• High Sierra

11/10/24 (Sun)

Raoul Walsh’s 1941 noir thriller gave Humphrey Bogart his first starring role. While the actor was second-billed here (to Ida Lupino), that wouldn’t last long, especially after his turn later that year in a true classic, The Maltese Falcon. This film, though a big success in its day, has not aged as well.

A top gangster (Bogart) has been sprung from prison in Indiana after eight years thanks to political bribery by the dying boss, Big Mac (not making that up), who wants him for one last jewel heist out in the Sierra Nevada range. Bogart is unimpressed by the two inexperienced men who have been assigned to him but agrees to the deal, which will set him up for life. One of the men has brought along his girlfriend (Lapino), who Bogart sees merely as one extra part that could go wrong. Naturally she falls in love with him.

He, on the other hand, takes an interest in a club-footed girl that he had met on the road, going so far as to pay for an operation to cure her – at which point, she dumps him. Worse, the men prove inept at opening the safe, and the unexpected appearance of a security guard disrupts the careful plans. They manage to escape, but the panicky men crash and die. Bogart, traveling with Lapino, goes to get paid for the loot. He discovers that Big Mac is dead, and when the new boss tries to double-cross him, Bogart murders him in anger.

He finds a fence who will take the ill-gotten gains off his hands and agrees to wait a few days for the money to arrive. He has unsurprisingly fallen for Lapino and proposes to her. However, as his notoriety catches up with him, he decides it best to lay low. He drops her off at a bus stop and arranges to meet once he has gotten payment. Unfortunately he is spotted by the police, who immediately recognize him. A chase ensues. He races away until the road ends, abandons his car, and runs up to hide in the mountains. The police drag Lapino with them in hopes of luring him out, but she refuses to cooperate. However, her dog (played by Bogart’s real-life pooch) gets loose and runs up into the mountains looking for his master. Hearing the barks, Bogart assumes that Lapino has come for him. As he steps out, he is shot dead by the police and tumbles dramatically down the mountain.

The film is carefully plotted but takes some unwanted detours, especially the totally unnecessary subplot involving the poor club-footed girl and her homespun family. I think the film wanted to portray her as coldhearted for rejecting her savior, but he knew that she already had a fiancé – what was he expecting? He looked more as if her were trying to bribe her into loving him. Aside from the muddled message, this gave no real insight into Bogart’s character and made Lupino look like a second choice. It was an irritating distraction from the main story.

The script was otherwise fine aside from some clumsy dialogue, including a black character whose wide-eyed “yassuh” portrayal is definitely out of synch with the times. The dog as evil omen was also a cumbersome symbol. The writers were the estimable John Huston (who subsequently stepped up as director in The Maltese Falcon and never looked back) and William R. Burnett (who penned the excellent Scarface)  from the latter’s novel. This was not their best moment. According to some reviews, the movie represents a last gasp for the Old West, replaced here by health spas and a Hollywood vision of California. That passed me by.

The film did benefit from stellar performances, especially the two leads, and the final chase scene with the cars and mountains was exciting. But I’d say overall that the film has seen its day.