I was really looking forward watching this film. When I was a kid, I have seen a few minutes from it. I was always curious about the rest. I always knew that it is a great classic. I also wanted to see Humphrey Bogart in other films than Casablanca.
The Maltese Falcon turned out to be an excellent choice. If this is what film noir is about, than I definitely want to see more. The protagonist isn’t a hero, isn’t a legendary gunslinger (doesn’t even carry a gun) he is just a smart, tough and cynical private detective. There is no happy end in any means. The hero survives, and that is all — there is no large financial gain, there is no love found, there is no real justice carried out.
Being an almost 70-year-old movie, the plot was surprisingly complex for me — I expected a much simpler storyline. And, unlike many modern thrillers, there is a lot of mystery, but absolutely no confusion.
The only thing that was a bit strange was that the characters were far too one-dimensional. We expect a much more complex performance from the actors today. Sydney Greenstreet and Lee Patrick plays extremely well, but I, being someone who was born in 1978 (the premier of Star Wars) would have been a lot happier if I could learn a bit more about their character’s background.
