Cheap Sirocco (Video) (Humphrey Bogart, Lee J. Cobb) (Curtis Bernhardt) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Sirocco

Been There, Done That Much Better Before
Humphrey Bogart stars as an American operating in the black market in Syria during the French occupation. Bogart can't return to the U.S. because of his shady past. He has no loyalty to either side ... he is his number one concern. He becomes intrigued by Marta Toren, the mistress of a French officer, Lee J. Cobb, who wants to make peace between Syria and France. He crosses paths with Bogart several times as both men pursue Toren and become embroiled in the political conflict.

Sirocco isn't a particularly interesting film. Bogart seems bored by the whole thing, giving a tired, been there, done that performance that makes you wish you were watching one of his earlier films where this type of character and situation was much better played out. The characters aren't compelling enough to care about, which really kills any chance for dramatic tension. The script is dry, the direction bland, and the film appears to have been made on the cheap. Fans of Bogart will want to watch this if only to see him, but it ranks amongst his lesser efforts.

---

Mediocre effort, at best, but a few segments sparkle.
This isn't as bad as most critics, and Bogart himself (who said this was a "real stinker") have suggested.

It's fairly mediocre, but then not every actor's career can be a gem, and even a solid effort can be appreciated. Bogart reprises a role similar to the one he played in Casablanca and To Have and Have not, but there just isn't much there for him so you have to take the weight of his persona and film history instead of relying on his character. IT works, but barely.

The other characters let the story down, as sadly is so often the case in Bogart's movies. It's almost as though they rely on him to carry the film and don't bother giving him interesting people interact with. The cinematography and location camerawork is pretty good though.

worth seeing, but very barely, and only if you are a Bogart fan.