Film Analysis: The Maltese Falcon

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The Maltese Falcon The Maltese Falcon was a 1941 noir detective film. The film follows typical noir tropes, such as low key lighting, a dark male anti-hero, a femme fatale, and other shady characters. The main story starts off as usual noir films start. A beautiful woman, Wonderly, enters the office of private detective Sam Spade, Bogart, and ask for his help. Sam’s partner, Archer, hits on Ms. Wonderly as she asks the detectives to find a man named Thursby. The detectives agree to help Wonderly. Archer decides to go out and find the man himself and is immediately shot in the following scene. Sam receives a phone call following Archers death and is told about his fate by the police. Spade arrives at the crimes scene and meets officers Pohlhaus …show more content…
Spade leaves angrily only to be forced back into a meeting with the fat man later by the mysterious man. This time the fat man reveals more information about the bird and offers an incredulous amount of money for Sam’s help, but it turns out that the offer was just a ruse. Sam’s drink was spiked the entire time and lengthy soft focused, point of view scene, he passes out. After Spade wakes up he heads over to his office where a dying man eventually stumbles in and give him a package. To Sam’s surprise the package turns out to be the Maltese Falcon. As he gazes at the statuette the phone suddenly rings and only O’Shaughnessy’s scream can be heard. Sam rushes to find O’Shaughnessy, but he is unable to, tired he returns to his home where O'Shaughnessy was hiding the entire time. As the couple enter Spade’s apartment the find themselves trapped by Cairo, the mysterious man, and the fat man. The trio, however, are friendly and pay Sam for his services, but Sam need more. He needs a fall guy who will take blame for all the murders, so that he can avoid conviction. the group decides that the mysterious man, Wilmer, will be the fall guy.
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