High Sierra

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Josh D Classic Bogart gangster movie. Maybe his best one of the genre. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/28/24 Full Review Steve D Too hard to care what happens to anyone. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/18/24 Full Review X O Why is this film so coveted? I don't get it. Where's the magic? Why is it in the Criterion connection? How Roy pills a gun on the petrol station attendant. I'd laugh like mad of he did they to me. He wouldn't shoot. Watching the car chases with these super old cars that can't handle, and the geat shifting like it's cool It's so funny. It's 1941! These terrible vehicles. How much has changed on 80 years. Then he's in the mountains with his hat. It's so funny. Why don't tbe police go into the mountains? Why doesn't Roy just keep going over the mountains? Why stay there? Keep running! Oh, man. Is it all because of shouting for Marie? That's why it's celebrated? You're joking. What it means to crash out means he's free? That's why? But that's not true. It means he lost. What a joke. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review Matthew B It may not be named as one of Humphrey Bogart's best movies, but High Sierra is certainly one of the most significant films in Bogart's career. This was the film that finally removed Bogart from playing secondary characters and made him a star in his own right. For Bogart, this was not an easy journey. As with many roles that Bogart played at this time, the chance to star as Roy Earle in High Sierra had already been turned down by George Raft, who did not like the ending. James Cagney and Edward G Robinson were also considered. The director Raoul Walsh was reluctant to cast Bogart, because he saw Bogart as a supporting actor, rather than as someone who could hold a lead role. Once there however Bogart proved fortunate. Raoul Walsh was a good director to work under. He had a flair for fast-paced, exciting movies. It was cynically suggested that his films were made quickly because he was in a hurry to finish them. There may have been some truth in this. During the climactic scene in High Sierra, Bogart's stunt double was dissatisfied with his work, and asked for another take. "Forget it," replied Walsh; "It's good enough for the 75-cent customers." Still Walsh took enough care of his films to make his best work memorable. Who can forget the climax of White Heat, the best of all Cagney gangster movies? n retrospect, it is hard to see why it took Humphrey Bogart so long to be recognised as having star value. He was a gentleman, and yet he was also a man with a seething undercurrent of anger beneath the surface. Co-stars reported him to be bad-tempered and complaining. These inner emotional wounds allowed him to play darker characters that were still somehow sympathetic. Bogart was also highly articulate. Somehow it is hard not to imagine that Humphrey Bogart was laconic in his roles. However anyone watching Bogart's movies will find that he is anything but that. He appeared in many movies with literate scripts that required him to act, and he rose to the challenge of delivering complex and interesting dialogue. His emotional range was limited, but within that range he stood out from his co-stars. This is reflected in his character in High Sierra, Roy Earle. Roy Earle is a man who has the germ of a good person in him, but he chooses instead to live a bad life. This proves to be an unfortunate mixture, and he is brought down by his saving graces as much as by his criminal tendencies. There is no room for softness in his line of work. Nonetheless such qualities serve to make Earle a more sympathetic figure than perhaps he should be. I wrote a longer appreciation of High Sierra on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/high-sierra-1941/ Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/24/23 Full Review Josh G Really cool and stylish heist film, one of Bogart finest films, beautifully photographed and full of snappy dialogue. Excited well paced and a classic Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/03/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Movie is compelling all the way, with Bogart, in his first starring role, as a criminal anti hero, with a moral code, heading for inevitable tragedy. Director Walsh makes sure the movie pushes all right emotional buttons, and he smartly streamlines all the pulpy action. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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