It’s hard to think of many greater directorial débuts than John Huston’s first film, The Maltese Falcon. This iconic film noir is almost the first in its genre and also one of Humphrey Bogart’s earliest works.

The plot skips along at a breakneck speed. I gather Huston managed to shoot this in order, and that every scene they shot made it into the final edit. This efficiency seems to transfer to the screen, where not a word or movement is wasted.

The tension sneaks up on you in this one. By the end of the film your heart is racing and you aren’t quite sure how it got there.

Unforgettable performances, a dense atmosphere and an unpretentious but ultimately satisfying plot put The Maltese Falcon easily in the Pantheon of the greatest films ever made.

http://benoliver999.com/film/2017/02/07/themaltesefalcon/

Cinema Paco 2. In. 4.25 / 5 Sound 3/5. Classic black cinema. Great movie with great performances

By god, sir, this is a wonderful film. Perfect from start to finish, but special mention goes to Greenstreet and Lorre who ooze into the film with these delightful, specific mannerisms that elevate the characters to something so memorable. Bogart, of course, is the picture of perfection--world-weary, sharp as a tack, and running circles around all the other characters. The screenplay sparkles and the cinematography is stunning. One of my favorites.

A classic of suspense movies.

For an 80 year old film, _The Maltese Falcon_ holds up remarkably. Well scripted and full of great performances, this film noir mystery bristles along at a great pace. I'm not sure the resolution quite matched the thrilling ride but it's definitely a great watch.

film noir as French put it

"Stuff that dreams are made up of" good movie

I know this movie is in the IMDb top 250 but I found it slow and boring.

Very nice detective story with several twists in the end. This one is just classic noir with famme fatale and masculine detective. The screenplay is well written and you just watch the movie as if it's part of a novel (there actually is a base novel ;))

A good script filled with interesting characters and great performances. The first film noir holds up well.

A classic of the thriller.

It's heavy. What is it?...... It's the stuff that dreams are made of.

Humphrey Bogart makes the movie. It's considered a classic much like Join steinbeck's books. The falcon represents desire, greed, hubris. Great movie of you get the inflection back when movies were more art than computer animation or things blowing up.

**Note the Bogart version was made in the 1940's but it was a remake of the 1931 movie of the same name, both based on the book of the same name.