The Depraved

US army captain Dave Dillon, Robert Arden, is stationed at an American base in the British countryside. One night, after his jeep breaks down, he seeks help at Croft House, the secluded home of the Wiltons: Laura Wilton, Anne Heywood, a lonely, harassed wife married to the drunken, abusive Tom Wilton. Tom has already dismissed all the house servants, including the Italian chauffeur Tonio.

Dave is admitted, but a fuse mishap interrupts his call for help. He quickly fixes the lights, and Laura quietly notes that Tom has given himself an electric shock, leaving him unconscious rather than dead. Dave helps Tom to bed, and Laura offers Dave the use of her car to return to the base the next day, also asking him to mail a letter. Before he posts it at the base, Dave glimpses the address: it is sent to “Tonio Rossi Esq,” care of an employment agency, hinting at a hidden backstory.

The following evening, Dave returns to retrieve the car and is drawn into an argument when Tom presses him about wartime experiences in Italy, insinuating that such memories could turn him murderous. Tom even pulls a gun to prove his theory, leaving Dave furious but vowing to return. He reappears later for Laura’s party invitation, and the local officers club hosts a party for the villagers.

Dave and Laura begin an affair, and Laura floats a daring idea: they could murder Tom and share in the wealth. Dave initially rejects the plan, but he soon devises a scheme to kill Tom during the party and stage it as a drunken- driving accident. Tom is murdered, his body dumped in the river, and the county wakes to a missing car and a suspicious atmosphere. A local policeman, Inspector O’Flynn, begins to probe, and the investigation tightens as mistakes accumulate.

As suspicion falls on Dave, Laura’s schemes grow riskier. A wandering AWOL soldier is seen near Laura’s car, and Dave discovers that Laura intends to claim the insurance on Tom. Major Kelloway, a long-time friend and superior to Dave, visits Croft House and finds Laura with Tonio, raising questions about Dave’s knowledge of Tom and any gambling debts. With Dave named as the prime suspect, he makes a bold move, taking a jeep from the base and returning to Croft House.

The endgame unfolds as Dave confronts Laura and realizes she plans to flee the country. The couple’s fragile web of lies and loyalties spirals toward a dramatic confrontation at Croft House, leaving both their futures uncertain as the police close in and the truth about Tom’s death and the letter to Tonio presses in.

Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 09:55