The Treasure of the Sierra Madre(Movie Review)

"As long as there's no find, the noble brotherhood will last but when the piles of gold begin to grow... that's when the trouble starts." ~Howard in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

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This may very well be the only "western" I've actually enjoyed. Much like many other films I've watched the past several weeks, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) is another classic that makes many "top movie" lists. The film is one of the first to have been produced by Humphrey Bogart's own production company, and it was directed by John Huston (who cast his father, Walter Huston, in one of three lead roles).

Walter plays "Howard," an aging prospector who's down on his luck. After several mining expeditions, Howard regrets the greed that turned huge short-term successes into long-term failures. His spoken memoirs inspire Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) to enlist his services as they embark on their own gold-mining adventure. All three are presently homeless in Mexican territory: displaced Americans in search of food, money and work. They each determine that even a small find would equate to tremendous improvements in their lives.

Naturally, all of Howards recollections foreshadow the adventures of he, Dobbs and Curtin. What begins as a modest desire to break out of poverty turns into a exploration of the human psyche. From the very moment gold is struck, Dobbs questions the motivations of his companions, trusts no one, and finds himself even willing to kill an interloper who stumbles onto their camp. Men who were initially content with a $5,000 find are hesitant to leave the mountain even when they have over $100,000 in gold (worth millions, by today's standards).

As with Maltese Falcon, I was once again in awe of Bogart. His multidimensional character didn't have a heart of coal, though he certainly lost site of morals and ethics once he suspects his "goods" are in jeopardy. He attempts to cope with bad decisions by "talking" with his conscience and seems, as the film progresses, to be losing his mind. I found Bogart's portrayal of this downward spiral to be quite intriguing.

And then there's Curtin — who also has weak moments, but seems to be genuinely good until the very end. This is the case with the older and wiser Howard, too, who's already seen the damage the promise of wealth can bring.

And so, while there are Native American tribes, Federales and other American expatriates in Mexico that factor into the overall scope of this film, it's primarily a look into the darker aspects of human nature. What I often expected to happen didn't (I love it when films don't go where I think they're heading), but I was disappointed by the denouement: a nice moral to end the story, when I think it warranted something less full of hope.