Review of The Maltese Falcon (1941) by Chris W — 21 May 2013

John Huston's debut film is the third(!) adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's classic detective novel. Much like Ben-Hur, I had no idea that the classic that everyone raves about is a remake or at least not the first version.

Regardless, this is a great film, and it pretty much kick started the film noir subgenre. The film concerns private eye Sam Spade who gets caught up in a web of mystery, intrigue, and a valuable item when a lovely lady shows up at his office needing his services. From there the film becomes less about the plot and the statue of the title (it's a classic MacGuffin), and is instead a sharply written, wonderfully acted, and excellently paced character study where the focus is less on action, and more of a duel of wits.

The cinematography is elegant, evocative, and sets the mood perfectly. The music starts off kinda light and almost unfitting, but then comes around, saves itself, and adds to the tension and suspense. The acting is where the film really shines though, As Sam Spade, Humphrey Bogart stopped being a B-Level character player and became the A-List icon everyone knows and loves. Peter Lorre is good as the iffy and effeminate Joel Cairo, and Mary Astor makes for a terrific femme fatale, but it's Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut as Kasper Gutman who really impresses, definitely making a solid impression, thanks in part to his intimidating build (guy must be at least 6 feet tall and weigh over 300 lbs).

All in all, this is a stirring and memorable caper that just cruises right along and, despite the twisty, turny nature of the plot, never becomes incomprehensible, and gets wrapped up nicely by the time the end credits roll. This one set a standard that is still influencing pop culture today, and definitely deserves to be seen.