dir. Raoul Walsh
writ. John Huston and W.R. Burnett from Burnett's novel
feat. Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy, Joan Leslie, Henry Hull, Henry Travers
In this early major role for Bogart, he plays Roy "Mad Dog" Earle, a tough con freshly cut loose from prison to pull a heist for an associate. Roy laments his criminal life, dreaming of a new start, his eyes on Velma (Leslie), a young crippled girl who he'd love to heal and marry, sharing her supposed innocence for the rest of their days. Naturally, life has other plans for Roy as he awaits the day of the caper, fending off advances by Marie (Lupino), a more sensible match, but representative of the world he plans to leave behind. Though the healing process proceeds remarkably well, Velma doesn't love her savior the way he'd like and is prone to typical youthful diversions such as drinking, dancing, and men closer to he age.
Mad Dog's fantasies slowly crumble as he goes on the lam, eventually forced to live up to his appointed moniker, abandoning even Marie to make a final stand. At its best, High Sierra examines the criminal as a victim of society, unable to truly reform, not given the chance to be a good man again. Roy is strong, smart, and reliable, but also a crook. The idealistic path he attempts shows his own naivete and doomed from the start, while his option for a loyal love in Marie goes unheeded. On paper, Roy makes a powerful tragic figure and Bogart has the role knocked, but something fails to gel in the disparate parts, the chemistry that makes a great film never materializing even with a strong turn by Lupino.
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