Recommended Noirs

The Maltese Falcom (1941, Warner Brothers) written and direct by John Huston (his directorial debut) from the novel by Dashiell Hammet! Meet gumshoe Sam Spade, meet his heel of a partner, Miles Archer, meet his Sam smitten wife Iva, meet Brigid O'Shaunessy, Floyd Thursby, Joel Cairo, Wilmer the gunsel, Kasper the fatman Gutman, Effie the secretary, the ill fated Captain Jacobi and Detective Dundy. Meet them in one of the greatest movies ever made, and if you can, meet them tonight.

For as long as I can remember, this has been my favorite movie to stay home and watch on a Friday night. I don't know why certain movies or genres go with certain days, but damn they do, and I'm grateful.

The Maltese Falcon is the story of a shady and somewhat ruthless private dick named Sam Spade, the murder of his partner, the deadly lure of a Femme Fatale, and the ends a group of hedonists will go to to to secure a priceless artifact.

This flick, from early in the cycle, was actually the third feature adaptation of Hammet's classic novel and is clearly the best. The performances by Bogart, Lorre, Astor, Greenstreet and Elisha Cook Jr. are legendary and perfect in every dimension.

I cannot give a better recommendation than I give this movie. Check it out, soon as you can. I'm watching it tonight, after the Knicks.