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Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, Bruce Bennett, Barton MacLane ... see more see more... , Alfonso Bedoya , Arturo Soto Rangel , Manuel Donde , Jacqueline Dalya , Roberto Canedo , Spencer Chan , Ralph Dunn , Pat Flaherty , Martin Garralaga , Jack Holt , Margarito Luna , Julian Rivero , Ann Sheridan , José Torvay , Harry J. Vejar , Clifton Young , Robert Blake , John Huston

John Huston's 1948 treasure-hunt classic begins as drifter Fred C. Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart), down and out in Tampico, Mexico, impulsively spends his last bit of dough on a lottery ticket. Later on, Dob... read more read more...bs and fellow indigent Curtin (Tim Holt) seek shelter in a cheap flophouse and meet Howard (Walter Huston), a toothless, garrulous old coot who regales them with stories about prospecting for gold. Forcibly collecting their pay from their shifty boss, Dobbs and Curtin combine this money with Dobbs's unexpected windfall from a lottery ticket and, together with Howard, buy the tools for a prospecting expedition. Dobbs has pledged that anything they dig up will be split three ways, but Howard, who's heard that song before, doesn't quite swallow this. As the gold is mined and measured, Dobbs grows increasingly paranoid and distrustful, and the men gradually turn against each other on the way toward a bitterly ironic conclusion. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a superior morality play and one of the best movie treatments of the corrosiveness of greed. Huston keeps a typically light and entertaining touch despite the strong theme, for which he won Oscars for both Director and Screenplay, as well as a supporting award for his father Walter, making Walter, John, and Anjelica Huston the only three generations of one family all to win Oscars. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Unrated, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: John Huston

Release Date: January 7, 1948

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 2003

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Humphrey Bogart & Tim Holt in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Le trésor de la Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Humphrey Bogart in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Walter Huston in The Treasure of Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
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Flixster Reviews (1,392)

  • TomBowler
    January 1, 2012
    TomBowler
    One of Bogart's best performances and an amazing western by John Huston. Full review later.
  • cosmo313
    November 19, 2011
    cosmo313
    I can't believe it took me so long to finally see this. I'm sure glad I finally got artound to it though. This is, without a doubt, one of the most influential adventure movies ever made (especially on the Indiana Jones series, though it's not the only influence on those).

    The ... read morefilm concerns a couple of down and out drifters in Tampico, Mexico who join up with a wily old man to go out on a treasure hunt for gold in order to better themselves, but encounter many troubles along the way such as the elements, bandits, and most dangerous of all, themselves. This is a wonderful study of greed and paranoia, but despite the heavy and dark themes, it's done in a very light and entertaining fashion, even though it is a morality tale.

    Shot almost entirly on location, this has some great cinematography and everything just looks fantastic, no matter how ugly things get. Max Steiner's score likewise enhances the mood and makes the already epic adventure even more so. If not for it's cautionary message, I'd say this film would be quite great at inspiring people to go out on their own adventures.

    All of the above are great, but it's the acting that really seals the deal for me. Humphrey Bogart, great guy that he is, really shines in a change of pace role as the disreputable antihero Dobbs who gets increasingly paranoid and dangerous as the film progresses. Tim Holt is really good as his likeable companion Holt, but the real scene stealer is director John Huston's own father Walter as the old timer Howard who, despite predicting that toruble would ensue, goes along anyway, showing that you're never too old for an adventure. All these guys are great, but Huston was the won who walked away with an Oscar for his efforts, and he deserved it too. He's just a joy to watch.

