Review of The Maltese Falcon (1941) by Sam A — 06 Jan 2014

While I definitely prefer Bogart's The Big Sleep better, he was brilliant in this film as were the rest of the cast. Sydney Greenstreet was my favorite as the obese and sinister yet somehow jolly villain.

Brilliant use of noir techniques put this film apart from other detective thrillers and the ending is not only unpredictable but fulfilling despite its unconventional non-Hollywood nature. The other reason why this film is so important was because it launched Bogart's career as a leading man and by doing so shaped cinema of the 40s by making it possible for him to be cast in such films as The Big Sleep and Casablanca among others which would not have been the same without him.