A máltai sólyom

“I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble." The debut of one of the biggest kings of the silver screen, John Huston, and the aura of one of the best ever noir movies. And that sort of outweighs the fact that this is “only" a good movie, pulled upward primarily by Humphrey Bogart whose charisma oozes out of him by the gallon (which is nothing new, of course). The fundamental shortcoming of The Maltese Falcon is that nobody joined in with his gala performance. Which is downright regrettable, especially in the female roles. The overall positive impression comes mainly from the perfect ending. But if you don’t expect the impossible from this classic, I don’t think you can be disappointed. (2008.04.06)

My favorite film noir. A story with a veil of mystery, relentless pace, an atmosphere of pleasant uncertainty, and Bogart at the peak of his powers, unaware that his charismatic Sam Spade will go down in history. I may have trouble sleeping for a few days, but then it will pass. - - New Year's Eve screening 2005 (2005.12.31)

It is paradoxical that I never managed to perceive this film as a classic noir, even though was there at the beginning of the famous black series and thus represents the basic building block of the noir genre. I rather associate the genre with tragedy and inner demons, whereas The Maltese Falcon always was for me a genuine crime comedy, thanks to the casting and performances. I can't shake the feeling that Bogart overacts when playing the private detective Sam Spade. He adds so much casualness, confidence, and cynicism that he sometimes crosses the boundaries of caricature. Also, the crafty and scheming characters of Joel Cairo and his boss Kasper Gutman, portrayed by Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, turn into clownish figures instead of those who should inspire fear. The novel is considered one of the most significant works of American detective literature and has been successfully filmed multiple times. However, to me, the battle over the mysterious valuable statue with a complicated history always seemed more like something out of Indiana Jones adventure stories than a "serious" subject. Overall impression: 65%. (2017.09.13)

A great classic and apparently one of the first films that can be labeled as a noir film. It's difficult because expressionism played with shadows similarly, and on the other hand, "The Maltese Falcon" somewhat avoids them, but the story about a statue that still cannot be found is brilliantly functional, and it also surprises with humor, not to mention the great ending. (2014.09.08)