The Maltese Falcon

John Huston’s THE MALTESE FALCON (1941, 100 min)

One of the most influential noirs ever made, this razor-sharp crime thriller follows detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) as he navigates a web of greed, deceit, and murder surrounding a jewel-encrusted falcon. An unforgettable ensemble—including Sydney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Elisha Cook Jr.—brings Hammett’s morally complex characters to life with sizzling chemistry. Huston’s first feature as a director, it cemented Bogart’s tough-guy persona and established the blueprint for film noir: shadowy visuals, winding plots, and morally ambiguous heroes. A critical and box-office success, it has influenced countless thrillers, most famously inspiring the tone and style of Brian De Palma’s “Scarface.”