Movie · 1941 · Mystery, Crime, Thriller · 1h 40m · NR · English
Curator score: 8.7/10 (317.8K ratings)
He's a Killer When He Hates!
Overview
A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.7/10
IMDb: 7.9/10
Letterboxd: 3.91/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
Metacritic: 97
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
John Huston
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures
Cast
Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Jerome Cowan, Elisha Cook Jr., James Burke, Murray Alper, John Hamilton, Charles Drake, Chester Gan, Creighton Hale, Robert Homans, William Hopper, Walter Huston, Hank Mann
Curator Review
Verdict
A foundational noir: sharp, cynical, fast-moving, and built on razor-edged dialogue, shadowy intrigue, and a wonderfully slippery cast of suspects. Its plotting can feel dense, but the style, performances, and genre-defining attitude make it essential.
Best for
classic noir fans
viewers who enjoy hardboiled detective stories
fans of witty, cynical dialogue
people interested in early studio-era crime films
viewers who like morally murky ensemble mysteries
Skip if
you want a straightforward, easy-to-follow mystery
you dislike old Hollywood pacing and dialogue-heavy scenes
you prefer modern action over verbal sparring
you need emotionally warm or sentimental characters
Overview
The Maltese Falcon is one of the key films that turned hardboiled crime fiction into a durable screen language. It moves with confidence through a maze of lies, double-crosses, and shifting alliances, and it never pretends anyone here is clean. The pleasure is in watching the film keep tightening the screws while its characters trade barbs and conceal motives.
Worth noting
Humphrey Bogart gives the detective a cool, unsentimental edge, but the movie is just as much about the corrupt ecosystem around him: predators, opportunists, and desperate strivers all circling the same prize. Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre are especially memorable, bringing menace and comic absurdity to the chase.
Bottom line
If the plot feels crowded, that’s part of the noir experience rather than a flaw to be solved. The film’s real achievement is tone: dry, fatalistic, and stylishly unsparing, with a confidence that still makes later crime movies look like they’re chasing its shadow.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (4★) · 1985 likes
Gotta love Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, a wacky duo bumbling around the world for decades, killing random people because they want a dumb bird really bad
eely (3.5★) · 1791 likes
there’s a scene where humphrey bogart rolls, lights, and takes a drag off a cigarette and then gets held at gunpoint, disarms the man holding him at gunpoint, punches him in the face hard enough to knock him out cold, and then goes through all of his belongings all while the cigarette is perfectly balanced between his teeth, and that my friends is what i call talent
Rida (5★) · 1163 likes
Here's what I love about film noir: nobody gets to be an angel. No sentimentality, no melodrama, just tough characters who quip their way in and out of unsavory situations. Needless to say, The Maltese Falcon ticks every box on my list. And it isn't just a film noir; it's the first major film to be recognized as such, and therefore one of the most influential films in the genre. And boy, does it live up to expectations.
Being both… more
Justin LaLiberty (4★) · 748 likes
“When you're slapped, you'll take it and like it”
make crime films sassy again
Jizzmonkey (4★) · 719 likes
An unfamiliar time. Men were men, dames were dames, and smoking was good for you.
1949 · Thriller, Mystery · 1h 45m · NR · Curator 9.6/10 (377K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, IndieFlix, Cineverse, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Stylish postwar mystery with shadowy visuals, moral rot, and a memorable sense of unease.