9/10

In this scene, it is established that Rick Blaine is a cynical, apathetic man, as Ugarte points out plainly. Ugarte is trying to sell letters of transit to refugees in Casablanca, preying on those desperate for escape – in short Rick ends up hiding two tickets for Ugarte. Throughout the film, desperation is a common theme, reflective of the time period through the characters relationships, an example of this would be Rick and Ilsa’s relationship, how fragile Blaine’s control on life gets once she re-enters his life, he’s always been in control of every life he has lived up until this point, an ex-lover who broke his heart is enough to crack through his cynical exterior. I also appreciate how the film hones in on ricks journey away from his cynical ways following the separation from Ilsa in France, by the end of the film he sacrifices his selfish whims for the greater good, sending Ilsa and Victor (her husband) away by choice this time.