get more mileage for your money. The story is darkly whimsical, the double infidelity subplot played for a laugh rather than impact, and all the backstabbing from the protagonist crew is more of a punchline than a plot point. Unfortunately, the film’s tone never seems to understand it’s a comedy.

Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between The Holiday and Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Crime
Tone: Comedy

Topkapi - 3/5

This movie is a fairly straightforward heist plot that mistakes quirk for substance. It’s bright and colorful, with ‘70s European fashion sensibilities that I found amateurishly garish but may appeal more to others. The narrative is the standard plan-snag-resolution heist fare that here lacks the audience-character buy-in that is a prerequisite of the genre. Peter Ustinov is very good, but the rest of the cast is more mundane than the fanfare of the setting and cinematography can sustain. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t offer anything above average.

Closest comparison: It’s like Rififi by way of Roman Holiday.

Setting: Vacation
Plot: Heist
Tone: Euro Comedy