BEFORE: I should really watch that OTHER film starring Humphrey Bogart, with "Sierra" in the title - but I fell asleep early last night, so I'm short on time today - so far I haven't found a Bogart film I really like, but who knows...
THE PLOT: Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle is broken out of prison by an old associate who wants him to help with an upcoming robbery...
AFTER: I'm starting to nail down the reason WHY I don't like Bogart - it has something to do with his monotone and complete lack of expression. He's exactly the same in every scene, with no emotion - so he's not acting, or even reacting, it just feels like he's reading lines. I guess back in the 1940's, if a man showed any emotion, it was seen as a sign of weakness?
So, Bogie's a real tough guy by 1940's standards, but to me, he seems so stoic and boring that I've fallen asleep every time I've tried to watch "Casablanca," commonly regarded as one of the greatest films ever. But this film is no slouch - it predated "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon," and is considered one of the first film noirs.
This is partially due to its complex depiction of Roy Earle, who's something of an antihero. He's a thief, sure, but he also does some very charitable things with his loot, like paying for an operation so a young woman's club foot can be fixed. Of course, she's an attractive girl and Earle wouldn't mind marrying her down the line - so how altruistic is he being, really? Either way, we're supposed to root for him, even as he plans a heist of a casino on the California/Nevada border.
Henry Travers, best known as the angel Clarence from "It's a Wonderful Life", plays the father of Velma, the crippled girl (Joan Leslie). I'd heard of some of the other actors, like Ida Lupino, but the standout performance comes from a dog named Pard, one of the best dog acting jobs I've ever seen - this dog has more acting ability than Bogart!
So, it's an important film, if not an extremely flashy and entertaining one by today's standards.
RATING: 4 out of 10 police bulletins
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