One of the best.

Rating: 10/10 (13 August 2002)

***Spoilers***
Casablanca is certainly one of the most exciting and touching films ever made. We like it's main characters because of what they do, they are willing to sacrifice there most vital relationships for the sake of a greater cause. They represent the best within us.
The story is set in Casablanca a Moroccan seaport that is the last portal of escape for Europeans who are fleeing the spreading menace of fascism and the World War. Casablanca is full of intrigue and danger a city full of refugees from all over Europe as well as those ready to aid them (for a price) or prey on them.
Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Blaine, the tough cynical owner of a restaurant where expatriates congregate. He reveals himself at first to be a selfish and cold hearted man. As the story progresses we learn that despite his motto `I stick my neck out for no one' he in the past has placed his life in danger for many worthy causes. He is a romantic and idealist whose spirit has been crushed by the harshness of the world.
Soon we learn the exact circumstances of his disillusionment. Ilsa Laszlo, played by Ingrid Bergman, wanders into his restaurant, accompanied by Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid a hero of the anti-Nazi resistance. They need letters of transit to escape Casablanca, and continue to fight the good fight, and soon learn that Rick has got them. Rick however wants to retain his political neutrality, and we soon learn, is bitter that Ilsa walked out of him during a love affair that they had in Paris years ago.
At its heart, the film is about the need to sacrifice personal happiness for the greater good. It probably cannot be divorced from its historical context. It was released in America when the country had just plummeted into World War 2. In order to prevent the world from being annihilated or enslaved, ordinary people had to put aside their petty grievances and find within themselves that which is heroic. That's what this movie is about.
It's also enormously entertaining. The film boasts wonderful performances by Claude Rains as Captain Louis Renault, another idealist trying to pass himself off as a cynical profiteer. Peter Loore is delightfully slimy as Ugarte, a petty thief who tries to turn every situation to his advantage. As countless others have already said the dialogue is second to none, providing a plethora of instantly quotable lines.
Casablanca, is rousing, thrilling and deeply moving. It gives us the great themes within a framework small enough to feel personal. This is moviemaking at it's best.