Written by: John Huston (screenplay); Dashiell Hammett (novel)
"The Maltese Falcon" stands as one of the essential and archetypal P.I. films. When parodies of private detectives arise in pop culture - the Prairie Home Companion segment "Guy Noir" comes to mind - it is usually based on this (and a bit of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe as well).
Beyond it's place as a cultural touchstone, "The Maltese Falcon" is still a pretty good film as well.
The story surrounds every character doing whatever they can - including murder - to acquire the priceless statue named in the title. Detective Sam Spade (Bogart) gets drawn into drama when his partner is killed. From there it is a game of cat and mouse, lies and half-truths until the location and possession of the statue is resolved (with one final twist I won't give away here).
The plot development is a bit rough at points, as characters lie and mislead each other as well as the audience. This can be frustrating, but ultimately everything is resolved and explained. It's a fun ride, though, and well worth watching.
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