Review of The Petrified Forest (1936) by Matt P — 12 Jul 2011

Out from the hot and dry desert of Arizona emerges a figure known as Alan Squire, an British writer traveling the world with riches behind him and dreams to document his "adventure." Stopping at a simple service station/restaurant he finds Gabrielle (Bette Davis) who ALSO has hopes and dreams...hers are just to move to Hollywood to become a famous actress. But, like every other gangster from of the 30s, there's a "bad-guy" prowling around, robbing banks and hijacking cars for their loot. And I could go on describing the plot, if I didn't have anything else rather interesting to say. But I don't. The plot is about the only thing making this movie remotely interesting. Classifying it as a "gangster" movie would be a gross understatement. It's more of an attempted film to be a classic with the hopes of BEING a gangster film simply because it has an actor like Bogart.

Aside from Bogart (whose performance was even a little melodramatic), this movie truly has no other interesting characters to offer. Alan, played by Leslie Howard, would seem to be the quick-talking show-stealer, but it's because how fast and ordinary he talks that me makes for a flat character. His whole role his just one big monologue that never ends until he's shot dead by the evil Duke Mantee (Bogart's character). Davis at least tried to seem supportive, but she seemed like she was trying a little too hard to make the movie hers. Of course, being one of her earlier pictures one shouldn't expect any less. The film's all sort of bland and uninteresting, but what makes me appreciate it is again, the hold-up part. And this is a long shot, but, the contrast between Bogart's character and Howard's. In the end though, I was always voting for Bogart. When he and his posse came in the story just seemed to get a lot more interesting. Like I was actually caring more what happened to these local Arizonians. With little action, and long drawn out scenes, it's a "gangster" movie set in a strange setting, what else do you expect? It's not like it's Chicago, or New York or anything. Just simple old Arizona, and anytime a bad-guy makes his way to the middle of nowhere that makes it all the more caring what the hell people are like there (unlike how the other gangster movies depict, the people of the city are all bootleggers or drunks)--according to Archie Mayo.