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The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon

Mystery · Crime · 1931

A lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.

Movie details

The Maltese Falcon

1931 Mystery · Crime 1h 20m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

A lovely dame with dangerous lies employs the services of a private detective, who is quickly caught up in the mystery and intrigue of a statuette known as the Maltese Falcon.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Maltese Falcon?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Song of the Thin Man

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A Shot in the Dark

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Inspector Jacques Clouseau, smitten with the accused maid Maria Gambrelli, unwittingly turns a straightforward murder investigation into a comedic series of mishaps, testing the patience of his irritable boss Charles Dreyfus as casualties mount.

Murder in Three Acts

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Crime · 1986

In Acapulco, Hercule Poirot attends a dinner party in which one of the guests clutches his throat and suddenly dies. The causes seem to be natural until another party with most of the same guests produces another corpse.

Lady in the Lake

Lady in the Lake

Mystery · 1946

Private eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to locate the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. The assignment quickly becomes complicated when bodies start turning up.

The Mirror Crack'd

The Mirror Crack'd

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The Interview

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Crime · 1998

A duel between a suspected murderer and a detective pressed by people who want results. But whose skin is really wanted?

Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors

Miss Marple: They Do It with Mirrors

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At the insistence of Ruth Van Rydock, an old schoolfriend who is convinced that there is something wrong, Miss Marple agrees to visit 'Stonygates', the country house of Ruth's sister.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon

Mystery · 1941

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

Evil Under the Sun

Evil Under the Sun

Thriller · 1982

An opulent beach resort provides a scenic background to this amusing whodunit as Poirot attempts to uncover the nefarious evildoer behind the strangling of a notorious stage star.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Roy Del Ruth

Written by

Maude Fulton · Brown Holmes

Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo Cortez

Sam Spade

Bebe Daniels

Bebe Daniels

Ruth Wonderly

Dudley Digges

Dudley Digges

Casper Gutman

Una Merkel

Una Merkel

Effie Perrine

Robert Elliott

Robert Elliott

Police Lt. Dundy

Thelma Todd

Thelma Todd

Iva Archer

Otto Matieson

Otto Matieson

Dr. Joel Cairo

Court is in session

Put The Maltese Falcon on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Cool Ironist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.