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The Maltese Falcon

Play trailer Poster for The Maltese Falcon 1941 1h 40m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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99% Tomatometer 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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The Maltese Falcon

The 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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Critics Reviews

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Patricia Ward London Evening Standard 11/16/2022
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. Go to Full Review Evelyn Russell Sight & Sound 11/16/2022
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. Go to Full Review Pauline Kael The New Yorker 11/16/2022
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. Go to Full Review Julian Singleton Cinapse Jul 11
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. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 04/08/2023
4/4
“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. Go to Full Review Allison Rose FlickDirect 04/04/2023
5/5
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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ron T. @MajorKabakov Dec 26 Absolute masterpiece See more David K Nov 26 Any critic who doesn't give this film a thumbs up is a critic I wouldn't listen to. See more Mike C Oct 20 Morons don't like this film See more Ted B @Movieaddicted Oct 14 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. See more Emerson H. @RTreviews7282 Jul 21 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. See more Nick E @nicksmovies93 Jul 7 A classic thriller; The Maltese Falcon is a seminal movie. See more Read all reviews
The Maltese Falcon

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Cast & Crew

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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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The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon (1941) View more photos

Movie Info

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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