Greatest American Movie Ever

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2009)

Hollywood(land) never made a better film, and I strongly believe that they never will. This film started as a flawed small film that the star (Bogart) hated, saying "the situations are ridiculous." Adapted from a play that is now little known, the screenplay, courtesy of the Epstien twins and is often regarded as the greatest ever.
As well it is peppered with famous scenes, such as the flashback and airport, backed by excellent sets, powerful screenplay with great lines tossed around casually, and stupendous acting from Bogart, Bergman, Greenstreet, and Rains. To say that this is Bogart's strongest performance would be difficult, considering the versatility proved by him in Treasure of the Seiarra Madre, but Bogart was born to play this part, which contains the romantic hero, the sad drunk, the lonesome drifter, and the devil-may-care noir hero. His acting is genius, a stream of forlorn faces, emotionless reactions, excellent deliverance of lines, and confident movements, all of which is outlined in the waving, shimmering distortion of the smoke from his cigarette.
To sum it up, the best romance ever, the best American movie ever, the best actor ever delivering his best performance, reading the best screenplay ever, all work together to be one of the most beloved of all movies.