The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Thomas B

  
  One of Bogart's best performances and an amazing western by John Huston. Full review later.

• Chris W

  
  I can't believe it took me so long to finally see this. I'm sure glad I finally got artound to it though. This is, without a doubt, one of the most influential adventure movies ever made (especially on the Indiana Jones series, though it's not the only influence on… More
  I can't believe it took me so long to finally see this. I'm sure glad I finally got artound to it though. This is, without a doubt, one of the most influential adventure movies ever made (especially on the Indiana Jones series, though it's not the only influence on those). The film concerns a couple of down and out drifters in Tampico, Mexico who join up with a wily old man to go out on a treasure hunt for gold in order to better themselves, but encounter many troubles along the way such as the elements, bandits, and most dangerous of all, themselves. This is a wonderful study of greed and paranoia, but despite the heavy and dark themes, it's done in a very light and entertaining fashion, even though it is a morality tale. Shot almost entirly on location, this has some great cinematography and everything just looks fantastic, no matter how ugly things get. Max Steiner's score likewise enhances the mood and makes the already epic adventure even more so. If not for it's cautionary message, I'd say this film would be quite great at inspiring people to go out on their own adventures. All of the above are great, but it's the acting that really seals the deal for me. Humphrey Bogart, great guy that he is, really shines in a change of pace role as the disreputable antihero Dobbs who gets increasingly paranoid and dangerous as the film progresses. Tim Holt is really good as his likeable companion Holt, but the real scene stealer is director John Huston's own father Walter as the old timer Howard who, despite predicting that toruble would ensue, goes along anyway, showing that you're never too old for an adventure. All these guys are great, but Huston was the won who walked away with an Oscar for his efforts, and he deserved it too. He's just a joy to watch. Watching this today, the film might not seem as fresh and amazing, but it is quite watchable and avery entertaining. I really dug it though, and think it holds up quite well. Definitely give this one a shot. It's one of the greats.

• Graham J

  
  A study on greed and what it can do to a man's soul, this masterpiece is probably one of the deepest, most meaningful films ever to come out of Hollywood. Walter Huston and Humphrey Bogart are amazing.

• Reid V

  
  When Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) rolls into a small Mexican town by the name of Tampico, he is down and out, in need of a meal, and more importantly a source of income. After working a long job for an American who promises to pay Dobbs and his new friend Curtin (Tim Holt) an honest wage,… More
  When Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) rolls into a small Mexican town by the name of Tampico, he is down and out, in need of a meal, and more importantly a source of income. After working a long job for an American who promises to pay Dobbs and his new friend Curtin (Tim Holt) an honest wage, the man reneges on his promise. Dobbs and Curtin find this man and assault him in an attempt to get what's coming to them, what they feel they have earned fair and square. Director John Huston uses these opening moments brilliantly to set up the men's sense of justice in order to show just how much it would be perverted later in the film. Huston's exceptional 1948 film, is not the adventure picture that the title suggests, but a harrowing and brutally realistic parable regarding human greed. Even before Dobbs becomes enchanted by gold, Huston gives the audience subtle hints about man's penchant for short term material gain. As Dobbs roams around the town looking for a meal, he asks the same man for a handout 3 times in one day. When the stranger (played by the director) confronts him about this, Dobbs genuinely seems surprised and apologizes by saying that he just only looked at the man's hands and the money he gave him. While his blind greed isn't in the forefront of his conscious yet, it is certainly shaping his actions. When Dobbs & Curtin's fates collides with veteran prospector Howard (Walter Huston), they venture into the mountains to find their fortune. In one particularly amazing scene which Huston uses to illuminate the powerful hold that this gold is starting have on these men, all three men awake in the middle of the night at different times and end up all following each other for fear of being robbed. Avarice turns completely rational actions into subversive. This is also seen when a seemingly well intentioned man approaches the prospectors with nothing in mind but a warm fire and good company. Before he can get a word out he is vilified and perceived as only a threat. Huston's camera isn't flashy because he has faith in the power of this story. He manages to get such good performances out of these actors that it made me forget about my previous distaste for Bogart. Huston's characters remain characters when in a story such as this, they could have easily become caricatures. There is still a sense of humanity in Dobbs all through his descent into madness. He isn't over the top and you find yourself at times sympathizing with this man who is obviously becoming unhinged before your eyes. Huston also pulls off some well executed shots. After Dobbs has made enemies with a fellow prospector and a horrific act takes place, he attempts to fall asleep in front of the campfire. The shot is framed so it appears as though the flames were leaping up and engulfing Dobbs and the audience gets a brief glimpse into the personal hell that he is going through. While I could sit here and discuss every scene of this film, I don't want to give too much away. Huston has crafted an exquisite film and one of the best studies of human greed & the malleability of man's moral compass that I have ever seen.

