CINEXA

The Maltese Falcon

Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That's for Sam Spade and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn't like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wonderly, walks into their office; and by that night everything's changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby. It seems Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There's Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There's Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men -- and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon. Use this page to compare cast context, genre fit (Crime, Drama, Film-Noir), release year 1941, and whether this film matches tonight's mood.

The Maltese Falcon poster on CINEXA

Story of The Maltese Falcon

Spade and Archer is the name of a San Francisco detective agency. That's for Sam Spade and Miles Archer. The two men are partners, but Sam doesn't like Miles much. A knockout, who goes by the name of Miss Wonderly, walks into their office; and by that night everything's changed. Miles is dead. And so is a man named Floyd Thursby. It seems Miss Wonderly is surrounded by dangerous men. There's Joel Cairo, who uses gardenia-scented calling cards. There's Kasper Gutman, with his enormous girth and feigned civility. Her only hope of protection comes from Sam, who is suspected by the police of one or the other murder. More murders are yet to come, and it will all be because of these dangerous men -- and their lust for a statuette of a bird: the Maltese Falcon.

Use this page to compare cast context, genre fit (Crime, Drama, Film-Noir), release year 1941, and whether this film matches tonight's mood.

Title facts

  • Type Movie
  • Release year 1941
  • Released 18 Oct 1941
  • Runtime 100 minutes
  • Content rating Approved
  • IMDb rating IMDb 7.9/10 from 173,603 votes
  • Metascore 97/100
  • Genres Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
  • Languages English
  • Countries United States

Cast

Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George

Direction and writing

Directed by: John Huston

Written by: John Huston, Dashiell Hammett

Awards and recognition

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 8 wins & 4 nominations total

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