A great movie, that's all there is to it

Rating: 9/10 (18 September 1999)

First of all, the story is mesmerizing; it's one of those movies you have to watch closely to understand, but once you do, are kept in its grip striaght through to the end. Bogart and Bergman are wonderful together, with marvelous chemistry and sexual tension. However, both stand on their own two feet very well, and give excellent performances. Claude Rains is also quite good as the police cheif who is the recipeint of the famous line, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship". Which brings us to the glorious dialogue that deserves to be quoted (and undoubtedly will be) until the end of time. While overly melo-dramatic at times, the film never loses its power and we can always identify with the characters. Thank God this is one of the better-looking films of its era; most others have only survived in fading prints with muddy sound and fuzzy pictures, but this has always been kept in top-notch condition, to be enjoyed endlessly. May very well be the greatest film of all time.