Year of Release: 1941Country of Origin: USA
Director: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet
Plot outline: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette (IMDb).
There have been better detective movies, better mysteries; Chinatown, for example. But, no other movie defines the genre as well as The Maltese Falcon. All of the stereotypes are there. The fast-talking tough guy detective, who can size up a situation quicker than anyone. His loyal Girl Friday, willing to obey orders no matter how outlandish. The femme fatale, beautiful but duplicitous. The money, the slang, the cops, the guns, the hit men. Evening is eternal. And colourful bad guys, all too ambitious and greedy to avoid their fate either in prison or the morgue. Its greatness comes in gathering all the elements of its style with such forcefulness. And the cast is outstanding. Could it have been made without Humphrey Bogart in the lead? Sure, but it wouldn't have been as good. Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet - all lend their inimitable Hollywood personas to their memorable characters. John Huston's crackling dialogue and confident direction aspire to greatness. Like all things, however, the movie is not perfect. The editing is below the usual Warner Bros. standards, and the climatic scene of Greenstreet discovering the true nature of the black bird is marred by an anonymous voice over. The line "Fake! It's a phony! It's lead! It's lead! It's a fake!" is clearly not delivered by any of the actors present in the room. Such flaws are trivial, of course, and don't reduce the pleasure one receives from viewing such a great movie. If anything, they are like a beauty mark on the face of a lovely model, which confirms her true identity as her style is changed by varying attires. (BK)
My judgement: **** out of 4 stars
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