The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Directed by John Huston. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Lee Patrick, Ward Bond, Barton MacLane, Elisha Cook Jr., Gladys George, Jerome Cowan.

In one fell swoop, writer/director Huston (his directorial debut, no less) took Dashiell Hammett’s novel and not only launched film noir into the mainstream, but also crafted perhaps the quintessential detective film. Labyrinthine story, existing largely in shadowy offices and foggy streets, concerns the obsessive pursuit for the valuable statuette of the title, the “stuff that dreams are made of.” Bogie is private eye Sam Spade, hired by more-than-meets-the-eye client Astor for a job that twists and escalates quickly, resulting in murders, double-crosses, and more. Greenstreet and Lorre, both terrific, fill out meaty roles of unscrupulous parties that are also formidably interested in the enamel-coated bird. Stylish and without a trace of fat (Huston thoroughly storyboarded the entire movie, a practice that was uncommon outside of animation at the time); it’s a completely engrossing mystery, often imitated and never equaled, with the Spade character—and Bogart’s portrayal—becoming instantly iconic in the genre. Story previously told in a 1931 film of the same name (with more suggestive pre-Code dialogue), but can’t hold a candle to this version. Huston’s dad, Walter, has a small uncredited role.

98/100