MovieChat Forums > The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) Discussion > The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is . . ...

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is . . . overrated?

posted 8 years ago by PrimeMinisterX (8859)
9 replies | jump to latest

I watched this one last night. First time.

First off, I'll say that it's not the movie I expected going into it. I knew almost nothing about the story, but just from the title and artwork associated with it, I expected it to be more of an adventure film rather than a character study of a man who succumbs to paranoia and greed.

I felt like the performances were great all around. And the film looks fine. But I didn't walk away thinking, "Ah, yes, this is a great American classic! The 100% RT score and Ebert's 4/4 score sound completely appropriate!"

I'd give the film a 7/10. A solid watch, but I didn't feel as if I was being exposed to a masterpiece. The film didn't engage me in the same way that something like Citizen Kane or Casablanca did, nor did it even manage to entertain me as much as recent watches like Gilda or Roman Holiday did.

So for those who have seen it, what do you say? Is The Treasure of the Sierra Madre a 4-star classic or merely a good film that doesn't quite deserve its reputation?

[–] [deleted] 7 years ago

it is one of my favorites - I watch it at least once a year. 9/10

[–] noisebox666 (39) 7 years ago

I must say I agree. I thought the character study was not that subtle, Dobbs' paranoia was on or off.
I enjoyed the old gold digger character though.
A solid watch indeed, but I rather like "Touch of evil" if we must speak of Welles, or "The Wages Of Fear", which starts a bit like "the treasure of the Sierra Madre" and must be influenced by it.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (78561) 7 years ago

Respect your opinions Prime...
As to your last question-
I thoght it was a 4 star classic
It had tragedy, action, great performances...we cant make them like this anymore:(

[–] BillySlater (4282) 6 years ago

I have the exact opposite opinion of Citizen Kane. I found the film boring. Never quite understood why its considered the greatest film ever made. Id take a bunch of films from that era over Citizen Kane including this one.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8859) 6 years ago

I've seen Citizen Kane twice and enjoy it, but I can see why it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

I don't think you can properly understand why the film is revered, however, without understanding how revolutionary it was from a filmmaking perspective. There are a lot of things online that you can read about this, but long story short is that Welles was really pushing the envelope in terms of craft. Even a friend of mine who watched it for the first time recently told me that the film felt surprisingly modern to him.

[–] BillySlater (4282) 6 years ago

Yeah I get all that, Im not a filmmaker, so I don´t tend to focus that much on film-making techniques or cinematography. I just appreciate a film that has an entertaining story and a good script.

[–] liscarkat (19416) 6 years ago

It's a perfect movie, so it is impossible for it to be overrated.

[–] slimone (7996) 6 years ago

I love it. I've seen it several times. Humphry Bogart is one of my favorite all time actors. I especially love the films he mad with Lauren Bacall.

[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

I'm rather put off by Bogart's paranoia. He comes off like a cartoon villain. Bogie is almost always very cool in his roles, but here he's off his rocker. In The Caine Mutiny he's got a supporting role as a nut case, but here he's carrying the whole film and it just bugs me how nuts he is. Constantly changing his mind and rationale, it just becomes wearisome.
Not that I dislike the movie, but it could have been a little tighter in the intrigue department.