Review of High Sierra (1941) by April M — 09 Mar 2008

I don't know that I can take crime movies from the '40s seriously. I can't stand the way people held their guns back then, and they're so sloppy, leaving all sorts of clues. The under-cranked car chase was too much; it unintentionally gave it such a comic effect (a la keystone cops) in my mind that I kept making jokes during the scene: "Are they going to do the pit maneuver? Will they put out the spike strip? Is there going to be video footage from the cops' cars? Where's the helicopter and SWAT team?" Still, Bogart was really good.

It's odd that Ida Lupino got first billing, as I've never really heard of her, and the subplot with the lame girl seemed unnecessary, though I guess they needed someone to contrast with Lupino's character -- someone who SEEMS sweet but is in fact rather thoughtless and a flake.

I knew it would end bad, but jeez! DVRed off TCM.