The Depraved (1957)

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.

A U.S. Army captain stationed in England falls for a local woman (Anne Heywood) whose brutish husband beats her and before long a murder plan is hatched... It's quintessential noir, plot-wise (from the template forged by James M. Cain), and the story's by Brian Clemens of THE AVENGERS fame but except for some nice b&w photography and a blue-sy score, there's reely nothing new in what looks to be one of the last of Britain's "quota quickies" before the Act was repealed in 1960 (even if it was filmed in Ireland). A modest effort that ought to keep any noirista glued to the tube, nonetheless.

This film sounded promising but was a total dud. The script is terrible, a ripoff of 40s American noire classics like "Double Indemnity" and others. There is no continuity in dialog at all, with characters jumping all over the logic board. The acting of Anne Heywood, Robert Arden and Basil Dignam is atrocious. Over-the-top acting can be fun in the right genre, but this ain't it. On another note, the set decoration is among the worst I've ever seen, especially the front door/foyer area of Heywood's country house. UGH!!!!

Caution: Contains spoilers.If someone had written the script for a film noir from a computer template, this is the sort of film that would have emerged.Strictly formula: A young attractive wife, Laura Wilton, is married to Tom Wilton, a wealthy man about twenty years her senior whom she married for his money. Tom, an alcoholic, physically and verbally abuses Laura and feels that her duty should be to keep the house in order and serve him.Enter Dave Dillon, a handsome American Army officer from a nearby base. In no time, Laura and Dave have begun an affair, and she has enticed him into a plot to kill Tom.They will dispatch Tom in an accident, made to look as if it resulted from Tom's drunken driving. According to formula, their plot doesn't go quite as planned. Nonetheless, Tom ends up dead.Then, also according to formula, the accident is investigated, in this case by an obese Inspector O'Flynn. Soon he "smells a rat" and furthers his investigation. Laura and Dave say and do the wrong things; they begin to distrust each other. Finally, Laura tells Inspector O'Flynn some lies that throws suspicion on Dave.Then, according to formula, Dave discovers that Laura is about to depart for Italy with the chauffeur she'd been having an affair with before Dave happened on the scene. Tom Wilton had fired the chauffeur, saying it wasn't seemly that Laura and he should be seen driving about the countryside together. Tom may also have suspected that Laura and the chauffeur were having an affair.At the film's conclusion, Laura and Tom meet an end that satisfied both the U.S. Production Code and the British Censor Board.All of this happens in 68 tight minutes.Although it follows the classic American noir formula, the film is British. Don't think English county house, however, for the exterior of the Wilton home is very much 50s California Moderne. This is momentarily surprising. After watching Dave Dillon go up a typical English driveway, I was expecting to see a home on the order of Manderlay, but instead got this white modern one. The film does have its share of scenes filmed with the usual American light and shadow of noir.The cast behaves perfunctorily. Of interest here is Anne Heywood early in her career. But she doesn't generate any of the heat of a classic femme fatale like Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity" or Jane Greer in "Out of the Past." Indeed, there are no sparks between her and leading man, Robert Arden.Robert Arden plays Dave Dillon. He was American-born but gave up a singing career to play in British films. His credit list is undistinguished. Here he bears a remarkable similarity to Fred MacMurray, albeit a bit heaver than MacMurray was in his prime.Basil Dignam plays the drunken husband; he shows a fine profile and looks like the aging Leslie Nielsen. Denis Shaw plays the overweight detective.The film did hold my interest; there is narrative thrust. And there is some fun in seeing from what classic American noirs the filmmakers stole. Check out those sunglasses on Heywood when she lies down under the sunlamp. Very much like the ones Stanwyck wore in "Double Indemnity."I could recommend this film only to die-hard film noir fans who just must see every noir ever made.