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Movie Review: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre June 10, 2009
Note: This is #23 in my 52 Classic Movies in 52 Weeks challenge for 2009.
Well, here we have the first real western (or close enough to it) in this little experiment. Surprising, since that's the kind of genre (along with musicals) that comes to mind when I think about the word "bygone." And yet The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is really pretty good.
It tells the story of two down-and-out Americans in Mexico who make a last-ditch effort at striking it rich by teaming up with an old but experienced prospector. Full of gusto, the trio sets off into the Sierra Madre mountains to brave bandits and the harsh climate in hopes of finding gold. Then they find it. But that's when the real danger begins.
The biggest threat to their safety and newly found wealth, it turns out, is not from the bandits or the sun or collapsing mines, though those do all take a swing at them. In another example of the "hell is other people" philosophy, the real villains of the movie turn out to be its heroes, or at least one of them. Humphrey Bogart plays Fred Dobbs, who at the beginning of the movie seems destitute but honest and completely lacking in greed. Once he and his two new business partners find more gold than they ever dreamed of, though, Dobbs starts to turn nuttier than a squirrel fart and everyone involved has to start watching their backs. So the movie has a traditional western adventure plot (bandits! gunfights! grimacing!), but also a strong psychological component as the characters wrestle with their rapidly devolving relationships. And it all caps off with a tragic twist ending.
My only real complaint with the movie is that the acting covers a pretty wide range of quality. Bogart is good, even when he has to crank up the crazy, but the rest of the cast gives stilted and awkward readings of their lines more often than not. It sounds more like some actors trying to lean their lines rather than performances in front of a rolling camera. Still, overall a great movie and I finally got to learn where that "Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!" line comes from, even if it is misquoted.
Trailer below.
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