IMDb Top 250: 103
The Maltese Falcon is one of the most famous film noirs, the film that made Humphrey Bogart a star, and an American classic.
I have no idea why.
Collectively, the Maltese Falcon is not an interesting movie and I frequently found myself trying to stop from nodding off. The story is not interesting: we don't like Miles, so we don't care that he's killed. That short scene with him dying was particularly bad. Miles stands, smiling with a goofy expression at the camera when a gun in first person shoots him, and he doesn't react until he's shot. It's cheesy, and the scene is poor overall. So we never care to learn who killed him.
The whole plot is just silly, actually. Sam Spade tries to find a statue with a woman and a couple of bad Bond villains. There's little tension, action, or suspense in the entire movie. It seems the story simply progresses towards a finale that just... happens. Several things are poorly explained, so poorly that I don't know who is responsible for 2 of the murders, why a boat burns, or how Sam acquires a certain package.
Speaking of Sam, his acting is one of the few highlights. Not his character though. Humphrey Bogart delivers as the snide main character, but I didn't like him, except for his action at the very end. He's just not a good guy.
Another problem is Mary Astor. I learnt, post-viewing, of her wild private life. I wouldn't have known it by seeing the film. She's not a very good liar character, I feel she was horribly miscast. She doesn't have any edge, and she and Bogart have no chemistry.
The three villains are similar. None of them are intimidating, except the boy, but he's too stupid or hot-tempered to be dangerous. The other two are just silly.
The Maltese Falcon didn't live up to the hype I had for it. It wasn't interesting and had little payoff. In my opinion, it is undeserving of the praises it has received. 7.2/10
The Maltese Falcon is one of the most famous film noirs, the film that made Humphrey Bogart a star, and an American classic.
I have no idea why.
Collectively, the Maltese Falcon is not an interesting movie and I frequently found myself trying to stop from nodding off. The story is not interesting: we don't like Miles, so we don't care that he's killed. That short scene with him dying was particularly bad. Miles stands, smiling with a goofy expression at the camera when a gun in first person shoots him, and he doesn't react until he's shot. It's cheesy, and the scene is poor overall. So we never care to learn who killed him.
The whole plot is just silly, actually. Sam Spade tries to find a statue with a woman and a couple of bad Bond villains. There's little tension, action, or suspense in the entire movie. It seems the story simply progresses towards a finale that just... happens. Several things are poorly explained, so poorly that I don't know who is responsible for 2 of the murders, why a boat burns, or how Sam acquires a certain package.
Speaking of Sam, his acting is one of the few highlights. Not his character though. Humphrey Bogart delivers as the snide main character, but I didn't like him, except for his action at the very end. He's just not a good guy.
Another problem is Mary Astor. I learnt, post-viewing, of her wild private life. I wouldn't have known it by seeing the film. She's not a very good liar character, I feel she was horribly miscast. She doesn't have any edge, and she and Bogart have no chemistry.
The three villains are similar. None of them are intimidating, except the boy, but he's too stupid or hot-tempered to be dangerous. The other two are just silly.
The Maltese Falcon didn't live up to the hype I had for it. It wasn't interesting and had little payoff. In my opinion, it is undeserving of the praises it has received. 7.2/10