The Wicked Go to Hell (1955)

★ 6.2 1h 33m IMDb

Drama Crime

Two convicts attempt to escape from prison in a violent tale of deception, survival, and moral ambiguity.

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Marina Vlady as Eva Age 87 · Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France Marina Vlady (born Marina de Poliakoff-Baidaroff; 10 May 1938) is a French actress who made her film debut at 11. She has appeared in more than 100 feature films and television productions. She arri...

Henri Vidal as Pierre Macquart Died 1959 · Royat, Puy-de-Dôme, France Henri Vidal (26 November 1919 – 10 December 1959) was a French film actor. Henri Lucien Raymond Vidal was first noticed after he won the "Apollo of 1939" contest in Paris. He was spotted by Édith Pia...

Serge Reggiani as Rudel Died 2004 · Reggio Emilia, Italy Serge Reggiani (2 May 1922 – 23 July 2004) was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight. For many years, he...

Jacques Duby as Georges Bagot Died 2012 · Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France Jacques Duby (7 May 1922 – 15 February 2012) was a French stage, film and television actor. He was born in Toulouse. Some of his works include 101 Dalmatians (1961), Pinocchio (1968), and The Jungle...

Robert Dalban as Clément Died 1987 · Celles-sur-Belle, Deux-Sèvres, France Robert Dalban (born Gaston Barré; 19 July 1903 – 3 April 1987) was a French actor. His work included stage acting, roles in TV shows and dubbing American stars. Moreover, he was a fixture in French ci...

Robert Hossein as Fred Died 2020 · Paris, France Robert Hossein was a French film actor of Parsi origin, director and writer. He directed the 1982 adaption of Les Misérables, and appeared in Vice and Virtue, Le Casse, Les Uns et les Autres and Venus...

Director Robert Hossein

Cast Marina Vlady, Henri Vidal, Serge Reggiani, Jacques Duby, Robert Dalban, Robert Hossein, Lucien Raimbourg, Charles Blavette, Bachir Touré, Jean Clarieux

John Chard 8/10 Mar 12, 2016

Eva is for Ever.

Les salauds vont en enfer (The Bastards Go to Hell) is directed by Robert Hossein and Hossein co-adapts the screenplay with René Wheeler from the Frédéric Dard play. It stars Marina Vlady, Henri Vidal and Serge Reggiani. Music is by André Hossein and cinematography by Michel Kelber.

Two escaped convicts hole up at a beach house and get more than they bargained for...

1955 was the year that Robert Hossein starred in Jules Dassin's brilliant crimer, Rififi, it was also the year where he began his directing career with this splendid slice of Frenchie film noir. Pic is very much a two parter, first part focuses on our two protagonists in prison. Standard prison noir rules are adhered to, with the shadows of the bars suitably oppressive, the murky confinements of the surroundings offering up a feeling of sorrowful pessimism. There's even a strong narrative thread that says one of the men may be a rat, which is a problem since they share a cell together! But they want out, and we want them out because we feel their claustrophobia in that there dank miserable prison.

Then the story goes outside, it's all airy, with sunshine even, but this is noir so darkness is never far away. It's here where we are introduced to our femme fatale, who comes in the form of Eva, played as crafty and sensual by Vlady. A turn of events has brought the three of them together, and as the story plays out there's a whole ream of human traits, foibles and wiles on show. It's all very deliciously sly, a trinity bouncing off of each other with a blend of mistrust and sexual energy. Which shunts us uneasily, yet in eager anticipation as well, towards the finale. Hossein (who also plays a part in the film) knows his noir, and he knows that the best noirs do not cop out at the end. Thus we have, well, the ending here.

The only misstep here is the musical score. Scored by Hossein's father, it's far too old school for the play on show, it would be more at home in a silent chiller of the 20s, or some Tod Slaughter twirling moustache horror of the 30s. A shame, for even though it isn't a film killer, a better and more tonally aware composition would have elevated this nifty noir to a grade higher. Also be advised that the subtitles don't hang around, read quickly folks! 8/10