maybe, probably, the best ever

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 1999)

Bogart is great. Raines is great. Henreid is great. Bergman is... pretty.
Seriously, this film is the funniest (in a sophisticated way) pre-'60s movie since Chaplin and Keaton. It is also among the most dramatically powerful, depicting moral dilemmas which, while not necessarily specifically applicable in a peacetime society, do speak to some universal ethical code. The last 20-30 minutes are filled with the best plot twists I've ever witnessed (hell, the last 10 minutes for that matter).
Bogart shows an emotional range in this movie which is roughly akin, in terms of pleasant surprises, to Jim Carrey's in the Truman Show. It was a breakthrough role, and probably his best character. Of course, the screenplay is full of quotes that have been parroted (if incorrectly) down through the decades, but the lesser-known bits of dialogue in between are just as great ("aren't you the kind of girl who tells?").
Everyone who reads this review has undoubtedly already seen the movie, so I won't bother plugging it. Actually I will. See this movie at all costs; it's the best chance you'll ever have to see filmmaking at its most perfect.