    Watching this today, the film might not seem as fresh and amazing, but it is quite watchable and avery entertaining. I really dug it though, and think it holds up quite well. Definitely give this one a shot. It's one of the greats.
  • fb1664868775
    November 14, 2011
    fb1664868775
    A study on greed and what it can do to a man's soul, this masterpiece is probably one of the deepest, most meaningful films ever to come out of Hollywood. Walter Huston and Humphrey Bogart are amazing.
  • axadntpron
    February 28, 2011
    axadntpron
    When Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) rolls into a small Mexican town by the name of Tampico, he is down and out, in need of a meal, and more importantly a source of income. After working a long job for an American who promises to pay Dobbs and his new friend Curtin (Tim Holt) an honest w... read moreage, the man reneges on his promise. Dobbs and Curtin find this man and assault him in an attempt to get what's coming to them, what they feel they have earned fair and square. Director John Huston uses these opening moments brilliantly to set up the men's sense of justice in order to show just how much it would be perverted later in the film.
    Huston's exceptional 1948 film, is not the adventure picture that the title suggests, but a harrowing and brutally realistic parable regarding human greed.
    Even before Dobbs becomes enchanted by gold, Huston gives the audience subtle hints about man's penchant for short term material gain. As Dobbs roams around the town looking for a meal, he asks the same man for a handout 3 times in one day. When the stranger (played by the director) confronts him about this, Dobbs genuinely seems surprised and apologizes by saying that he just only looked at the man's hands and the money he gave him. While his blind greed isn't in the forefront of his conscious yet, it is certainly shaping his actions.
    When Dobbs & Curtin's fates collides with veteran prospector Howard (Walter Huston), they venture into the mountains to find their fortune.
    In one particularly amazing scene which Huston uses to illuminate the powerful hold that this gold is starting have on these men, all three men awake in the middle of the night at different times and end up all following each other for fear of being robbed. Avarice turns completely rational actions into subversive. This is also seen when a seemingly well intentioned man approaches the prospectors with nothing in mind but a warm fire and good company. Before he can get a word out he is vilified and perceived as only a threat.
    Huston's camera isn't flashy because he has faith in the power of this story. He manages to get such good performances out of these actors that it made me forget about my previous distaste for Bogart. Huston's characters remain characters when in a story such as this, they could have easily become caricatures. There is still a sense of humanity in Dobbs all through his descent into madness. He isn't over the top and you find yourself at times sympathizing with this man who is obviously becoming unhinged before your eyes.
    Huston also pulls off some well executed shots. After Dobbs has made enemies with a fellow prospector and a horrific act takes place, he attempts to fall asleep in front of the campfire. The shot is framed so it appears as though the flames were leaping up and engulfing Dobbs and the audience gets a brief glimpse into the personal hell that he is going through.
    While I could sit here and discuss every scene of this film, I don't want to give too much away. Huston has crafted an exquisite film and one of the best studies of human greed & the malleability of man's moral compass that I have ever seen.
  • ajv2688
    October 24, 2010
    ajv2688
    A really exciting, dramatic, and well made movie. The story is suspenseful and the cast is great. I highly recommend this movie.
  • FireStormStudios
    April 7, 2010
    FireStormStudios
    I was into this movie at the beginning, but I really didn't know where it was going to turn throughout the middle. I could not believe that the main character was Humphrey Bogart. He is stereotyped into a lot of roles, but he really stretched and played an entirely different ch... read morearacter in this film. So different, in fact that I had a hard time telling that is was him. The second half of the movie made me feel for the characters, and it did a great job at sparking emotion all the way into the end. It finally redeemed itself by giving a glimpse of something to the audience, hope. That glimmer of hope made the whole film worth watching. It was a fine film.
  • garyX
    January 18, 2010
    garyX
    Two down at heel Americans stranded in the backwaters of Mexico use the last of their money to go searching for gold in the company of grizzled old prospector Walter Huston. Unfortunately when they strike it rich, avarice turns them against each other resulting in deceit and murd... read moreer. John Huston's classic story of greed is based upon The Pardoner's Tale from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. It's basically a morality story warning of the dangers of greed and how the promise of wealth can blacken a man's heart; in this case Humphrey Bogart in quite possibly his finest performance. Huston is also marvellous as the pragmatic and worldly wise old geezer who predicted everything that occurs to the disbelief of his initially wide eyed and enthusiastic partners. The suspense builds tangibly as the former friends become more and more suspicious of each other, all three at one point or another tempted to stab each other in the back for their share of the goods. It's a brilliant story, expertly told by some of the best in the business and one of the true cinematic greats. One of those films anyone who calls themself a movie buff must surely have on their list.
  • bottcorecords1
    October 8, 2009
    bottcorecords1
    In director John Huston's Treasure of Sierra Madre, an American named Dobbs (Bogart) is stuck begging for hand-outs in South America. It's a rough life, where scam artists will gladly take advantage of someone down on their luck. But soon, he gets an idea to go from pauper to p... read morerospector, when he and his buddy Curtin (Tim Holt) meet up with a grizzled old miner (Walter Huston). The three become partners and embark on an expedition into the great wilderness, far from any man-made roads or tracks (because the land surveyors always look for gold when they're out on the job). It turns out it's not the life of adventure Curtin and Dobbs thought it would be, but in fact is a great deal of sweat and labor as the months of toil go by. But there's something else, as the old prospector explains, with that much gold between them, one of them is bound to get the idea to take it all and leave the other two in the jungle. It's an ominously fortuitous prediction. Throw in some banditos and a famous line or two (although it's usually misquoted as "badges? We don't need no stinkin' badges!") and what you have is a forties blockbuster. The story progresses to a conclusion one might expect, but is unlikely to predict. And it's such a visually rich and psychologically complex film, I don't think there's a single scene I didn't enjoy. A film classic on par with Bogie's "Key Largo".
  • superclerk25
    July 4, 2008
    superclerk25
    A good look at greed, I was surprised to see Bogart playing an unlikeable guy. He slips into insanity so well that you believe he really has gone off the rocker.
    I liked the whole cast and the story was well written and played out to the best degree possible. I really wanted to... read more see where these people ended up after the whole thing was over.
  • shortcartoonist
    July 2, 2008
    shortcartoonist
    Greed and karma stricken onto an epic, open landscape - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is morality told through grim drabness. Huston's capturing of an endless Mexican desert houses the isolation and slow-burning change in the men of the picture; mentally salivating over the po... read moretentials of their labour. Where the film truly excels is in pushing the audience to blur insanity with greed all the while questioning whether the pits of the souls are deep as we initially think. Where the film tends to lag, however, comes in it's uneven scoring, where some scenes flow effortlessly while others screech with a trying tone.

