The Ecstasy of Gold – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Trust is a commodity. So this is about two broke and down-on-their-luck Americans (Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt) in Mexico. Money is tight, so they decide to go all in and gamble on an old prospector (Walter Huston) to find them some gold in the middle of nowhere. As luck may have it, they find a lucrative spot. However, when a fortune is on the line, nothing is simple. I’ve always been aware of this movie’s existence, but I had never taken the time before now. All I knew about it is that many regard it as a classic, and there is that iconic line about badges. I don’t have all that much experience with the library of Humphrey Bogart other than Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon, so I figured that now was the time to rectify that. Well, let me say that the consensus is absolutely correct.

It’s a very different role than what Bogart is known for, much like Henry Fond in Once Upon a Time in the West.

Now perhaps it was just me not knowing what to expect, but the thing I enjoyed most about this is how this movie kept evolving. It kept me on my toes, and I could never pinpoint how this story would unfold next. This starts with two men who do not have any money, so when they finally get to a point where they may have a chance at having means, you can understand why they are grasping it so tightly. What I was not expecting this to morph into was the paranoia-fest that it becomes, and that is where this is just brilliant. I mean really, it may not outdo it, but this rivals The Thing in how much suspicion is being passed around this group of three, and right at the center of it all is Bogart who is the shiftiest of the lot. All three men can dish it as much as they can take it, and there isn’t a weak performance in the bunch. This could have easily fallen apart if there was, but because they all rise to the occasion, we got ourselves a film that will stand the test of time.

It’s well worth it, trust me.

There aren’t that many Westerns that take place in Mexico out there, and it’s hard for me to imagine one that does it better than The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. They never let you forget how treacherous and unforgiving the terrain is, not even for a minute. Every character in this is always covered in sweat, sand, and grime, and that only adds to the atmosphere that is masterfully built. This story is all about greed and mistrust, and everyone here nailed it.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) *****

– Critic for Hire