• AJ V

  
  A really exciting, dramatic, and well made movie. The story is suspenseful and the cast is great. I highly recommend this movie.

• Jon L

  
  I was into this movie at the beginning, but I really didn't know where it was going to turn throughout the middle. I could not believe that the main character was Humphrey Bogart. He is stereotyped into a lot of roles, but he really stretched and played an entirely different… More
  I was into this movie at the beginning, but I really didn't know where it was going to turn throughout the middle. I could not believe that the main character was Humphrey Bogart. He is stereotyped into a lot of roles, but he really stretched and played an entirely different character in this film. So different, in fact that I had a hard time telling that is was him. The second half of the movie made me feel for the characters, and it did a great job at sparking emotion all the way into the end. It finally redeemed itself by giving a glimpse of something to the audience, hope. That glimmer of hope made the whole film worth watching. It was a fine film.

• xGary X

  
  Two down at heel Americans stranded in the backwaters of Mexico use the last of their money to go searching for gold in the company of grizzled old prospector Walter Huston. Unfortunately when they strike it rich, avarice turns them against each other resulting in deceit and murder.… More
  Two down at heel Americans stranded in the backwaters of Mexico use the last of their money to go searching for gold in the company of grizzled old prospector Walter Huston. Unfortunately when they strike it rich, avarice turns them against each other resulting in deceit and murder. John Huston's classic story of greed is based upon The Pardoner's Tale from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. It's basically a morality story warning of the dangers of greed and how the promise of wealth can blacken a man's heart; in this case Humphrey Bogart in quite possibly his finest performance. Huston is also marvellous as the pragmatic and worldly wise old geezer who predicted everything that occurs to the disbelief of his initially wide eyed and enthusiastic partners. The suspense builds tangibly as the former friends become more and more suspicious of each other, all three at one point or another tempted to stab each other in the back for their share of the goods. It's a brilliant story, expertly told by some of the best in the business and one of the true cinematic greats. One of those films anyone who calls themself a movie buff must surely have on their list.

• First L

  
  In director John Huston's Treasure of Sierra Madre, an American named Dobbs (Bogart) is stuck begging for hand-outs in South America. It's a rough life, where scam artists will gladly take advantage of someone down on their luck. But soon, he gets an idea to go from pauper… More
  In director John Huston's Treasure of Sierra Madre, an American named Dobbs (Bogart) is stuck begging for hand-outs in South America. It's a rough life, where scam artists will gladly take advantage of someone down on their luck. But soon, he gets an idea to go from pauper to prospector, when he and his buddy Curtin (Tim Holt) meet up with a grizzled old miner (Walter Huston). The three become partners and embark on an expedition into the great wilderness, far from any man-made roads or tracks (because the land surveyors always look for gold when they're out on the job). It turns out it's not the life of adventure Curtin and Dobbs thought it would be, but in fact is a great deal of sweat and labor as the months of toil go by. But there's something else, as the old prospector explains, with that much gold between them, one of them is bound to get the idea to take it all and leave the other two in the jungle. It's an ominously fortuitous prediction. Throw in some banditos and a famous line or two (although it's usually misquoted as "badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!") and what you have is a forties blockbuster. The story progresses to a conclusion one might expect, but is unlikely to predict. And it's such a visually rich and psychologically complex film, I don't think there's a single scene I didn't enjoy. A film classic on par with Bogie's "Key Largo".

