HIGH SIERRA / TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE (1941)

Cast

Plot

Two classic Bogart films for the price of one! High Sierra follows a failed robber broken out of prison by an old associate, who takes part in a failed robbery in which a man is killed, and makes a getaway into the Sierra mountains for a final doomed stand. Treasure of the Sierra Madre; 'Gold does funny things to a man's soul'. That's the issue tackled by this seminal movie about the pursuit of money and its effect on the brotherhood of man. Bogart plays the down-and-out Dobbs who hooks up with a fellow economic refugee. They both get to work on a building site, working for a pay packet that never materialises, but it's not until they meet up with an old prospector (Walter Huston) that they start down a tortuous path of greed and paranoia that will change their lives forever. 'I'd be happy with $5,000' claims Dobbs as they start to dig for gold, only to find that their appetite for the glittery stuff only breeds a greater appetite, taking them to the brink of self-destruction. Comraderie shatters and suspicion and fear blossom like a black flower, with its roots in the gold. The superb cast play the story well together, with the director, John Huston, giving his old dad the chance to shine and bag an Oscar in the process. Also includes the classic line "Batches? Batches! We doan need no steengking batches!". A beautifully complete and surprisingly philosophical movie. Both films are enduring classics.