The Maltese Falcon

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The Maltese Falcon

1941

1h 40m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

99%

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111 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman (Mary Astor). As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows as Sam's partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man (Peter Lorre) demanding he locate a valuable statuette. Sam, entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejeweled Maltese falcon.

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Critics Consensus

Suspenseful, labyrinthine, and brilliantly cast, The Maltese Falcon is one of the most influential noirs -- as well as a showcase for Humphrey Bogart at his finest.

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Patricia Ward

London Evening Standard

The best crook film that's ever been made. Certainly it's the best I've ever seen. Because of brilliant casting, acting and direction it does what every thriller should do: thrills you genuinely and tremendously from start to finish.

Nov 16, 2022

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Evelyn Russell

Sight & Sound

The story is strong of itself with an unusual ending and fine acting, but it is the treatment which makes it the best thriller so far this year.

Nov 16, 2022

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

It is (and this is rare in American films) a work of entertainment that is yet so skillfully constructed that after many years and many viewings it has the same brittle explosiveness -- and even some of the same surprise -- that it had in its first run.

Nov 16, 2022

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Julian Singleton

Cinapse

A rapid-fire mystery that birthed a vast amount of film noir tropes and countless imitators, The Maltese Falcon remains as thrilling and engaging as it must have been eight decades ago.

Jul 11, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

“The stuff that dreams are made of,” comments Spade about the elusive black bird of the title, a sentiment easily applied to this indisputable masterpiece.

Rated: 4/4

Apr 8, 2023

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Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Many people feel The Maltese Falcon is when Bogart became “Bogie”. He exuded a certain calm and cool demeanor that made guys want to grab a beer with him and made women want to date him.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 4, 2023

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David K

Any critic who doesn't give this film a thumbs up is a critic I wouldn't listen to.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/26/25

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Mike C

Morons don't like this film

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/20/25

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Ted B

4.0 stars; No, it's not the greatest movie ever made. But even if it wasn't the first, it's the granddaddy of all film noir. The reason that some people don't get it as a classic is because it was the original, and there have been so many imitators since that it falls into a group of many just like it. But it is the original film noir. The acting was superb all the way around. This film, as a follow-on to High Sierra, made Humphrey Bogart an iconic star.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/14/25

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Emerson H.

With little to no character development and storylines that are too hard to follow, The Maltese Falcon fails to live up to its name as one of the greatest American films.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/21/25

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Nick E

A classic thriller; The Maltese Falcon is a seminal movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/07/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 2/3 hours!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Humphrey Bogart as an American pilot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

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John Huston

Director

Humphrey Bogart

Sam Spade

Mary Astor

Brigid O'Shaughnessy

Peter Lorre

Joel Cairo

Gladys George

Iva Archer

Barton MacLane

Det. Lt. Dundy

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Synopsis

In this noir classic, detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) gets more than he bargained for when he takes a case brought to him by a beautiful but secretive woman (Mary Astor). As soon as Miss Wonderly shows up, trouble follows as Sam's partner is murdered and Sam is accosted by a man (Peter Lorre) demanding he locate a valuable statuette. Sam, entangled in a dangerous web of crime and intrigue, soon realizes he must find the one thing they all seem to want: the bejeweled Maltese falcon.

Director: John Huston
Screenwriter: Dashiell Hammett, John Huston
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers, First National Pictures
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 1941, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 19, 2016
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Mono

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