This is apparently a seminal classic, but I’ve only just come across it.
It has surprisingly good pacing, acting, and writing for the time. Interestingly, it was directed by John Huston, who I personally knew from voicing Gandalf in the 1977 Ralph Bakshi animated Lord of The Rings movie, so that was a fun surprise!
The direction this one goes surprised me a few times, and I’m glad I saw it. Would recommend.
It’s on AFI’s top 100 movies, yeah you’d better watch it. It’s great to see bogart not playing suave, suited characters ala cary Grant.
John Huston was super interesting and influential filmmaker in his own right.
Yea, Bogie could be a bit everyman, a bit hard-bitten, a bit suave, a bit hustler, depending on the role. Even in Casablanca he’s just trying to get by, make a buck, and not get shot as a collaborator. He’s not “the man”, he’s a man. And as I think about it, the characters would’ve lived through WWI - that would make you tough enough whether you served or not.
He did a lot of stuff like this such as “To Have and Have Not”.
And Huston was an important/influential director from the era.