I don't think it's movie snobs who talk about it that way. Their opinion is that it's a nice example of the studio system at its peak with a bunch of great character actors and some nice quotable lines, but a creaky plot. And Michael Curtiz was never more than a workmanlike director.
There used to be a lot more of the cult of Bogart, but that's faded now.That said, there are some great Bogart performances--Petrified Forest, Maltese Falcon and Treasure of the Sierra Madre come to mind.
“There used to be a lot more of the cult of Bogart, but that’s faded now.That said, there are some great Bogart performances—Petrified Forest, Maltese Falcon and Treasure of the Sierra Madre come to mind.”
“The Caine Mutiny”—his performance blew my mind.
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