There Be Gold Them Thar Movies Like The Treasure of The Sierra Madre

On its surface, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre would seem to have an overly simple theme driving its story, specifically the idea that greed can change a man for the worse. But in executing this idea within this specific story with this group of actors, writers, directors and assorted crew members, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre instead ends up being something quite exceptional and thoughtful. Just as there be gold in that there mountains, there's also depth to be excavated from this storyline that reveals itself to have greater complexity stemming from a gradually occuring character arc for its protagonist that's fascinating to watch unfold. 

That protagonist is Fred C. Dobbs (Humphery Bogart) who, along with his friend Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) have fallen on hard times in the Mexican town of Tampico. They haven't a penny to their name and are scrounging by for food. On a seemingly ordinary night, they overhear a former prospector, Howard (Walter Huston), tell tales of how striking gold can change a man's life. The very same drive for instant financial success that drove thousands to participate in the various gold rushes at the dawn of the 20th century suddenly get Dobbs and Curtin to thinking that searching for gold in nearby mountains could be just the way to get themselves out of financial ruin.

Bringing along the experienced Howard to help them out in their first foray into prospecting, Dobbs and Curtin embark on a journey that eventually leads them to gold that'll cost them more than energy exerted on hard labor. A corny sentiment, I know, but as said before, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre nestles in a compelling story into a seemingly straightforward narrative. The moment they dig up this gold, tensions begin to rise in the group, primarily because of Dobbs. Though he's convinced prior to their expedition that, though he agrees that greed over gold has the power to change men for the worse, he won't be the kind of guy to succumb to such feelings, he ends up being untrustworthy of his companions from the moment he finds the first drop of gold.

Humphrey Bogart, known for playing men nursing a damaged soul within an ambivalent exterior in the likes of Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, works wonders with playing the escalating sense of crazed disease consuming Dobbs. There's always a new level of depravity that this character will sink to in order to protect his gold and Bogart's performance ensures that each time Dobbs sinks to a new low, it feels like both a revelation and an organic extension of what's been previously established about the character. Excellent work in the lead role, one benefited from a script that comes up with some brilliantly intense situations that place Dobbs and his ever-growing sense of greed against Curtin and Howard.

That latter character is also brought to life by a brilliant performance courtesy of Walter Huston who chooses to portray Howard as the quintessential prospector. Packed with energy and wisdom, Howard is an utter joy to watch, especially since the script by John Huston (who also directs) offers up a number of memorable pieces of dialogue for Walter Huston to deliver (Howard's declaration of just how dumb Dobbs and Curtin truly are is a great example of this). There's lots to enjoy in The Treasure of The Sierra Madre, but there's no denying that it's two phenomenal lead performances, plus Tim Holt doing a fine job as the normal everyman caught up in this rush for riches, are among it's very best attributes.

John Huston's exemplary writing and directing is similarly one of the film's best qualities, especially in regards to how his script (which adapts a 1927 novel of the same name by B. Traven) creates tension from Dobbs and his escalating fixation on his gold. One never quite knows just how stable Dobbs might be in a given moment (something Bogart gets across wonderfully in his performance) and the writing does a great job executing that well and then using that plot element to create riveting suspense. Special praise also needs to go to how Huston commits to an appropriately bleak ending that follows Dobbs and his obsession to its natural conclusion, no forced happy ending that could undercut this character's descent will be found here. Though conceptually it may sound overly simple, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre is instead an intricately made feature that's thoroughly entertaining and contains one of Humphery Bogart's best performances.