High Sierra

Aw, the film that launched stardom for Humphrey Bogart and changed him from the perpetual villain to the "good guy."

The movie doesn't feature a lot of action but it keeps your interest. You have two women in here: the hard-boiled Ida Lupino and the soft-and-sweet Joan Leslie. Both are entertaining to watch and both demonstrate a few surprises in the personalities of the characters they are playing. Bogart does the same: goes back and forth between tough guy and softy.

Another key member of this unusual crime story/film noir is "Pard:" a little dog! Human supporting roles are supplied by some familiar and solid actors such as Arthur Kennedy, Alan Curtis, Henry Hull, Henry Travers, Barton MacLane and Cornel Wilde. Most of the people in here, including "Pard," are that endearing but there are so many different angles to this story, it's always interesting to see.

'High Sierra' belongs in genres that have been held in long-term high regard by me. It also has Humphrey Bogart in the film that properly propelled him to stardom and fully established his comfort zone. Raoul Walsh was a gifted director, evident in two of his best known films 1924's 'The Thief of Baghdad' and 1949's 'White Heat' (two of the best films in their respective genres) amongst others. John Huston was another fine director and was equally good at script-writing as seen here. Talented cast in general too.

All done justice here in 'High Sierra' and far from wasted. To me and many others, this is a very good and often excellent film and up there with Bogart's best films and performances. It has pretty much everything that makes me love film noir or similar films and the genres it falls into, and hardly anything disappointed. Regardless of any small imperfections that were not enough to ruin the film drastically. If asked whether the film is recommended to me, my easy answer would be yes.

Sure, the story is daft in places. Did feel too that although sweet and that it wasn't too sentimental, the Joan Leslie subplot was a little strange at times and didn't always fit.

On the other hand, Bogart is excellent and brings both hard-boiled intensity and in the right places an endearing softer side. It is very easy to see why he became such a big star after this. Ida Lupino also fares strongly, tough but also very easy to like. Although her subplot left me mixed, Leslie does a very good job in a role not easy to play and raises some smiles. As does the adorable dog, who brings so much charm to all the scenes it steals without any effort. Walsh gives some of his best directing here, especially in the suspenseful and cleverly staged final third.

Visually, 'High Sierra' is very well made, with very stylish and suitably eerie photography that helps open up and give atmosphere to the settings. The music is suitably ominous in the right places and Huston's script is taut and pacey with a lot of smart wit and edge.

The story as an overall whole is gripping and with the right amount of suspense. The final third especially leaves one glued to the edge of the seat. The characters carry the film really well and don't feel stock or like ciphers.

In conclusion, very, very good. 8/10

Even aside from its impact on Humphrey Bogart's career and on the noir genre, "High Sierra" is an entertaining and interesting movie that is worth seeing in its own right. Bogart's portrayal of Roy Earle, along with Ida Lupino, a talented supporting cast, and some well-chosen settings, are all fit together nicely to tell an interesting story.

Though it's hard now to experience Bogart's gangster roles as they would have appeared to their original audiences, it's still easy to see why this and similar roles attracted so much attention at the time. The character is interesting to begin with, and Bogart makes him even more so. The tension between Earle's ruthlessness and his sense of fairness, and between his desires and his practicality, makes for some interesting possibilities.

Bogart makes good use of these opportunities with his distinctive style. The other characters and the plot developments furnish plenty of material that develop Earle's character and give Bogart lots to work with. Even the sequences that might seem unlikely or out of place are used to add depth to the character and the story.

The climactic sequence in the mountains ties everything together nicely, in a very appropriate setting. "High Sierra" is the kind of movie that classic movie fans can enjoy both for the chance to see its influence on later movies and for its own interesting and well-crafted story.

For reasons unexplained you have been pardoned, after eight years behind bars you're still quite hardened, but there's a soft side you present, there's a kindness with intent, but there are times, when anger rages, and you're darkened. Old habits can be difficult to break, and so an offer of a caper you do take, driving down to California, meeting up with guys quite amateur, plus a lass who's called Marie, who's hard to shake. Naturally things don't go quite as you had hoped, as a gun is drawn and you feel your provoked, triggers pulled and bullets fly, public enemy, the bad guy, as you head into mountains, with quite steep slopes.

Bogey is picked to lead a jewel heist at a resort. When he meets the rag tag team he has to work with, he senses trouble brewing. This is the film that brought attention to Bogart's leading man skills and Huston's peerless writing. Many remember the classic ending with Bogart hiding out in the mountains for one final stand against the law (and fate). Ida Lupino is one of my favorite actresses from the 40's and does fine work here (and looks stunning). Many fine moments with Bogey...including a memorable speech within his cabin hideout. This is one of the best portraits of a desperate outlaw in film history. A blueprint for all the antihero films that would follow over the years...great fun! Seek it out and enjoy!