| Casablanca (1943)
Quite easily the greatest film Bogie ever appeared in, Casablanca represents the best of the studio system days of Hollywood. There's something for everyone here, action, romance and comedy. You know the story (and if you don't, you really should), in Nazi-occupied Casablanca where life is cheap, a French resistance leader and his wife turn to Rick Blaine (Bogart) for assistance in escaping to America. Hard-boiled Rick sticks his neck out for no one however, especially the wives of French resistance leaders who abruptly walked out on him years earlier without so much as a goodbye. Now Rick must choose who to help; the resistance leader, his ex-flame, or himself and he must do it quickly for the noose of the Gestapo is tightening in on all sides of their love triangle. With a superb cast including Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Dooley Wilson and Ingrid Bergman, this is a marvelous tale of love lost, renewed and sacrificed.
Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948)
If Casablanca was the greatest film Bogie ever did, Treasure was certainly his finest performance, one that wasn't his typical tough guy role. Bogart stars as Fred C. Dobbs alongside Tim Holt as Bob Curtin, two down on their luck gents looking for a job or better yet; a get rich quick scheme which they find in the ramblings of an old prospector played by Walter Huston (father of director John Huston). After investing their every last penny in the dig operation, they set out to find their riches and eventually do. Little could they have suspected that their worst enemy wouldn't be Mother Nature or bandits, but themselves. Starting out as a fairly likable guy, Dobbs is slowly driven mad by his own greed and paranoia, a terrifying spectacle to watch unfold, especially for his two partners. Treasure is a magnificent psychological drama and a must-see for cinema connoisseurs.
High Sierra (1941)
Level-headed gangster Roy Earle (Bogie) is sprung from prison to aid a couple of young up-and-coming criminals who seriously botch up a jewel heist. Having seen Bogie in several villainous gangster roles, it's interesting to watch him here as a gangster with a heart, a sort of rebel against the system, someone we're supposed to root for, and like Treasure this was far from a typical role for him. The High Sierra experience is somewhat lessened by the inclusion of an awfully racist stereotype of a black man, Algernon (he was all but eating watermelon.) Even though it's not cut from the same masterpiece fabric that Casablanca and Treasure were, High Sierra is still highly entertaining cinema.
They Drive By Night (1940)
Bogart co-stars here with George Raft as brothers who try to make a living as independent truckers. Raft crosses paths with a femme fatale (played by Ida Lupino of High Sierra) and is soon framed for homicide. The film feels somewhat Hitchcockian, especially during a masterfully directed murder scene where the audience gets to see the killer's mind at work, first realizing the opportunity of the crime and then justifying it with her hatred of the victim. Since Bogart is playing second fiddle here to George Raft, I personally wouldn't have chosen this film as one of Bogart's signature appearances. Still, I have to give credit to Warner for not double dipping any titles from other two Bogie Signature Collections or their Film Noir box sets.
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