The Maltese Falcon

I didn't enjoy Falcon as much as The Big Sleep, but it was still a really good example of film noir in its prime. John Huston's another director I know at this point mostly be reputation, but this was a very good first effort and he's had some other stuff I definitely would like to see. Bogart's several years younger than in Sleep, although it's kind of hard to tell the difference. It's pretty much the same hard-nosed persona, maybe a little more prone to laughter in certain situations but still a detective who just wants to finish the job.

What starts as a simple tail job results in a couple murders and a rapidly growing conspiracy as several people search for the falcon, a supposedly priceless treasure from hundreds of years ago. Everyone wants to get their hands on it, except for Bogart, who just wants to solve the murders and get paid. The main plot might have been a bit stronger than Sleep but the dialogue wasn't nearly as consistently enjoyable on its own merits, and I really didn't like the leading lady. She was supposed to be really attractive and seductive, but she was merely average looking and constantly breaking down into fake crying to try to lie her way out of trouble instead of just being alluring. Even man-voiced Lauren Bacall was better than that. I really like the noir style whether in traditional usage or a more modern take on it, and I'd like to see more good examples soon.