The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 film noir directed and scripted by John Huston in his directorial debut, based on Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel of the same name. It stars Humphrey Bogart as private investigator Sam Spade and Mary Astor as his femme fatale client. Gladys George, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet co-star, with Greenstreet appearing in his film debut. The story follows a San Francisco private detective and his dealings with three unscrupulous adventurers, all of whom are competing to obtain a jewel-encrusted falcon statuette.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Aside from John Huston having an impressive directorial debut with this film, the film helped Hollywood reach a new degree of psychological honesty.
 * 2) The film pretty much invented the film noir genre and paved way for many more of its kind with a lot of the major elements being used in future films.
 * 3) After two previous adaptations of the Hammett novel, this film finally showed audiences the book's true potential. And as a bonus, the film his loads of rewatch value, that improves with each rewatch. Huston's adaptation of the novel does more than just recreate scenes from the novel, it recognizes the queasy underside to Hammett's plot, the allure of thievery, of getting away with sleeping with your partner's wife, of double-crossing your putative partners, of pulling one over the cops. Huston knew he didn't have to commit to Hammett's story, as long as he presented it honestly.
 * 4) The main cast all pull off great performances with Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre all turning in top-notch performances.
 * 5) Bogart in particular shines in his performance with more screen time than any of the other characters. He holds back what he's thinking from the audience -- a vast contrast from broad, hammy and often ill-fitting juvenile roles. He's underacting in this film, is a major factor to the film's success.
 * 6) Peter Lorre had achieved international prominence as a pedophile and serial killer in M.
 * 7) Sydney is an esteemed stage actor making his cinematic debut
 * 8) Elisha Cook Jr. is promoted here from his usual messenger boy or elevator operator role.
 * 9) Mary Astor's scandalous past made her especially effective as the film's femme fatale.
 * 10) The reveals that the Maltese falcon is a fake, and the Brigid killed Spade's partner are both still surprising twists that hold up today. Mainly the former one.
 * 11) Sam Spade has shown to be pretty relatable despite being a manipulative anti-hero, due to his honorable between his late partner, with he hides incredibly well with his shady moments.
 * 12) *Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Kasper Gutman are both well-written antagonists for the story.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Misleading poster: Sam Spade's holding a pair of guns in his hands, but in the actual film, Spade stated that he didn't like guns, plus those guns aren't even his.