Though I viewed a terrible DVD transfer from Eastwest Video, it is hard to believe the most sumptuous "Criterion" edition treatment of this film would raise its ranking to more than 3 or 4 out of 10. Sure, the Eastwest "pan and scan" person probably was asleep when this cropping atrocity was perpetrated, but that doesn't explain the poor dubbing, poor acting, poor plotting, silly exploration of the landlady's attic by first a cigarette lighter and then a struck match (what DID happen to Julie's landlady, and, more importantly, WHY?), cheap sexual teasing (there is NO scene in this movie that resembles the DVD cover used here at IMDb), and silly denouement confirming the movie-watcher's suspicions that the whole heist caper was all a bunch of misguided hooey from the get-go. Dave Barton (Stephen Boyd) must be the dimmest lawyer in the history of the profession, and the bimbo who bamboozles him (Carroll Baker as "Julie") is only a watt or two brighter. Fortunately for them, the other eight bad guys crossing their path have intellectual capacities which do not even register on the IQ scale. If you want to spend 90 minutes to see a few moments of punch-pulled action atop a windmill, go ahead and take a chance on this cheap flick.
Review of The Devil with Seven Faces
