--- title: "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 6 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 6 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics regard The Treasure of the Sierra Madre as a forceful study of greed, with praise centred on John Huston’s writing and direction and the performances of Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston. Bogart’s portrayal of suspicion and moral deterioration draws particular attention, while Walter Huston’s philosophical prospector earns approval even from a sceptical review. The location shooting and convincing atmosphere also feature repeatedly, giving the adventure the realism that admirers find essential to its treatment of human weakness. The disagreement concerns how much the film has to say about greed, and how persuasively it says it. The New Yorker finds the message simplistic and the direction sluggish, though it praises Walter Huston; Time Out sees pretension getting in the way of an enjoyable yarn. The spread is therefore broad: most find the drama searching and honest, while dissenters question its seriousness and pacing. ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic hails the film as a brilliant and sobering study of avarice, crediting John Huston with coaxing outstanding performances from the cast in a gritty location-shot production. Bogart's turn as the corrupted prospector is singled out as one of his most effective. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/treasure-sierra-madre-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 October 2003. Ebert praises the film's exploration of greed and character through adventure, highlighting Walter Huston's masterful performance as the wise prospector and Bogart's fearless portrayal of a man descending into madness. He singles out the stark realism and honesty in the closing scenes as bringing the story to truth. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-1948) ## Variety — Herm Schoenfeld Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 1948. Schoenfeld hails the film as a distinguished and radically different achievement with compelling honesty and powerful authenticity from location shooting and realistic focus. He singles out the grim ironic twist at the end and the superbly balanced cast, especially Walter Huston's energetic performance. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1948/film/reviews/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-1200415708/) ## The New York Times — Bosley Crowther Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 1948. Crowther lauds the film's originality, maturity, and ruthless realism in depicting greed with ironic contempt, crediting Huston's direction and script for a searching drama. He singles out Bogart's performance as his best and most substantial, noting the vivid and exciting action display. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1948/01/24/archives/treasure-of-sierra-madre-film-of-gold-mining-in-mexico-new-feature.html) ## The New Yorker — John McCarten Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 17 January 1948. McCarten finds the film's simple message on greed unconvincing and its direction disappointing and moping compared to Huston's earlier work, despite authentic atmosphere. He singles out Walter Huston's convincing performance as the philosophical prospector for praise amid otherwise uneven execution. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/01/24/1948-01-24-050-tny-cards-000025988) ## Slant Magazine — Rob Humanick 10 October 2010. The critic calls the film one of the most insightful ever made about greed and the effects of temptation on human nature, praising its universal indictment of the profit motive and strong performances, especially Bogart's portrayal of a man destroyed by paranoia. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre/) ## Time Out — SG 10 September 2012. Bogart plays a vicious bastard in this lifeboat-style drama of three prospectors; Huston aims for fable-like eloquence about gold lust but ends up pretentious. A quite enjoyable yarn is buried under the hollow laughter. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre) ## Den of Geek — Tony Sokol Rating 5/5. 10 March 2013. The critic praises the film as a classic tale of greed and an indictment of capitalism, highlighting its personal story of three men corrupted by gold fever told with humor and adventure. He singles out the strong performances, especially Humphrey Bogart's portrayal of the infected everyman Dobbs and the natural interplay among the cast. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-1948-lookbackreview/) ## Collider — Rob Vaux 4 October 2010. The review praises the film as an indisputable classic and highlights Humphrey Bogart's sympathetic portrayal of the flawed Fred C. Dobbs alongside Walter Huston's Oscar-winning performance. It notes the film's exploration of greed and human nature through its strong direction and writing by John Huston. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-maltese-falcon-blu-ray-review-the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-treasure-of-the-sierra-madre.md