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Rating: 5 out of 5
“Badges?! We don’t need no stickin badges?!”
I am going to be honest that I never knew that the quote above came from this film. I always thought it came from Mel Brooks’s Blazing Saddles. DAMN YOU, MEL BROOKS!! Even though Blazing Saddles is a hilarious film. Either way, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre was a surprise film for me. I had never heard of it before and saw that it was starring the legendary Humphrey Bogart. I have been watching quite a few Bogart films lately, and I think this one is one of his best ones. Even better than the one he won the academy award for and better than Casablanca. That is saying a lot right now.
Written and directed by John Huston, the Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a story of gold and greed. In 1925, Fred C. Dobbs (Bogart) and Bob Curtin (Holt) were two broke-ass American drifters in the Mexican town of Tampico. The pair go work for a contractor, Pat McCormick, who hires them to do some work. When the job is finished, McCormick doesn’t pay them what they are owed. When the men find him, they beat his ass and take what is rightfully theirs. As the pair plan their next move, they meet an old prospector by the name of Howard (Huston)/ Howard claims that the hills are filled with GOLD, and if they can come into some funds, he will help them out. The crew eventually gets the funds and sets out with hope in their eyes. When the pair finally find gold, friendships soon fracture.
As you read in the overview, the story is about two broke-ass men who decide to team up with a grizzled old prospector searching for gold in Mexico. Yet, the true meat and potatoes of the story are how greed comes into people’s minds and has them not trusting anyone. Gordon Gekko’s greed is good saying didn’t apply to this film.
Gold was the catalyst for how greedy one person actually became. We can all understand being broke and wanting to ensure we get our fair share if we come into a great opportunity. Dobbs, in the beginning, wants to be partners with Curtain and Howard. I think his character and role are telling because as the men lay in the tent, he claims that as long as people carry their weight, there is no need to not trust them. Yet, as time goes on and the stuff piles up, Dobbs becomes greedy and doesn’t trust his partners. He talks his way into splitting everything at the end of each day and then hides his share.
Several scenes show Dobbs not trusting anyone. When an iguana-type of lizard walks under some rocks, we discover that it is Dobbs’s hiding place. Curtain notices this and goes to kill the lizard. When Dobbs sees this, he thinks homeboy is trying to steal from him and wants to shoot him. When Curtain reveals the lizard, he backs off, only to do the same thing. In another scene, Howard is called away to assist local villagers with a seriously ill little boy. As he is away, Dobbs and Curtain constantly argue, and one night, Dobbs shoots Curtin and takes all the gold.
I will say that besides all the distrust from one character, the other side of this film is the hunt for a bandit named “Gold Hat.” We are first introduced to Gold Hat and his crew when they try to raid the train the three men are on. The badges scene is one of the most intense scenes in the film. Gold Hat and his crew claim they are Federales and try to rob the men until a major shootout happens. The scene is quite intense and, in the end, shows that death can come to anyone.
First of all, I don’t know how Humphrey Bogart, as Fred C. Dobbs, wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award. This role was one of his best and finest works, and I have been watching a ton of Bogart’s films lately. As Dobbs, he is grungy and distrustful in the sense that he doesn’t trust anyone. Greed becomes high on his list. Bogart deserved more than no nomination. He was outstanding and was better than all of his other films.
Walter Huston as Howard was awarded an Academy Award nomination for his role. I will admit that he was fun to watch. Man did his little dance when he found gold, and, in the end, he found something more than gold. He found respect and the high life. I felt that his character was the levelheaded one in the whole movie. The man who has been through some times and knows that gold can ruin people.
Tim Holt, as Bob Curtin, was the one who argued most with Dobbs. He also seemed like a levelheaded person but sometimes blurred the lines. When Cody followed him, he agreed with the group to kill him. When Cody is killed and he reads Cody’s letter from his wife, he has a change of heart and wants to give half his share to her. Sometimes you just don’t know about people.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is an outstanding film that I was pleasantly surprised by. The legendary Humphrey Bogart is exceptional in this film and should’ve been nominated for or even won the Academy Award. This film is also great as it shows how greed can contaminate a person’s heart and mind. Watch this film, and make sure you bring those sticking badges.
