The Petrified Forest - what that title means, aside from its actual geographic location, I'm not sure. It's about a little bar on the outskirts of civilization (Arizona or New Mexico) where its run by an old man and his daughter or granddaughter (Bette Davis) who keeps getting courted by a football veteran. Enter Alan Squier (Leslie Howard) who has those "book-smarts" and has been around to places like Paris and wrote a book but is now at a crossroads in his life - just the moment to meet a very curious-minded girl like Gabrielle, who, as happens in movies of the period, gets smitten with the guy immediately. But there's a snag when a notorious gangster, Duke Mantee (Bogart), has to hold up at the bar with his fellow gangsters and holds everybody hostage while they wait. This doesn't stop the drama from unfolding, however, nor the talk about wealth and power, first with old man at the bar and then when an upper-class couple who got stranded in a sandstorm come in and also get in on the conversation.<br /><br />This is one of those "talky" movies- meaning very little in the way of action or for ways of Archie Mayo, the director, to try his hand at any special maneuvers with the lens- but it's a good one, and has some challenging little bits from the period. It turns into one of those interesting microcosms that we see sometimes in stage plays or in movies, where a group of people who usually would just say hello/goodbye and be on their way (if that) are thrown together: a smart guy like Alan who becomes heroic after imbibing a few dozen shots; a gruff gangster like Mantee who talks in a way (and by Bogart's performance) where you're not sure what's sarcastic or real; Gabrielle as the girl who two guys are pining for and is not sure what she'll do. Then there's the arrogant jock who ends up getting shot, and the rich couple who have their own sort of long-time-married camaraderie that's mildly amusing. There's even a moment I wasn't expecting where the black gangster in Mantee's group gives some lip to the rich couple's chauffeur for being so "yes, ma'am" and not standing up for himself. Black power in 1936, who knew?! <br /><br />This is not a great movie really by any stretch, and despite a strong climax it ends up getting deflated somewhat from a last-minute obvious note on the getaway of the gangsters that seems very Hayes-code inspired (ambiguity would've benefited, frankly). But the performances make it something of a must-see, with the three leads of Howard and Davis and especially Bogart a great trio to bounce off of one another. While it was another payday for Howard and Davis, both very charming here, this was Bogart's big break (albeit it would be a while before he could shake his bad-guy act in his roles) and he takes it on for all its worth. Just watch him in that scene where he finds out his other gangster pals and his girl have been arrested and his girl may have squealed and he's "gotta think." It's priceless. 8.5/10