No other book ever captured the dark and gritty seediness of the noir thriller like Dashiel Hammet's Maltese Falcon , except perhaps Raymond Chandler's Big Sleep, and no other film has made such a stunning representation of a book like this one has. Much of Hammet's own dialogue remains in the script, with some strangely quirky phrases to give it flavor. Example...an odd exchange between Spade and Archer after Miss Wonderly has gone...... "you might have seen her first , but I spoke first" Spade....." you're a smart one.........yes you are." This movie has everything.......larger than life players with just enough eccentricity to make them unique ,a notion that you'd not meet this flamboyant ensemble in a hundred years of trying . And that's the whole point . The pace is quick and the banter is classic with few cosmetic diversions...the movie is all business . A curious sense of comfort commands the screen when Bogart's Spade is around, and he seems to dominate his scenes without diminishing the other performers.....something say a Marlon Brando couldn't do.Spade's dark moods and murky morals become clearer as the movie progresses , and even when events seem to spiral away from him , the viewer is constantly aware that he's in control . Beautiful touches from veteran actors complete John Huston's direction , ie.. Peter Lorre's subtle , sideways glances that tell the world that Joel Cairo ( Hammet's great gift for character names evident again) can't be trusted. Mary Astor's coquetish hand wringing and girlish hesitation belying her calculating menace. And who could ever play the cultured "fat man" villain better than Sidney Greenstreet? You could go on through every role in the movie because there is not one weakness .... and the seemingly "silly lines" in the script almost appear to be left in purposely to flaw what is the perfect example of film noir. Watch and enjoy. JC
Review of The Maltese Falcon
