UNCONSCIOUS WOMAN ALERT: I feel I have an obligation to those who hate movie clichés to let you know that one of the actresses in this film, Gloria Talbot, faints again and again. In reality people RARELY do this unless there is some sort of serious medical disorder and I hate to see "dumb women" fainting on cue in films--a definitely negative stereotype.
BAD IDEA ALERT: In this film, a family is aided by three nice escaped convicts. If you happen upon a group of escaped murderers and thieves, do NOT invite them into your home. This, despite the film, is a rather bad idea and is not advisable! The film WE'RE NO ANGELS is odd in that it plays an awful lot like a play and perhaps it was, though IMDb gives no indication of this. The way people walk in and walk off make this seem play-like as does its rather confined manner--it's almost entirely set within one house.
The movie begins with three prisoners (Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) escaping from one of the prisons on in French Guiana. This complex of prisons is known as 'Devil's Island' and once prisoners complete their sentences, they are required to live in French Guiana for the rest of their lives. So, seeing three prisoners walking about free in the colony isn't so unusual--people recognize them as prisoners but mistakenly think they've completed their time.
While their goal is to eventually get on a ship heading back to France (why France--why not anywhere but France--where they might be recognized?!?), they need to get some cash. So, they descend upon a poor shopkeeper (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. No, they don't want to kill or rob them necessarily (at least after they get to know them), but see if there is some way they can scrounge up some money. Bogart makes himself at home--and begins selling off merchandise that's just been sitting there for years. Because of this, the family let the men stay--after all, they are helping the shop to finally make money. In some ways, all this is rather reminiscent of the great Edward G. Robinson film LARCENY INC., though this story seems more like a reworking of the older film, not necessarily a remake.
While staying with the family, these three very larcenous men seem to become almost like guardian angels for the family--doing little things to help them, such as giving them advice and "finding" a turkey for their dinner. Folks, this is really NOT a good idea. If you come upon some escaped convicts it's actually very unlikely they'll help you straighten out your lives. Murder, rape and/or robbery is actually a lot more likely than their acting like three Mary Poppins wannabes!! It turns out that the family's biggest problem is Carroll's cousin (Basil Rathbone). Rathbone owns the company which owns the store and he is continually threatens to fire him, as the shop makes very little money. When Rathbone arrives, it's up to the three nice murderers/thieves to save the day. And, in the film, this all somehow works out...thanks to a tiny little snake--go figure. Unfortunately, the final lines in the film are rather unexpected and quite dumb! A decent enough film but a terrible finale. Overall, this is an agreeable but not especially inspired film. While a clever idea, the acting is very broad and characters seem a bit too much like caricatures. Not bad...just not particularly subtle or as good as it could be.
BAD IDEA ALERT: In this film, a family is aided by three nice escaped convicts. If you happen upon a group of escaped murderers and thieves, do NOT invite them into your home. This, despite the film, is a rather bad idea and is not advisable! The film WE'RE NO ANGELS is odd in that it plays an awful lot like a play and perhaps it was, though IMDb gives no indication of this. The way people walk in and walk off make this seem play-like as does its rather confined manner--it's almost entirely set within one house.
The movie begins with three prisoners (Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray) escaping from one of the prisons on in French Guiana. This complex of prisons is known as 'Devil's Island' and once prisoners complete their sentences, they are required to live in French Guiana for the rest of their lives. So, seeing three prisoners walking about free in the colony isn't so unusual--people recognize them as prisoners but mistakenly think they've completed their time.
While their goal is to eventually get on a ship heading back to France (why France--why not anywhere but France--where they might be recognized?!?), they need to get some cash. So, they descend upon a poor shopkeeper (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. No, they don't want to kill or rob them necessarily (at least after they get to know them), but see if there is some way they can scrounge up some money. Bogart makes himself at home--and begins selling off merchandise that's just been sitting there for years. Because of this, the family let the men stay--after all, they are helping the shop to finally make money. In some ways, all this is rather reminiscent of the great Edward G. Robinson film LARCENY INC., though this story seems more like a reworking of the older film, not necessarily a remake.
While staying with the family, these three very larcenous men seem to become almost like guardian angels for the family--doing little things to help them, such as giving them advice and "finding" a turkey for their dinner. Folks, this is really NOT a good idea. If you come upon some escaped convicts it's actually very unlikely they'll help you straighten out your lives. Murder, rape and/or robbery is actually a lot more likely than their acting like three Mary Poppins wannabes!! It turns out that the family's biggest problem is Carroll's cousin (Basil Rathbone). Rathbone owns the company which owns the store and he is continually threatens to fire him, as the shop makes very little money. When Rathbone arrives, it's up to the three nice murderers/thieves to save the day. And, in the film, this all somehow works out...thanks to a tiny little snake--go figure. Unfortunately, the final lines in the film are rather unexpected and quite dumb! A decent enough film but a terrible finale. Overall, this is an agreeable but not especially inspired film. While a clever idea, the acting is very broad and characters seem a bit too much like caricatures. Not bad...just not particularly subtle or as good as it could be.