If The Maltese Falcon was Huston’s film about greed, then this film is about Greed with a capital G. It may the definitive film on the cancerous and corrupting influence of the American dream, namely, to get rich. Bogart plays his first non-heroic role since becoming a big star, though his Fred C. Dobbs is more of a tragic, weak figure than an out and out bad guy. Huston directed his father, Walter, to an Oscar as the sage but nuts old prospector. Together, they give two mesmerizing performances, Bogart slipping further and further into paranoia and madness as the gold piles up. A remarkable film, one of the best ever made in Hollywood.