The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Released Jan 6, 1948

2h 4m

Adventure

Western

Drama

List

100%

55 Reviews

Tomatometer

93%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In this classic adventure film, two rough-and-tumble wanderers, Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim Holt), meet up with a veteran prospector, Howard (Walter Huston), in Mexico and head into the Sierra Madre mountains to find gold. Although they discover treasure, they also find plenty of trouble, not only from ruthless bandits lurking in the dangerous Mexican wilderness but from their own insecurities and greed, which threaten to bring conflict at any moment.

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Critics Consensus

Remade but never duplicated, this darkly humorous morality tale represents John Huston at his finest.

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Alec C

Sometimes, the most dangerous of enemies can come from within! As a trio of drifters attempt to strike it rich by gold mining, they have to ward off claim-jumpers, the intense heat and their own greed before it consumes them. Played by a memorable cast of actors, this is a tale where the treasure is just as dangerous as the men pursuing it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/03/24

Full Review

Jeff S

Moralistic without overreaching, this classic is filled with colorful characters and wild adventures.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/01/24

Full Review

Matthew B

John Huston made a number of movies in which flawed characters are pursuing a goal that will elude them. In The Treasure of the Sierra Madre however, the goal of the three anti-heroes is unambiguously and literally money. They are seeking gold. Our heroes experience the problems of money from both sides. They begin by struggling with the difficulties of not having enough of it, and they end by falling apart after they acquire too much of it. Too much or too little, it requires strong character or good luck to avoid falling victim to its corrupting influence. Whether these three men will find a way to manage their newfound money or will fall apart as a result is what this film explores. The story follows three poor gringos who are unable to find work in Mexico, and have to struggle to find a living. Fred C Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) falls in with Bob Curtin (Tim Holt) while they look for work. As their money starts to go down, Dobbs and Curtin decide to join Howard (Walter Huston), a sprightly and enthusiastic old man who has been gold prospecting, and who has the urge to go again if he can find anyone to accompany him. By now we have learned enough about the three men to receive some intimations of what is to come. All are tough men who are willing to bend and break the rules. Curtin is the most pliable member. He is decent in his way, but likely to fall in with what the other members say. Howard seems like a garrulous and foolish old man as he dances on the spot where they finally find the elusive gold, but appearances belie him. Dobbs and Curtin worry about bringing an old man along, but the seasoned prospector is full of energy, and soon leaves them behind panting for breath. However Howard brings more than energy. He brings experience, and the wisdom that he has learned from that experience. His knowledge proves invaluable to the other men. That leaves Fred C Dobbs. We have seen enough to know that Dobbs is a roughneck, and his complacency about the dangers of gold prospecting does not bode well. He also takes a ruthless pleasure in killing the bandits who attack the train on which the men are travelling. Bogart said of his role: "Wait till you see me in my next picture. I play the worst shit you ever saw". Indeed fears that Walter Huston's lively performance as Howard would upstage Humphrey Bogart were without merit. Bogart makes Fred C Dobbs into one of movie's most memorable bad apples, selfish and greedy yet still somehow pitiful. However Dobbs is not without his redeeming features. When he and Curtin beat up the boss who swindled them, Dobbs takes only the pay that he is owed, rather than emptying the boss's wallet. He is also happy to use his lottery winnings to put up the money for the destitute Curtin to come on the expedition. To begin with, he has a sense of fairness. Surprisingly The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was not a great success on its first release, but it has sold well since, and has come to be a much-loved classic. There is something compelling about this simple morality tale, and it is told with great humour and enthusiasm by John Huston. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-1948/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/22/23

Full Review

Blobbo X

Pretty good. Badges? We need no don't stinking badges!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/17/23

Full Review

Michael V

THE NEARER THEY GET TO THEIR TREASURE, THE FARTHER THEY GET FROM THE LAW. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 American Western film written and directed by John Huston 🫏 I liked the first half of this movie, but then it started to drag and ended up being far too long… Fred C. Dobbs and Bob Curtin, both down on their luck in Tampico, Mexico in 1925, meet up with a grizzled prospector named Howard and decide to join with him in search of gold in the wilds of central Mexico. Through enormous difficulties, they eventually succeed in finding gold, but bandits, the elements, and most especially greed threaten to turn their success into disaster.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/12/23

Full Review

Steve K

It has all been said before but a must watch for me if just for Bogart's incredible performance as a man's descent into gold madness. This is beautifully offset by Walter Houston's performance as a man in love with the Mexican people and a lifesaver in a stunning piece of cinematic story telling when he aids a family to try and save their son. The end result still brings tears to my eyes. The film is a quirky masterpiece of early cinema but timeless in its story telling. In this so called enlightened age we live in the madness that gripped a tragic and maniacal Dobbs is now running corporations and government decision making.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

Full Review

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John Huston

Director

Humphrey Bogart

Fred C. Dobbs

Walter Huston

Howard

Tim Holt

Bob Curtin

Bruce Bennett

James Cody

Barton MacLane

Pat McCormick

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81%

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Kate Cameron

New York Daily News

In Treasure of the Sierra Madre, John Huston has turned out the best picture that has come from Warner Brothers' studios since the war.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 12, 2023

Full Review

Edwin Schallert

Los Angeles Times

That gold changes the character of men who are fortunate enough to find it is the central thesis of this curiously powerful production.

Jan 12, 2023

Full Review

Rob Humanick

Slant Magazine

Transcends the medium to become a mandatory viewing experience for anyone that identifies themselves as a human being, period.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 20, 2011

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Unlike most studio releases of the era, the film's depiction of wretched moral depravity is not sweetened by a studio ending, where, say, the ugly impulses of greed are suppressed by a higher moral calling.

Rated: 4/4

Feb 14, 2022

Full Review

Matt Neal

ABC Radio (Australia)

Wildly unconventional for its time, it makes its A-list star a villain, there's no romantic subplot, and it's far grimmer than most movies of the age.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 30, 2021

Full Review

Sarah Brinks

Battleship Pretension

The film is about the power of human greed. From the moment Dobbs sees that first seam of pyrite, he is obsessed...

Apr 1, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

In this classic adventure film, two rough-and-tumble wanderers, Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Curtin (Tim Holt), meet up with a veteran prospector, Howard (Walter Huston), in Mexico and head into the Sierra Madre mountains to find gold. Although they discover treasure, they also find plenty of trouble, not only from ruthless bandits lurking in the dangerous Mexican wilderness but from their own insecurities and greed, which threaten to bring conflict at any moment.

Director: John Huston
Producer: Jack L. Warner
Screenwriter: B. Traven, John Huston
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Genre: Adventure, Western, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 6, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 2h 4m

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