The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

In the 1920s, Fred Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is an American living a hand to mouth existence in Tampico.  When he spots an American, he regularly begs "will you stake a fellow American to a meal?"  He soon teams with Curtin (Tim Holt) and the pair get a job working at an oil derrick.  After a month of labor, the foreman stiffs them.  While staying the night at a hostel, the pair meet Howard (Walter Huston).  Howard is an old prospector who talks of gold in the mountains.  Pooling their resources, the trio dare to trek into the Sierra Madre range to dig for gold.  Just when Dobbs and Curtin are on the brink of surrender, Howard finds a gold vein to pursue.  The more gold they extract, the more they become suspicious of each other.  Each hides his portion of the gold lest the others steal it.  This tense situation grows worse when Cody (Bruce Bennett) arrives.  He too is looking for gold and has guessed that the trio are working on a successful vein.  On top of that, bandits have spotted them and come to acquire the rifles that the men have.  This sees the movie's most famous quote:

"Badges?  We ain't got no badges.  We don't need no badges.  I don't have to show you any stinking badges."

Classic!

Here is a movie that explores limits of friendship and the risks of sudden wealth.  Men who had been willing to share what little they had when poor became less generous as their wealth grew.  Motvies are questioned and distrust fills the air.  An outstanding film that earned Oscars for both John Huston as director and his father Walter Huston for best supporting actor.  Highly recommended.

Chinatown (1974)

It is 1937 and Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is a private investigator in Los Angeles.  After wrapping up another case about an unfaithful spouse, he is hired by Mrs. Mulwray to expose her husband's infidelity.  Hollis Mulwray is the director of the water department.  Initially, Jake's investigation finds that Mulwray spends his nights on the beach near a drainpipe.  However, he does finally locate the other woman and gets some pictures.  The following day, Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) files a lawsuit against Jake; she is not the Mrs. Mulwray who hired him!  Jake has been setup and Mulwray was targeted for some reason.  Jake wants to know why.

What starts as an investigation about infidelity soon evolves into one about the water supply of Los Angeles, corruption, murder, and a hidden scandal in a powerful family.  Noah Cross (John Huston) is the former partner of Hollis Mulwray and the father of Evelyn Mulwray.  He is rich and powerful.  Evelyn says he is dangerous and Jake should steer clear of him.  Jake finds himself under threat of death at every turn.  Clearly, he is poking his nose in unhealthy places.

The setting is terrific, immersing the viewer in 1930s Southern California.  The acting is top notch.  Jake is a talented investigator but has a habit of jumping to conclusions, some of which cost him.  He is often reckless.  In fact, Evelyn points out that he can't last long with assaults he suffered in the last 24 hours.  One annoying thing was the constant reference to Chinatown.  Chinatown figures prominently in Jake's past but the precise details are never offered.  Then, the last few minutes of the film take place in Chinatown.  So?

"Forget it, Jake.  It's Chinatown."

What is that supposed to mean?

The film is very dark, painting a bleak picture of Los Angeles and the prospects of many of the characters.  Nonetheless, it is a good film and recommended.

Key Largo (1948)

Frank McCloud (Humprey Bogart) is on a bus to the Florida Keys.  The bus is stopped by the police, who announce they are looking for a pair of Seminole Indians who escaped from jail.  Frank gets off the bus at Hotel Largo and asks for Mr. Temple.  The men who are there prove to be particularly unwelcoming and announce that the hotel is closed for the season.  Frank persists and is finally told that Mr. Temple is out on the pier.  Turns out that Frank was a Major in WWII and the commanding officer of George Temple.  James Temple (Lionel Barrymore) is George's father and Nora (Lauren Bacall) is his widow.  Frank tells stories about George during the Italian campaign where he died.  Then warnings of a hurricane arise.  The unwelcoming guests prove to be mobsters, led by the notorious Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson).  They had come in from Cuba by boat in order to do a deal with another mobster who was to come down from Miami; the hurricane has complicated matters.  Tension is high and emotions flare as the police are still looking for the escapees.

The story is great, the characters are well-developed and are giving opportunities to shine.  Rocco's goons are each unique and are all given lines.  These aren't nameless thugs like the men who surround a James Bond villain.  Robinson is in top form as the exiled mob boss.  He's a killer but he's also not stupid.  He plays his hand well, but fails to account for Frank McCloud.  Bogart gives a strong performance as a conflicted man.  Sure, Rocco's a bad man but this isn't his fight.  He had his fill in Italy.  Some view him as a coward for his reticence to fight Rocco.  The standout is clearly Claire Trevor, who won an Oscar for her role as Gaye Dawn, Rocco's girlfriend.  With Rocco having been in Cuba for some time, their reunion is not what she had hoped.

This is the last of the Bogie & Bacall movies and a definite must see for any fan.  Great popcorn fun and highly recommended.

Beat the Devil (1953)

In a coastal city in Italy, Peterson (Robert Morley) and his confederates wait for the SS Nyanga to set sail to Africa.  They have grand plans to acquire uranium-rich property and become millionaires.  Of course, not all is on the up and up.  Ex-pat Billy Dannreuther (Humphrey Bogart) is the formerly wealthy man with contacts in Africa, but he is now a pauper.  Billy's wife, Maria (Gina Lollobrigida), is an anglophile who wants nothing more than to find a refined British man with a well-manicured lawn.  As it happens, Harry Chelm (Edward Underdown) appears to be just such a British fellow.  Harry's wife, Gwendolen (Jennifer Jones), is smitten with Billy, proclaiming her love for him soon after they meet.  She is flighty and prone to exaggeration about her husband and most everything else.  Will Billy and Harry swap wives?  Will Peterson have Major Jack Ross kill either Billy or Harry to protect his plans?  Will the captain of the SS Nyanga remain sober long enough to set sail?

A peculiar comedy that more often gets its laughs by the crazy events than any humorous lines.  The most outrageous bit was when the stalled car got away from those pushing it and plummeted off a cliff and into the sea.  Truman Capote was on hand for the screenplay while John Huston directed.  The cast also includes Peter Lorre as one of Peterson's associates and Bernard Lee, the future M of the James Bond series, as Inspector Jack Clayton of Scottland Yard.

Robert Morley is particularly good as the oafish and yet often menacing villain.  He is outwardly genial but there is always the undercurrent of threat.  This mixes quite humorously with how all his plans go awry.  He is hapless.  Peter Lorre is Peter Lorre, though a bit less threatening.  As Morley's lieutenant, he plays messenger while Ivor Barnard's Jack Ross is the big threat.  That too is kind of funny since Bogart towers over him, and Bogart was not a tall man.

It certainly has its moments, but the pacing is uneven and the overall story unsatisfying.