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#298 - The Maltese Falcon
John Huston, 1941
A detective starts working a case that gets his partner killed and involves a search for an elusive artifact.
While it's probably not the best of the classic Hollywood noir films, The Maltese Falcon is definitely up there. I'm still a little behind on the classics, especially those involving the laconic Humphrey Bogart as a detective protagonist (I think I'm about due for a re-watch of The Big Sleep at some point), but this is still worth watching regardless. With his worn-out features and demeanour, Bogart lead a solid cast of characters (with memorable turns by familiar faces such as Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. as a pair of low-level crooks who are also on the hunt for the eponymous treasure), frequently coming to blows with male characters or making moves on female characters. The no-nonsense direction from John Huston also makes for the perfect fit for this hard-boiled story.
Though you can pick apart how many of the usual noir tropes pop up here in one form of another, it's all part of the ride as Bogart grumbles his way through a mystery where he is often in charge through either physical dominance or street-smart shrewdness or both, though there are instances where he is outwitted or overpowered just enough to stop him from being invincible and therefore boring. It may not be the greatest detective movie ever made, but it's definitely essential for anyone with even a passing interest in the genre.
John Huston, 1941
A detective starts working a case that gets his partner killed and involves a search for an elusive artifact.
While it's probably not the best of the classic Hollywood noir films, The Maltese Falcon is definitely up there. I'm still a little behind on the classics, especially those involving the laconic Humphrey Bogart as a detective protagonist (I think I'm about due for a re-watch of The Big Sleep at some point), but this is still worth watching regardless. With his worn-out features and demeanour, Bogart lead a solid cast of characters (with memorable turns by familiar faces such as Peter Lorre and Elisha Cook Jr. as a pair of low-level crooks who are also on the hunt for the eponymous treasure), frequently coming to blows with male characters or making moves on female characters. The no-nonsense direction from John Huston also makes for the perfect fit for this hard-boiled story.
Though you can pick apart how many of the usual noir tropes pop up here in one form of another, it's all part of the ride as Bogart grumbles his way through a mystery where he is often in charge through either physical dominance or street-smart shrewdness or both, though there are instances where he is outwitted or overpowered just enough to stop him from being invincible and therefore boring. It may not be the greatest detective movie ever made, but it's definitely essential for anyone with even a passing interest in the genre.