The Maltese Falcon is one of the most iconic mystery films of all time. The movie follows Same Spade, played by Humphrey Bogart, as he works to search down the culprit of the murder of his partner Miles Archer. Soon, though, Sam is tangled up in a web of obscurity all surrounding one figure: The Maltese Falcon. A host of mysterious characters like the secretive and sultry Brigid O'Shaughnessy and the conniving Casper Gutman all combine to make this a memorable movie. The greatest aspect of the film is the mystery surrounding the plotline. Its twists and turns are unpredictable and keep the viewer guessing. It creates a believable and exciting mystery story.Humphrey Bogart makes a noteworthy performance in his strong and commanding character, Sam. However, it seems Bogart always chooses movies in which he plays similar characters. It makes me wonder if he really was a great actor or if he was simply being himself in all of his movies. Mary Astor, as Brigid O'Shaughnessy, made the character more complex and mysterious. She plays Brigid as an innocent and unsuspecting woman. It isn't until later in the movie that the viewer finds out about Brigid's darker past. This makes the character interesting and unique. Astor's portrayal of this complex character is truly memorable.
An interesting technical aspect of this film is the use of camera angles and lighting to create drama and add suspense. During the scene in which Sam's partner is shot, the viewer cannot see the shooter and is thrown off by the skewed camera angle. This creates the idea that something is off and adds to the confusion in the murder scene. This is an important development in cinematography because it is a new element of story-telling that wasn't used much during the period before The Maltese Falcon was made. The interesting film angles set the movie apart from other mystery and suspense films of its time. Because of this, it does deserve to be an AFI's top 100 list. It is unique from many of the other mystery movies that were made in the past are being made today.
