Movies From the Hat: The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Recommended by Niall

 

“I couldn’t be fonder of you if you were my own son. But, well, if you lose a son, it’s possible to get another. There’s only one Maltese Falcon. ” – Kasper Gutman

Number of Times Seen – 2 (6 Jun 1999 and 10 Sep 2014)

Brief Synopsis – An experienced private eye is hired for a job, but suspects that something devious is going on which leads to murder and a strange valuable long lost artifact.

My Take on it – Having not seen this movie in over 15 years, I had forgotten how good it is.

John Huston directly this movie so well that it seems to be almost completely flawless.

His insistence on Humphrey Bogart for the lead part of Sam Spade was perfect.

He has brought us one of the best personas of a PI in film noir.

He is smart, witty and even powerful in a fight.

This movie was scripted by Huston himself based on Dashiell Hammett’s novel and it flows so well it feels like you’re reading a great detective novel which is actually what Huston wanted viewers to think.

Is it just me or does the above picture seem like a subliminal message to Academy voters? 🙂 (They did get 3 nominations [Picture, Supporting Actor and Screenplay] even though they didn’t win any of them.)

Bottom Line – Excellent thriller/mystery that does a great job keeping the viewer’s interest because something is always happening to move the plot further along. Bogie at his best as the fast talking smart PI Sam Spade. Highly recommended!

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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