The Devil at 4 O'Clock

A cranky priest (Spencer Tracy) and three convicts (Frank Sinatra, Bernie Hamilton, and Gregoire Aslan) race to rescue children from a leper colony threatened by an island volcano.

The Devil at 4 O’Clock is an overlong, miscast melodrama masquerading as an adventure film. Running a few minutes over two hours, the only real entertainment comes during the film’s final twenty minutes or so, and getting there can be a real journey.

For starters, Spencer Tracy has never been less charismatic. Much of this is due to the script, which gives him far too much dialog. Tracy’s strength comes from an inner strength and quiet toughness. He’s an actor who can convey volumes in a single glance, all of which is wasted here. Indeed, Tracy, like most of the cast, seems to be phoning it in.

Then there’s Frank Sinatra. What the hell is he even doing in this picture? A lone Jersey boy amongst a group of French prisoners, he wouldn’t register at all if he weren’t so out of place.

Director Mervyn LeRoy seems uncomfortable with the film’s action adventure aspects and instead overplays the melodrama. It’s a doomed strategy, as the script is so plot-driven, there’s little room for organic character development, resulting in a stuffy, overwrought B-grade mess that’s worth a look only for the most die-hard of fans.