Here are some things I loved:
-Having the lead actor play the undermining, mentally unstable person. Usually this kind of role is secondary, just to move the plot along, but HB is rightly given this role and he does a great job making Dobbs both slimy and charismatic.
-Walter Huston. Dang, so believable and likable. I love him in this film.
-The Banditos. They make many welcome interruptions to a fairly straightforward tale of greed and everything that goes with it.
What I didn't like:
The foreshadowing- "Please, old and wise prospector, tell us what is going to happen in the rest of the movie or else we wouldn't know what to do!"
The music-- please, tell me how I am supposed to feel again, because otherwise I wouldn't know
Most of the acting-- "I don't have to show you any stinkin' badgers!"
The fight scene- Not a single punch landed, but there he is on the ground
In sum, I have to give it a 3.5. Some excellent memorable moments, but overall not great.
I liked the fight scene with Bogart, Holt and Barton MacLane. It struck me as gritty with no music and other patrons just watching instead of joining in. The end also offers another glimpse of the goodness of Bogart's character before he gets corrupted by wealth. He only takes the money he and Holt are owed.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine called my problems with this film "old-movie-itis", that older films all have issues with them that we can either ignore or let them ruin an otherwise good movie. I might disagree with him that all old movies have issues (Citizen Kane, Rear Window), but I guess the issues for me in this movie kept me from really enjoying the good parts.
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