• Jason S

  
  A good look at greed, I was surprised to see Bogart playing an unlikeable guy. He slips into insanity so well that you believe he really has gone off the rocker. I liked the whole cast and the story was well written and played out to the best degree possible. I really wanted to see… More
  A good look at greed, I was surprised to see Bogart playing an unlikeable guy. He slips into insanity so well that you believe he really has gone off the rocker. I liked the whole cast and the story was well written and played out to the best degree possible. I really wanted to see where these people ended up after the whole thing was over.

• Kalel J

  
  Greed and karma stricken onto an epic, open landscape - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is morality told through grim drabness. Huston's capturing of an endless Mexican desert houses the isolation and slow-burning change in the men of the picture; mentally salivating over the… More
  Greed and karma stricken onto an epic, open landscape - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is morality told through grim drabness. Huston's capturing of an endless Mexican desert houses the isolation and slow-burning change in the men of the picture; mentally salivating over the potentials of their labour. Where the film truly excels is in pushing the audience to blur insanity with greed all the while questioning whether the pits of the souls are deep as we initially think. Where the film tends to lag, however, comes in it's uneven scoring, where some scenes flow effortlessly while others screech with a trying tone.

• Jennifer X

  
  I refuse to talk about the stinkin' badges in this review. Lame fight scenes aside, this film emotes really well. The atmosphere and score intertwine to create a gritty, horrific miasma. I can see where There Will Be Blood got its roots from.

• Tom E

  
  For a western, it's a classic

• danny d

  
  this is a phenomenal film. a tale of greed and paranoia, this film creatively chronicles the journey of three gold prospectors who begin as friends. greed grips one of the men and everything falls apart as you see him drop into insanity. huston won an acting oscar for his role, and… More
  this is a phenomenal film. a tale of greed and paranoia, this film creatively chronicles the journey of three gold prospectors who begin as friends. greed grips one of the men and everything falls apart as you see him drop into insanity. huston won an acting oscar for his role, and he deserved it, but bogart really pulled of a great performance in this film. he started off as the focus of the film as an incredibly likeable character and by the end he becomes brash, unreasonable, and hated. a great film that accomplishes its task of showing greed for what it is. a timeless film.

• Tim S

  
  Great movie and Bogart "steals" the entire movie...get it?

• Stella D

  
  get away from my burro!!

• Pierluigi P

  
  A classic adventure with Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston & Tim Holt as the pack of losers who sold their souls only to find countless misfortune and greed, but also laughs, pure absolute movie magic.

• Aaron N

  
  Gold Hat: Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges. This is a kick ass movie. It has everything, action, adventure, comedy, drama, thrilling moments, a little western flavor, and a little crazy factor.… More
  Gold Hat: Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges. This is a kick ass movie. It has everything, action, adventure, comedy, drama, thrilling moments, a little western flavor, and a little crazy factor. Humphrey Bogart stars in a different role than his other noir characters. He is Fred C. Dobbs, a vagrant, stuck in Mexico with a friend of his, Tim Holt as Curtain. Upon making some money and learning some information from and old prospector (Walter Huston), they set off into the mountains to mine for gold. The movie wastes no time in getting places, the dialog is fast paced, scenes are set up and paid off well, its a very fun movie to watch. The movie looks great, shot almost entirely in Mexico, we see a good looking side of the country that doesn't involve the coast line. It also has a great score from Max Steiner, portraying the grandness that comes from this film. Dobbs: Nobody puts one over on Fred C. Dobbs. As the movie progresses, the elements of greed and distrust start to show in Bogart's character, giving him the chance to give another of his great performances. This movie is great at mixing some darker themes with the overall good time that it is watching this film. As I said, this movie has it all and is very entertaining. James Cody: You know, you've got to hand it to the Mexicans when if comes to swift justice. Once the Federales get their mitts on a criminal, they know just what to do with him. They hand him a shovel, tell him where to dig, when he's dug deep enough, they tell him to put the shovel down, smoke a cigarette, and say his prayers. In another five minutes, he's being covered over with the dirt he dug out.

• Steve B

  
  I'll admit, it's probably me.

• Michael G

  
  One of the greatest movies ever made. This is where stinking badges come from.

• Jeremy S

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

Read all 20 featured audience ratings