On D List of Movie Reviews

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The Devil's Disciple (1959)

Rate: 3
Viewed: 6/24

DevilD
6/24: Believe it or not, there aren't many films about the American Revolution, and I find that strange.

Among a handful from the 50's is The Devil's Disciple. However, it's a boring show despite the excellent black-and-white cinematography. Instead of what I saw, it should've been ten minutes of talk and seventy minutes of action. Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas versus Laurence Olivier and his army of redcoats...how can you beat that? The moviegoers thought so by staying away which caused it to be a box-office stinker.

At the time, Laurence Olivier was struggling with personal problems, most especially his marriage to Vivien Leigh. She tried to cheat on him with either of his co-stars. Oddly, Laurence Olivier couldn't get their names straight by calling Burt "Kirk" and Kirk "Burt." Yet in the film, he gives the best performance while Burt Lancaster is useless and Kirk Douglas looks out of place.

All in all, there's a better chance of falling asleep than feeling excited by what's going on in The Devil's Disciple.