A rare Humphrey Bogart comedy, and it works perfectly!

Seeing Bogart in the lead role, and the movie being about a jailbreak, I was expecting an adventure-drama. Instead I got a comedy, and a very good one at that.

Incredibly sharp dialogue and some devilishly clever and funny sub-plots make this an hilarious movie. Add in the fact that it is set at Christmas, and there is a great amount of Christmas sentimentality and fun involved too.

The other things that carry the movie are the performances of Bogart and, especially, Peter Ustinov. Bogart delivers his lines well and cannot be faulted, but Ustinov has a perfect sense of comedic timing. Plus his Englishness makes him seem so much funnier.

Aldo Ray is a bit hit-and-miss as the third non-angel. Sometimes you feel he is just reciting his lines without any sense of timing or tone, but others then hit the mark well.

Good support from Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Leo Carroll and Gloria Talbott.

A must-see, especially at Christmas.

So says Aldo Ray, one of three wise con-men in this Avant Garde black comedy. It's Christmas on devil's island and Ray, along with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov, escape from prison, and hide out in the shop of kind-hearted but broke Leo G. Carroll and Joan Bennett, finding themselves not only fixing the leaky roof but Christmas dinner as well, and eventually their lives. But along comes imperious cousin Basil Rathbone, miserly owner of the shop, and his handsome nephee (John Baer) who broke the heart of Carroll and Bennett's daughter Gloria Talbott because of his desire to get his hands on his uncle's money. It's up to the three crooked angels who have their own ideas of how to handle the nasty Rathbone.

Clever, dark and often very sweet, this is the type of film that will provide you with laughs even when you're shocked by the goings on. I was probably horrified by the convict's plans for robbing and killing Bennett and Carroll, but everytime they talk about it, they are delayed by a kindness they perform, such as stealing a live turkey for dinner, doing the dishes and dealing with the arrival of Rathbone and his son. The way they decide to deal with the nasty cousin is extraordinarily clever, not seen yet hysterically dealt with as the three men await for the inevitable. Bennett is still gorgeous, as far from her film noir femme fatale roles as she can be, while Carroll is of course as droll as ever. As for Rathbone, I can't think of anybody else who could play this part. He is the epitome of pompous cruelty yet extremely funny everytime he sneers or barks orders.

This is a very well written and clever comedy, directed with a brisk pace by Michael Curtiz. The color photography adds to the delightful atmosphere. Bogart, facing a health crisis around the corner, shows no signs of slowing down, and everyone seems to be having a blast. While this was remade in the 1990's, I'd be hard-pressed to watch it concerning how enjoyable the original is.

I can see why the 1989 version of We're No Angels was critically reviled. It is a very difficult concept to pull off. Three dangerous escaped convicts showing a heart of gold. It is pure fantasy.

Joseph (Humphrey Bogart),Albert (Aldo Ray) and Jules (Peter Ustinov) are the convicts who escape prison in Devil's Island in French Guiana.

While still on the island they need to get money to set sail from the island. They offer to fix the roof of a store managed by the Ducotel family. They really plan to rob it.

They realise that Felix Ducotel is a decent man but not a good businessman. He is being exploited by his nasty cousin back in France, Andre Tochard (Basil Rathbone) who actually owns the shop.

After being invited by the family to spend Christmas with them. The three convicts decide to help the family out when Andre arrives at the island with his nephew.

Albert's pet snake is the unwitting answer to all the troubles.

Surprisingly the film works as a dark comic fantasy. Mainly thanks to the interplay between the three main actors. Director Michael Curtiz has a lightness of touch but the ending is a bit of a let down thanks mainly to the Hays code.