The treasure of Sierra Madre by John Huston is probably the best movie I have seen(barring Batman Begins and Returns). A superb commercial movie with light hearted acting by all lead players except a superlative performance by Humphrey Bogart, The treasure is a movie which doesn't preach neither take sides, only puts a theme through to the viewer. The viewer may take it or leave it. There are lots of loose patches in the movie but it only adds to the load given to the viewer to take it or leave it.
Spoiler warning: Though the story is given below in skeletal details, some may find the story revealed. So only those who take in the nuances of story while watching, and not the superficial viewer, is suggested go ahead reading before watching the movie.
The beginning of movie starts with Bogart's character begging for lunch, without even a slight hesitation. Though an explanation is given why he begs, it strikes the viewer that this movie has no heroes, only humans. Bogart's character meets Holt at park bench. They later meet on the way to a swindler's labour camp. During this period, it is presumed that they become comrades, though nothing is shown. Later, they are cheated from their pay, only to see the guy outside a bar. He tries to outsmart them only to be beaten by the two working together. Here Bogart's character takes only the money due to them. Before that incident, they see an old man – Walter Huston at a dorm building who tells stories about prospecting. There again Bogart's character tells him that gold won't change him to a bad man. He will take only what is due to him.
Once they get the money, Bogart's character and Holt feels it is better to be out prospecting rather than biding their time for a job. They seek out Huston and plans to go out into Sierra Madre. They travel on foot into the mountains. The old man turns out to be the better man, finding the gold and teaching the two a thing or two about the real world. Once they strike gold and sit upon it in the night, suspicion starts to build inside Bogart's character. He starts to show streaks of greed. Holt saves him from a cave-in even then Bogart's character always doubts him. He even goes off his word of taking only what is required, though he always said he needs fifty. Later they are attacked by bandits. They have a fourth guy who warns them but who is shot. Here too Bogart's character shows lecherous nature while Holt shows empathy. Huston is all along the worldly wise old man who never takes too much into these young guns. Once they escape from bandits, they decided it is enough and starts to Durango. On the way, Huston saves an Indian kid and is asked to stay back at their village. He is forced to part with his gold and told he will be waited for at Durango. Once Bogart's character and Holt are left together, greed takes hold of Bogart's character and forces him to take a shot at Holt. He is mad because of gold. Though a good man basically, but who is weak, makes him go insane. He goes off alone only to be killed by bandits later. In a very significant turn of events, the bandits thinking gold to be sand throws it away. Before Holt and Huston could catch up, Bogart's character is killed and gold is flown by the winds back to the trail.
Bogart superbly plays the character's weakness and makes it visible only in streaks. The character is made to speak through eyes which gleams with doubt, only Eli Wallach's ugly has come close in such a beautiful essaying. Holt has the got some talent though he is no match for Bogart's brilliance. I have tried not to spill the story, though there is lot more to see in the movie and even more to take in independently. So watch the movie and enjoy!
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