The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948) - May 10, 2004
Humphrey Bogart is excellent as a penniless drifter with questionable morals (when we first see him he's begging for money and throwing a glass of water into a child's face) in this excellent film by John Huston. When watching a movie that's supposedly a classic, it's usually hard to walk away without at least a little disappointment (ie. Casablanca -- a good movie, but not the best of all time). Not the case here. Tim Holt and Walter Huston were equally good as the two men Bogart goes prospecting with. Everything seems to start well for the three men, who enter into their enterprise with the best intentions. The aging prospector (Huston) warns them how gold can corrupt a man, but they aren't concerned. However, over the course of the film, Bogart slowly goes insane with paranoia, sure that the two men are trying to steal his share of the gold. The movie is over two hours but remains extremely entertaining throughout. Also features excellent direction by John Huston, whose framing and use of deep-focus photography is somewhat reminiscent of Orson Welles. ****