It’s hard to think of many greater directorial débuts than John Huston’s first film, The Maltese Falcon. This iconic film noir is almost the first in its genre and also one of Humphrey Bogart’s earliest works. The plot skips along at a breakneck speed. I gather Huston managed to shoot this in order, and that every scene they shot made it into the final edit. This efficiency seems to transfer to the screen, where not a word or movement is wasted. The tension sneaks up on you in this one. By the end of the film your heart is racing and you aren’t quite sure how it got there. Unforgettable performances, a dense atmosphere and an unpretentious but ultimately satisfying plot put The Maltese Falcon easily in the Pantheon of the greatest films ever made. http://benoliver999.com/film/2017/02/07/themaltesefalcon/

For an 80 year old film, _The Maltese Falcon_ holds up remarkably. Well scripted and full of great performances, this film noir mystery bristles along at a great pace. I'm not sure the resolution quite matched the thrilling ride but it's definitely a great watch.

It's heavy. What is it?...... It's the stuff that dreams are made of.

"The Maltese Falcon" is certainly considered one of the all-time classics. It's an early, if not the very first film noir. This features tough, complex characters with actual motivations. And they're not exactly morally pure, either. I saw "The Maltese Falcon" for the first time on the day before I watched the bafflingly praised "Her" (Spike Jonze - 2013). If there were ever a starker contrast in the behavior of characters between two movies, I don't think you'd find it. And if you ask which characters I'd rather hang around with in real life, it would be the tough as nails Humphrey Bogart or the smart and sassy Mary Astor. I can't say I was crazy for this film. It hasn't dated very well. There's a lot of old mannerisms and phrases. Every character speaks extremely fast and I just never bought into the romantic spark between Sam Spade and Brigid O'Shaughnessy. But this thing moves along at a brisk pace and Bogart's Spade is rough and smooth as silk at the same time. Mary Astor is actually the most impressive. She brings a complex and manipulative character to the screen as O'Shaughnessy. And she owns with an explosively emotional performance in the final scenes.

"When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it." It has been awhile since I've last watched the Maltese Falcon so when I started a fresh Letterboxd account I thought it would be great to rewatch this classic and to my surprise I love it even more! The Maltese Falcon is just so damn good for so many reasons. For one, all the dialogue is great. They didn't need any visuals to tell this brilliant story. Secondly, I love that we only see stuff happening through Sam Spade's (Humphrey Bogart) eyes. So many things happening off screen, love it in this film. Thirdly, the acting is superb. The cast does an amazing job. Bogart embraces the anti-hero, Peter Lorre is always fun to watch and he brings such a nervousness to his character, Mary Astor is great at playing the "innocent lady" and how can we forgot about Sydney Greenstreet? What a way to make your on-screen debut! And lets be honest, what a debut for John Huston right? Such a classic straight off the bat! And damn I'm happy Bogart and Huston found each other right off the bat, so many great films these two made together. Anyway if you haven't seen the Maltese Falcon yet, what are you waiting for? You could even listen to it in the car while driving to work but you'll miss out on so many brilliant slaps.