The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) is so good largely because the script keeps you guessing, yet everything that happens seems to fit. Also, shooting on location in Mexico gives the picture a gritty look that a studio lot cannot. Finally, this morality tale about the corrosive effect of money on men is portrayed by three excellent actors. The best, for my money, is the least known, Tim Holt, who plays Curtin so matter-of-factly that the realism is striking. Walter Huston is also strong as the old man who has the prospecting knowledge. He does not overemphasize his wisdom, and he does not act like a stereotypical old geezer. The weakest of the strong bunch is Humphrey Bogart, but in fairness to him, he had the most difficult part to play, and the script sometimes required such sudden bouts of paranoia that there was no way he could deliver the lines naturalistically. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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