Sorry Jenny and Bogey, you two did well, but the screenwriters did not

Huston's satiric thriller was so offbeat that it didn't even die at the box office -- it never even breathed. But it's a funny movie that spoofs the spy thriller genre in tricky, interesting ways, and Jones, Lorre, and Morley are hilarious. However, Bogart doesn't seem to get the joke.

Something leaden here that should be light. Never quite makes the grade.

JooJoo's review pretty much nails it.

Noir comedy hybrid that doesn't deliver much of either, though it does attempt both. Not terrible, but it was quite a disappointment where everyone seems to be acting in a different movie. The pacing is uneven and so is the writing, though at times it seems like a genuinely good movie could be lurking under all the problems. Jennifer Jones was fun to watch, probably the only person in the film with any kind of energy and who balances comedy while taking the film's dramatic turns at face value.

A bleakly entertaining bit of downtrodden lunacy, the film proceeds with a sultry recklessness with enough lurid twists and betrayals that the plot often seems on the brink of collapsing in on itself. Naturally, the film abounds with colorful characters, but arguably the chewiest role is handed to Jennifer Jones, who knew a thing or two about sinking her teeth into a part and tearing away. Huston provides a solid, crafty directing job, giving the film a wickedly unpredictable pulse.

OK, call me an unsophisticated dumbass, but I don't think this is funny or entertaining at all

Oh dear me, the confliction. A movie so shabbily put together [also in need of a restoration] but so much fun in dialogue, its lighter side of a noir atmosphere, and the usual assortment of Huston regulars; with Jennifer Jones as a welcome addition. I like.

Good fun was obviously had by the cast, but audiences were mostly baffled by the in-jokes, the extra-strange characters, and the lack of attention to pace, suspense and plot development.

Interestingly odd film, before its time and you either like it or hate it. Sadly for Bogart (who had money in it) most people hated it in 1953 (including him!).