The best

Rating: 10/10 (8 October 1998)

There are so many reasons why this is the greatest movie ever made. Here are some of my main reasons:
1. There is not one single poor performance.
2. The film surpasses a mere love story. It contains some splendid jokes, political intrigue, acts of war, corrupt officials, black marketeering, violence, and moral courage.
3. As for that love story, can you think of any more mature exposition in movie history of the classic love triangle? The dynamics between Rick, Ilsa and Viktor are perfectly judged: Rick wants to hurt the woman who left him for what he sees as an inferior man (but whom he secretly admires); Ilsa is torn between her duties as a wife and the partner of an international hero, and the genuine passion she feels for Rick; Viktor knows exactly what his wife is feeling, but finds it easier to be a martyr, because he thinks that's his duty.
4. The photography is terrific (example: when Rick opens the safe to get the money out just before Major Strasse arrive - we see only his shadow on the world, dwarfing Claude Rains).
5. The music is wonderful, and has proved hugely durable.
There are about 100 other reasons to admire this film, but these will do for now.