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Critic Reviews

April 20, 2009
TIME Magazine

Treasure of Sierra Madre is one of the best things Hollywood has done since it learned to talk; and the movie can take a place, without blushing, among the best ever made. Full Review

Don Druker
July 2, 2007
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

John Huston has rarely been in better form than in this 1948 study of gold fever and worse obsessions among an unlikely trio of prospectors... Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 15, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie has never really been about gold but about character, and Bogart fearlessly makes Fred C. Dobbs into a pathetic, frightened, selfish man -- so sick we would be tempted to pity him, if he wer... Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Greed, a despicable passion out of which other base ferments may spawn, is seldom treated in the movies with the frank and ironic contempt that is vividly manifested toward it in Treasure of Sierra Ma... Full Review

Herb Schoenfeld
February 13, 2001
Herb Schoenfeld, Variety

The characters here are probed and thoroughly penetrated, not through psychoanalysis but through a crucible of human conflict, action, gesture and expressive facial tones. Full Review

Wesley Lovell
June 9, 2011
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

A finely-crafted western-style character drama where greed and paranoia drive desperate men over the edge. Full Review

Rob Humanick
April 20, 2011
Rob Humanick, Slant Magazine

Transcends the medium to become a mandatory viewing experience for anyone that identifies themselves as a human being, period. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
March 26, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Humphrey Bogart gives one of his best performances in John Huston's chronicle of greed and crime, for which Walter Huston (John's son) won the Supporting Oscar; years later Jonn's daughter won the Oscar. Full Review

Jay Antani
February 15, 2011
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer

an all-time masterpiece of characterization, structure, pacing and storytelling in general Full Review

Dan Jardine
July 22, 2010
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

Humphrey Bogart's maniacal Fred Dobbs is one of moviedom's great characterizations, a conglomeration of cunning, greed and paranoia. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Fred C. Dobbs: She's been a lot better to me than any woman I ever knew.
    • Howard: You want some beans? Goin' through some mighty rough country tomorrow, you'd better have some beans.
    • Gold Hat: Badges? We ain't got no Badges! We don't need no Badges! I don;t have to show you any stinkin' Badges!!
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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre Trivia

  • What movie first hade this line used in it "badges we don't need no stinking badges"?  Answer »
  • Top 100 Movie Quotes Which 1948 movie has the quote "Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!"?   Answer »
  • In which Humphrey Bogart movie is this line from: "We don't need no stinkin' badges"?  Answer »
  • Humphrey Bogart played a prospector looking for gold in Mexico in this 1948 John Houston classic.  Answer »
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