High Sierra (Snap Case)
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Movie Reviews of High Sierra (Snap Case)
Movie Review: "I wouldn't give you two cents for a dame without a temper."
Summary: 5 Stars
High Sierra (1941) is considered by most to be Humphrey Bogart's first real, breakout role, playing a part that wasn't initially offered to him. Bogart, the fifth member of Warner Brothers famous 'Murderers Row', came into the role of Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle only after fellow 'Row' members Paul Muni and George Raft didn't accept the part, one disagreeing on the script and subsequent changes, and the other being talked out of taking the part by Bogart, respectively. Bogart, who hadn't quite reached the level of big name star by this point, as evident to second billing to costar Ida Lupino, wanted the role badly, as he knew the character of Earle was something he could really sink his teeth into, and showcase his talent to the world.
As I said, Bogart plays Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle, a convicted bank robber serving a lengthy prison term, a life sentence, if I'm not mistaken, who has just been released. We soon find that Roy's early release isn't due to parole for good behavior, but strings pulled by his old boss, Big Mac (Donald MacBride). Seems Big Mac has a score in California that he wants Roy in on, so Roy leaves the Midwest to make the connection. Along the way, Roy has a chance meeting with Pa Goodhue (Henry Travers), a farmer who lost his farm, and is now traveling west with his wife and his clubfooted granddaughter Velma (Joan Leslie), who we will see again later. On reaching the Sierra mountains, Roy meets with the other members of the criminal enterprise Big Mac has arranged, two younger, hot-tempered men, Babe and Red, who have a have a female companion, Marie, played by Ida Lupino. Roy objects to having a woman around, as it's just an unnecessary complication. Marie manages to get Roy to change his mind, as she despises the thought of having to return to her previous career of dancing in a two-bit hall with men for a quarter a dance. Soon Roy learns of the score, and things seem easy enough, but even the simplest plans can go awry.
Directed by actor/writer/director/producer Raoul Walsh, High Sierra is a rich, tense noir crime drama based on a novel by W.R. Burnett and adapted for the screen by Burnett and legendary director/actor/writer/producer John Huston. Bogart really adds depth to his character of Roy, presenting the duality of a seemingly cold-blooded killer who has a soft side. That certainly doesn't mean he's soft, especially when someone gets in the way of his plans. Presented is a character who knows his time is past, and is looking to make his way out, and having thoughts of a future that will never be...and then settling for less than he hoped for, not realizing that maybe that was even too much to hope for...the supporting cast was wonderful, but I found the sort of pseudo comic relief of the character Algernon, a black worker at the fishing camp Roy and his small gang hole up before the score, played by Willie Best, a bit awkward. At the time, it was probably more acceptable, but the stereotyping may chaff contemporary audiences. A minor point, but one I hope wouldn't sour potential viewers from seeking out this film. I just try to understand it for what it was and is, a form of ignorance that has, hopefully, long since past. Best to acknowledge it happened and move on. What I found really interesting was how the noir concept was flawlessly transplanted from dark city streets to the majestic Sierra mountains on the Neveda /California border. Another thing I really loved was the snappy exchanges and use of gangster colloquialisms. The dialogue zings along, just adding a real element of fun to the movie, despite the drama nature of the material.
The picture quality here is beautiful, and the audio sounds wonderful. I was also pleased to see an excellent featurette called "Curtains for Roy Earle", which talks about how Bogart got the role in the movie, his minor skirmish with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), and the film in general. Also included is a theatrical trailer for the film. If you're a fan of Humphrey Bogart, High Sierra is a must see film. If you like good movies in general, you won't be disappointed here. While the role of Roy `Mad Dog' Earle may not be the one most remember Bogart for, it certainly confirmed his status as an actor in every sense of the word, and served well to showcase his talent and made him a star. Another film soon to follow, The Maltese Falcon (1941) took the star and made him a legend.
Cookieman108
Movie Review: An excellent star vehicle for Bogart
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie is a very complex film for its time that combines elements of the old tried and true gangster film, film noir, and melodrama. It makes for good viewing today and is a very good showcase of Bogart's versatility as an actor. The main character is Roy 'Mad Dog' Earle (Bogart), a man released from prison by a wealthy old associate so that he can pull off a big jewelry heist at a resort near the California/Nevada state line. On his cross-country trek to reach the destination of the robbery, Roy meets the Goodhue family. The Goodhues have lost their farm and are on the way to stay with relatives that just happen to live near Roy's destination. When Roy arrives where the rest of the mob is staying, he finds two tough-guy wanna-bes, Babe and Red, that are constantly fighting over a girl - Marie Garson (Ida Lupino). At first the younger hired guns don't respect Roy. They think he is old and washed up. However, he soon shows them who is in charge and they don't challenge him again.
