Review of The Maltese Falcon (1941) by Philip S — 23 Jan 2011

Film noir at its finest, hands down. Some people find the story difficult to follow. But the reality is that that is one of the elements of this story style. 'The Maltese Falcon' is proof that while Hollywood's golden age may have come and gone decades ago, there is still enough of an audience for stories as classic as this, that the gold created by Hollywood in its heydey still does, and will, shine bright.

The whole basis of the story centers around a falcon statuette that a bunch of people want. Some would like to believe that it can all be summed up not in Bogart's famed final line from the story. Rather, it can be summed up in the classic adage "There's no honor among thieves". That line alone tells the story's plot. All of the suspects in the story wanted the falcon for themselves. They wanted it so bad that they'd do whateer it takes to get it. It's the perfect formula for a classic soft-boiled murder mystery.

The bonus features offered on the dvd prsentation offer little enhancement to the viewing experience. So for those who might have not enjoyed the movie near as much for lack of ability to follow it, the features will do little to save it. But for those who were able to follow the story, there is little need for them. The addition of a couple classic Looney Tunes cartoons was a bit of a headscratcher for bonus features. That aside, they are still enjoyable. They could even lead audiences to go out and buy the Looney Tunes Golden Collections.

The general added bonus features are nothing to write home about for this dvd. That movie itself is what makes the price of the dvd worth it, regardless of its price. It's a masters class in how to write a great story. The fact that audiences still speak and write of it in such positive fashion is proof that no matter how deep into the barrel Hollywood scrapes, movies such as this will forever stand tall as beacons of everything that was once good and right with Hollywood.