Reviews of movies with Humphrey Bogart.
Monday, May 5th 2008
Grade: B-
Synopsis: A doctor (Edward G. Robinson) joins a gang of criminals in order to study the physiological effects of crime and tangles with a hood (Humphrey Bogart) over a woman (Claire Trevor).
Despite its 70’s-porn sounding title, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse is a pretty good movie. The script by John Huston and John Wexley is clever and crackles with great dialog, the direction is tight, and the performances are all top-notch.
Edward G. Robinson does a great job in the lead, pulling off a slow, deliberate descent into madness that’s refreshingly subtle. In an era where so many stage adaptations feature copious over-emoting, Robinson is remarkably restrained. MORE »
Posted at 12:55 PM in Movie Reviews, Humphrey Bogart and John Huston.
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Thursday, April 24th 2008
Grade: B+
Synopsis: The first officer of a Navy minesweeper faces a court-martial after relieving his possibly mentally ill captain (Humphrey Bogart) of command during a typhoon.
The Caine Mutiny is an extremely well done drama featuring a terrific performance from Humphrey Bogart.
Bogart really shows his range as an actor, playing against type as the compulsive, paranoid, Captain Queeg. From the speech patters, to the darting eyes, and nervous habits, Bogart creates the foundation that scores of actors would build on in years to come. It’s an absolutely convincing performance that never feels forced or showy, and goes a long way toward making The Caine Mutiny such a good film. MORE »
Posted at 1:21 PM in Movie Reviews and Humphrey Bogart.
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Tuesday, April 22nd 2008
Grade: C
Synopsis: Three World War 1 veterans (James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and Jeffrey Lynn) turn to bootlegging upon returning home to New York City.
The Roaring Twenties is an ambitious gangster film buoyed by James Cagney’s strong performance and a good first half.
Initially, the film fires on all cylinders. The opening battlefield scenes are great and do a wonderful job of efficiently introducing the characters. As the setting shifts to post-war New York the script compensates for disappearance of Humphrey Bogart’s character with the introduction of Frank McHugh and Priscilla Lane’s, as Cagney’s character begins his rise to prominence
Everything’s working now, and Cagney’s chewing up the scenery, but then, the The Roaring Twenties begins to stumble. Starting with the introduction of a far-fetched love triangle between Cagney, Lane, and Jeffrey Lynn and culminating in a ludicrous finale, the script abandons any sense of gritty realism, and instead wallows in clichés. While there’s some good stuff here, the movie drags in the middle and, much like its protagonist, is finished long before the end credits. MORE »
Posted at 2:22 PM in Movie Reviews and Humphrey Bogart.
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Wednesday, April 16th 2008
Grade: B+
Synopsis: An outlaw (Humphrey Bogart) holds an intellectual (Leslie Howard), waitress (Bette Davis), and others hostage in a small diner in the Arizona desert.
The Petrified Forest is a tight, well-written thriller with a knockout cast.
Lead Leslie Howard manages to mix just the right amounts of vulnerability, courage, and despair into his role as a disenchanted writer coming to terms with his own failed ambitions. On paper, the part could come off as pretentious or whiny, but Howard plays it perfectly without ever stooping to sentiment.
Opposite him, Bette Davis is the very epitome of the wide-eyed dreamer. Though her role is written a bit thinner than Howard’s, Davis makes up for it with sheer charisma, winning the audience over the same way she wins over Howard’s character. MORE »
Posted at 10:49 AM in Movie Reviews and Humphrey Bogart.
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Wednesday, April 9th 2008
Grade: C-
Synopsis: A special agent (Humphrey Bogart) tries to reform a gang of kids (The Dead End Kids) in a reform school run by a sadistic warden.
Crime School is a mediocre entry in the delinquent youth genre, though, watching the film, you’re likely to get the feeling that you’ve seen it before.
That’s because the plot is basically lifted from another Humphrey Bogart picture, San Quentin (1937), only this time Bogart plays the Pat O’Brien role, and the Dead End Kids play Bogart’s role. This actually works out surprisingly well, as Bogart is believable as a former street hood who broke free of the cycle of poverty and crime to become a respected government official. MORE »
Posted at 5:49 PM in Movie Reviews and Humphrey Bogart.
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