The Maltese Falcon (1941)
96%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
5 wins & 3 nominations total
Suspenseful, labyrinthine, and brilliantly cast, The Maltese Falcon is one of the most influential noirs — as well as a showcase for Humphrey Bogart at his finest.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat, The Maltese Falcon is the one for you. It’s got twists and turns that’ll make your head spin, and the cast is just spot-on. Humphrey Bogart is at his absolute best in this flick, and you can’t help but be drawn in by his performance. Plus, it’s one of those movies that’s had a huge impact on the genre, so you know you’re watching something special. If you’re a fan of film noir, you can’t miss this one.
Production Company(ies)
Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Passed
Year of Release
1941
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:1h 40m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 18, 1941 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 1, 2009
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Gladys George, Barton MacLane, Sydney Greenstreet, directed by John Huston, written by Dashiell Hammett, Crime, Drama, Warner Bros Pictures, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, Kevin Maher, Frank P Gill, THR Staff, Otis Ferguson, Nell Minow, M.V Moorhead, P.S Harrison, David Walsh, Matt Neal, Mike Massie, Clyde Gilmour, MPAA rating, The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade, Brigid O’Shaughnessy, Joel Cairo, Iva Archer, Det Lt Dundy, Kasper Gutman, labyrinthine, influential, showcase, noir, suspenseful, brilliant cast, Humphrey Bogart at his finest, valuable statuette, dangerous web of crime and intrigue, bejeweled Maltese falcon, English, Mono, 1941, John Huston, Dashiell Hammett
Worldwide gross: $34,691
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $845,645
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,634
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 92,219
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $375,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $9,141,182
Production budget ranking: 1,710
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,922,526
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$13,218,063
ROI to date (est.): -94%
ROI ranking: 1,985
Mary Astor – Brigid O’Shaughnessy
Peter Lorre – Joel Cairo
Gladys George – Iva Archer
Barton MacLane – Det. Lt. Dundy
Sydney Greenstreet – Kasper Gutman
Director(s)
John Huston
Writer(s)
Dashiell Hammett, John Huston
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
5 wins & 3 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (64) | Top Critics (16) | Fresh (64)
The strange, dreamlike tension of the film escalates with each new confrontation, each new tailing, each new beating…
September 17, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Yes, they’re all after a priceless statuette of a bird, but the pleasure is in the journey.
September 17, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Messrs. Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang, filmdom’s ace thriller directors, had better look to their laurels, for they are facing dangerous competition in John Huston.
June 23, 2021
Frank P. Gill
Detroit Free Press
TOP CRITIC
On a number of accounts it is distinguished celluloid entertainment, but it is of great interest to the trade because it reveals, in startling terms, the unheralded talent of topflight scenarist, John Huston.
October 3, 2018
THR Staff
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
The Maltese Falcon is the first crime melodrama with finish, speed and bang to come along in what seems ages.
August 29, 2012
Otis Ferguson
The New Republic
TOP CRITIC
Excellent but too mature for the littlest kids.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 5/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
The film maintains its tension and wit throughout; on its own terms it’s close to perfect.
October 19, 2021
M.V. Moorhead
Less Hat, Moorhead
Those who did not see the [1931 version] should be held in tense suspense, for the plot developments, although complicated, are fascinating, and the action is thrilling.
June 23, 2021
P.S. Harrison
Harrison’s Reports
The Maltese Falcon does not and should not have a happy ending because … the corrupt, criminal and even guilt-ridden facts of American existence still prevail.
February 10, 2021
David Walsh
World Socialist Web Site
But more often than not, the fast-talkin’ double-talkin’ sings in the mouths of its cast, and Bogart’s performance is a star-maker.
December 10, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Matt Neal
ABC Radio (Australia)
It’s a nonstop verbal joust between each of the severe, slippery characters, all of whom wear unyielding masks to conceal intentions.
August 13, 2020 | Rating: 10/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
This still rates as one of the very best crime-and-mystery jobs Hollywood has ever offered.
October 24, 2019
Clyde Gilmour
Maclean’s Magazine…
Plot
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
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Peter Lorre’s performance as Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon is often cited as one of the highlights of the film.
John-Huston.jpg
