Perhaps more completely than John Huston's 'The Maltese Falcon (1941),' Humphrey Bogart's first outing of 1941 set the standard for the film-noir movement that would dominant American cinema for two decades to follow. Other precursors to noir had already been released, of course, but few had captured the essence of the style more adeptly than director Raoul Walsh, who, incidentally, made a leading man out of Humphrey Bogart in the process. There's our stoic but tragic main protagonist, driven by fate's bitterly-ironic sense of humour towards a wretched conclusion. There's our femme fatale not quite the predatory black widow of later experience but nonetheless a dangerous dame, with whom a close association will inevitably lead to no good. There's a good selection of suitably nefarious characters, each with their own furtive intentions and all to be treated with suspicion. There's also an adorable little dog yes, a dog! but even this lovable little pooch (Bogart's own pet, named Zero) has a hand in Roy Earle's eventual downfall.
When a hardened criminal (Humphrey Bogart) is pardoned from a life sentence, he immediately falls once again into a life of crime. While he and three inexperienced criminals draw up plans to rob a Californian resort casino, Roy Earle attempts to reclaim the simple humanity of his long-forgotten past, and he aids a poor farming family by financing an operation to help young Velma (Joan Leslie) overcome a walking disability. However, when his romantic approaches towards Velma are rebuffed, Earle turns his attention to Marie (Ida Lupino), a former taxi-dancer who means well, but can only lead to trouble. 'High Sierra' differs from many gangster pictures of the 1930s in that it encourages the audience to sympathise with its main character, to such a level that we're almost willing to imagine Earle as a hapless innocent who has fallen into the inescapable trap of past loyalties. Also very evident in the film are the foundations of the classic "heist flick," and co-screenwriter John Huston would return as director to popularise the sub-genre in 'The Asphalt Jungle (1950).'
However, for all its good moments, there are also many that don't quite work. Bogart was evidently hesitant about his on screen relationship with Joan Leslie, who was sixteen-years-old at the time, and he twenty-six years her senior. The contrast is so jarring that any credibility their budding romance might have had dissipates almost immediately, and the subplot would have worked more effectively had Earle sought a father/daughter association rather than a marriage. Other scenes in the film, perhaps their impact stifled by dozens of successors, lack the intensity of Bogart's other great film noir entries such as 'The Big Sleep (1946)' and 'In a Lonely Place (1950)' and the latter film, directed by Nicholas Ray, did a superior job of highlighting Bogart's alienation amid a society into which he can't assimilate. Nevertheless, with its strong acting, interesting story and highly-influential themes, 'High Sierra (1941)' is a high watermark in the film noir timeline, and proves a suitably entertaining crime picture in its own right.
When a hardened criminal (Humphrey Bogart) is pardoned from a life sentence, he immediately falls once again into a life of crime. While he and three inexperienced criminals draw up plans to rob a Californian resort casino, Roy Earle attempts to reclaim the simple humanity of his long-forgotten past, and he aids a poor farming family by financing an operation to help young Velma (Joan Leslie) overcome a walking disability. However, when his romantic approaches towards Velma are rebuffed, Earle turns his attention to Marie (Ida Lupino), a former taxi-dancer who means well, but can only lead to trouble. 'High Sierra' differs from many gangster pictures of the 1930s in that it encourages the audience to sympathise with its main character, to such a level that we're almost willing to imagine Earle as a hapless innocent who has fallen into the inescapable trap of past loyalties. Also very evident in the film are the foundations of the classic "heist flick," and co-screenwriter John Huston would return as director to popularise the sub-genre in 'The Asphalt Jungle (1950).'
However, for all its good moments, there are also many that don't quite work. Bogart was evidently hesitant about his on screen relationship with Joan Leslie, who was sixteen-years-old at the time, and he twenty-six years her senior. The contrast is so jarring that any credibility their budding romance might have had dissipates almost immediately, and the subplot would have worked more effectively had Earle sought a father/daughter association rather than a marriage. Other scenes in the film, perhaps their impact stifled by dozens of successors, lack the intensity of Bogart's other great film noir entries such as 'The Big Sleep (1946)' and 'In a Lonely Place (1950)' and the latter film, directed by Nicholas Ray, did a superior job of highlighting Bogart's alienation amid a society into which he can't assimilate. Nevertheless, with its strong acting, interesting story and highly-influential themes, 'High Sierra (1941)' is a high watermark in the film noir timeline, and proves a suitably entertaining crime picture in its own right.