Humphrey Bogart got his big break in 1936, when star Leslie Howard insisted he be cast as Duke Mantee, the dead-eyed killer whose gang holes up in a desert gas station on their way to the border.
As a thriller, though, this is no Key Largo; Bogie and his hoods don't show up until late on and many characters are merely broad sketches. Still, if you can get past the painted backdrops and interminable tumbleweed, there's some smart banter, a sweet romance and a surprising ending.
