At its core, Beat the Devil is an essay on . Every character is a "ne’er-do-well" with a hidden agenda.
It was based on a 1951 thriller by Claud Cockburn (writing as James Helvick), which provided the initial framework for the story’s cynical worldview. subtitle Beat the Devil
Led by the "majestically fat" Petersen (Robert Morley) and the eccentric O'Hara (Peter Lorre), they represent a run-down version of classic movie villains. At its core, Beat the Devil is an essay on