AllMovie

The Devil's Disciple features one of Laurence Olivier's best screen performances, even though the actor would later express his doubts that he'd done justice to George Bernard Shaw's masterwork. The film, though, is frequently unfocused, with scenery-chewing performances from Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas that clash with Olivier's subtler approach. The film also presents a good chance to see Janette Scott fight something other than Triffids in one of the film's several strong supporting performances. Shaw's dialogue and wit are left substantially intact. Through his viewpoint character, British General "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (Olivier), Shaw provides his trenchant view of how England lost its American colonies. This is a solid, entertaining film with moments of brilliance, even if it falls short of the masterpiece it might have been.