The Maltese Falcon is a 16th century, jewel-encrusted, golden falcon. Its whereabouts is a mystery but a group of unscrupulous collectors/dealers are desperately searching for it. We first learn about the treasure when Ruth Wonderly walks into Sam Spade & Miles Archer’s Private Investigation firm. Ruth claims to be looking for her sister, but when the case results in Archer’s death, Sam immediately recognizes that something bigger is going on. Sam is thrust into a precarious position, having to trust habitual liar Ruth, dealing with the potentially dangerous people who were after her, and evading the police who suspect he has something to do with Archer’s death. Sam never quite seems in control of the unfolding events, but is nimble enough a character to navigate a web of lies and threats.
For some, “The Maltese Falcon” is the first true film noir film. And while film noir is a genre that I generally don’t have an appetite for, I enjoyed this film quite a bit. I think its because, for all of the typical film noir moodiness and dull sets/lighting, there’s actually a pretty comical, diverse set of characters. Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade is predictably macho and cunning, but vulnerable enough to not feel super-powered. Mary Astor’s Ruth Wonderly/Brigid was a fantastic femme fatale. Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre’s Gutman and Cairo were fascinating antagonists for the same reason I liked Spade—they never quite seemed to be in control and were a bit outside the traditional bad guy archetype. What resulted was an interesting enough film, and one which I never really ever knew where it was heading.