The Depraved

Wow, with a title like that you can't go wrong! And it was Brian 'The Avengers' Clemens first screenwriting credit! And...uh oh...it's, erm, another dreadful quota quickie from the Danziger Brothers. Except for a little visual flare in the first reel, Depraved depressingly displays the Danziger's desparately drab demimonde. Avoid.

I have to admit off the bat that I had never heard of Director Paul Dickson. In light of that, and of the fact that THE DEPRAVED is a B picture done on a shoestring budget, I can only praise the quality of the ensemble work that went into the film, and which he oversaw with obvious competence and even flair.

To that extent, Dickson relied on three superb performances: Anne Heywood, as the cucumber-cool scheming wife and femme fatale; Carrol Levis as Major Kellaway, a thoughtful, supportive senior officer who realizes that his subordinate has played a part in Anne Heywood's husband's demise; and Robert Arden, who manages to convey honesty, decency, and thoughtfulness... until he falls in love with Heywood, who suckers him into murdering abusive hubby Dignam.

It is true that THE DEPRAVED does not present any novel twist. As other reviewers indicate, it borrows ideas from THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE when Arden pushes the vehicle into a lake, and DOUBLE INDEMNITY from the moment Heywood keeps the husband's wallet with the clear intent of making Arden the fall guy.

In fact, given a part where she says very little, Heywood's facial expressions are what truly build up her character as completely selfish femme fatale. The film's conclusion is inevitable, Arden has nothing more to lose.

Cinematography by Jimmy Wilson is exceptional for a B film, the score is quite pleasant, but jarringly cut by Heywood's husband's mood swings and vicious hands. The script by Brian Clemens may borrow some ideas from great James Cain novels, but it still deserves high praise for its objectivity. It held my attention to the end of its 71 minutes.

Recommended viewing.

Great plot, well written story and good directing. The movie starts of from a surprising angle. Such femme fatale movies can be quite predictable all over, but this movie offered sufficient eye candy to stay entertaining.

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!!!!

Rugged, but sullen U. S. soldier, Robert Arden, seeks assistance from the occupants of a remote house, after his vehicle runs out of petrol, only to discover beautiful, but emotionally battered Anne Heywood cobbling together a miserable existence with irrational, unstable husband, Basil Dignam.

A repeat visit finds Arden soon swooning over used, abused and bruised Heywood, from whom the deranged Dignam has flatly reused a divorce. The couple quickly conclude that the only way to be rid of him..... is to get rid of him.

Dignam's death results in an initially routine visit from police detective, Denis Shaw, on a high from winning a Robbie Coltrane look-alike contest. Suspicions arise, however, when Arden shoots himself in the foot by vociferously bad mouthing a potential witness.

The trendy jazz score, by turns suspenseful and sensual cannot mask this morass of mediocrity. 'The Depraved' is sadly deprived of substance, originality and personality, simply coming off as no more than a half-hearted, ham-fisted retread of 'Double Indemnity'.

If you are desperate for an excuse to procrastinate over mowing the lawn, creosoting the fence or clearing a gutter, then 'The Depraved' will allow you to delay the inevitable by 71 minutes. There are more rewarding ways of passing the aforementioned time, than focusing on a movie so largely devoid of aesthetic value.