The Maltese Falcon
1941
****
Director: John Huston
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Jerome Cowan, Elisha Cook Jr., James Burke, Murray Alper, John Hamilton, Walter Huston
John Huston's terrific directorial debut is based on Dashiel Hammett's 1930 novel. Humphrey Bogart plays Sam Spade, a private detective who finds himself sucked into a web of intrigue surrounding a valuable falcon statuette. This quintessential film noir contains all the key ingredients of the genre: a tough hero, a femme fatale, and memorably shady villains played by Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet. The film is entertaining, although the story ultimately feels like much ado about nothing.
