Review of The Maltese Falcon (1941) by Bentley B — 13 May 2009

"Talking is something you can't do judiciously unless you keep in practice.".

Says the fat man for whom talking is obviously a slick cover! Every character is sharp in this, which helps the movie get away with other, flatter dialogue that sounds like it's coming out of a Monty Python parody of film noir ("You're a good man, sister!").

This is a great double-feature to "Casablanca," made just two years after "Maltese Falcon." "Cas" is a morality tale drenched in humor and romanticism. It's clearly a fun, theatrical take. In it the characters talk about how world-weary and self-centered they are. But in "Maltese Falcon" you can see those qualities in the characters' eyes. There's no fooling around here -- these people are grubby and mean and despicable, right up the ladder to Sam Spade.