Only a few of the minor characters are painted totally good or bad - such as the elder Goodhues on one extreme and Babe and Red on the other. The major characters have subtle shades of both good and evil in their personalities. This is particularly true of Roy. He longs for the simple life among good people that the Goodhues remind him of, yet during the course of the robbery he must pull off and its aftermath he thinks nothing of killing in order to accomplish his aim. Roy is actually capable of great kindness, helping out the Goodhues when they get in an auto accident and don't have any insurance, and even paying for Velma's operation to remove a birth defect so that she can walk normally. Roy falls in love with Velma, one of the Goodhues' relatives, believing her to be a simple and decent girl. However, he finds she changes into the most hard-boiled of people once her handicap is removed. Her final rebuff to Roy is filled with almost unwatchable cruelty. The woman who actually cares for Roy is Marie. It takes time for Roy to accept this, since it seems hard for him to believe that people can have both good and bad in them, even though this is very much a trait of Roy's own character. Marie has a background completely opposite that of Velma's, mentioning how she was beaten by her father as a child and then went on to work for a "dime a dance" place before winding up with Red and Babe. She has great heart, but she lacks judgement, which she herself admits. The odd piece of symbolism built into this movie is Pard, the "hard-luck dog", who has seen each of his owners die untimely deaths. In spite of this, Roy makes a pet of the dog, seeming to confirm the fact that he is indeed "running towards death". In the end, it is this friendly little dog that is in fact Roy's undoing.
Movie Review: What If Dillinger......
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a review for the WB DVD release of the film,HIGH SIERRA (1941) directed by Raoul Walsh. Roy Earle, played by Humphrey Bogart, notorious bank robber is released from prison on a crooked parole deal and crime boss Big Mack, played by Donald MacBride, has things all worked out for one more big job, the final one for them all. The heist involves a vacation resort that during the season, is loaded with a safe full of jewels and ready cash, just waiting to be picked clean.
So all Roy has to do is to head up to the vacation location, keep his young hoods in line, make sure the inside man, Mendoza, played by Cornell Wilde, isn't as shakey as he looks and keep things rolling till the safe is suitably loaded. Then he has to pull the actual stick-up. HIGH SIERRA is a rollicking, fast paced actioner with plenty of room for character development made by an expert director and writers. Based on the premise, what would happen if Dillinger were still alive and serving time?
Well, here's one answer and it made Bogie a leading man and was probably Raoul Walsh's biggest success until the sensational WHITE HEAT eight years later.
When Raoul Walsh went to Warner Brohers in the late thirties he was responsible for one fine film after another, comparable to a remarkable winning streak, but I think HIGH SIERRA tops them all from this period. and in this one, Bogart, at last, gets to be Bogart.
Five Stars without a doubt.
Movie Review: One of the majuscule Noir films ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the most relevant contributions of this genre, so beloved and admired for so many people around the world, resides in the beating actuality of the narrated events. Humphrey Bogart is the criminal "Mad dog" Roy Earle who is helped to escape from prison by Big Mac ( here we have the honor pact among the criminals literally hover their lives as a sacred blaze). On the way, he will meet Velma a clubfooted girl for whom he feels a sympathetic attraction, but although as he has other things in mind, he never forgets her.
The planned holdup is with astonishing accuracy, but the fate sets in this poker game an awful and tragic card; his two partners are killed in a car crash. Henceforth, the events fall in what we might denominate the sinister chaos that precedes the final fall down; Roy Earle has fallen in that undesired vertigo of desperation, anguish, fear and uncertainness that eventually will led him to the unavoidable meeting with the death.
To my mind Raoul Walsh would achieve his supreme masterpiece with White heat, but this movie in particular owns all the essential factors of the modern tragedy, where smartly the confiscation of your will has fallen in the untouchable whirlwind of the randomness, or the cosmic nasty trick.
One of the 20 best Noir films ever made.
Movie Review: The convergence of old ways and newly found self...
Summary: 5 Stars
The callous Roy Earl (Humphrey Bogart), a skilled robber, is pardoned and released back into society from being locked up in a prison. Once outside Roy goes back to his old ways as an old friend is planning a new heist. However, age has caught up with Roy as he realizes that most of his friends have passed away and that most people in his trade are very young. This leads Roy to gently reaching out to a handicapped woman with whom he can empathize with and relate to, and helping her out of a battered situation. In addition, Roy forms a strong emotional bond with a dog, Pard, that seeks Roy's affectionate care. The question is if Roy can balance his old lifestyle with his newly discovered self as he is about to carry out a criminal plan. High Sierra is a terrific cinematic experience as it offers both suspense and human connections in a tragic story in which Bogart gives an outstanding performance.