Nearly a decade after the Hays Code, the time for glorified gangsters was over. However, before Hollywood shifted their gaze to the European-inspired, shadowy film noir, the gangster bid one last adieu in High Sierra. It was this very concept that was the foundation of the story– bringing back a robber for one more heist– but with an excellent Humphrey Bogart and John Huston’s riveting script, the film was something else. It pushed the gangster genre into a different place, as Bogart’s thief reveals a sensitivity that was then uncommon in the genre, and Huston takes advantage of the Code to build up suspense and sympathy as his farm boy-turned-mobster tries to climb his way to freedom. Being their breakthrough moment, it’s no wonder then that Bogart and Huston continued their partnership in brooding, anti-hero film noir dramas, but High Sierra still holds up to this day, cementing some of the tropes that future crime thrillers draw inspiration from.
Synopsis
Given a pardon from jail, Roy Earle gets back into the swing of things as he robs a swanky resort.
Storyline
After being released from prison, notorious Indiana bank robber Roy Earle is hired by aging mobster Big Mac to pull off one more heist of a California casino.
TLDR
Thank you, High Sierra, for bringing together Humphrey Bogart and John Huston, the quintessential brooding filmmaking match made in heaven.
What stands out
Did we mention Bogart and Huston? No? Well, Bogart and Huston, if it still isn’t clear yet.