The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Bogart show!
Presentation:
Humphrey Bogart plays his signature skeptical character this time as a private investigator trying to unearth the priceless Maltese Falcon. The film has noir aspects with decent cinematography, but the focus is on its talent and story. For a thriller made in 1941, the pacing and tension does get thrilling especially toward the climax and almost goes toe to toe with modern films in excitement. However, like most classic films the language doesn’t always translate with the reveal of the mystery explicitly spoken as opposed to shown. It’s also revealed so quickly that it could be easy to miss; you’ll likely have to rewind to fully grasp how the events happened.
Conclusion:
This is where style and performance trumps story. A fun detective mystery thriller with some spy, deception and action elements that resemble the building blocks of a 007 film. If you like classic films, this is one of the more well executed and presented thrillers, but to be honest you’re really watching this for Bogart. The climax is alright compared to Billy Wilder’s noir storytelling, but even casual audiences might be absorbed by Bogart’s unstoppable performance.
Recommendations
Not even life insurance salesmen can cheat death.