It's thrilling... it's chilling... it's the most baffling mystery story in years!

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLane, Lee Patrick, Sydney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, Jerome Cowan, James Burke, Elisha Cook Jr.

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it. It doesn't make any difference what you thought of him. He was your partner and you're supposed to do something about it." - Sam Spade

Why watch this? Many call this the film that started Film Noir. It's dark and dangerous business.

Plot Summary: This classic tale features parties searching for the fabled Maltese Falcon statuette. Detective Sam Spade is approached by a prospective (and foxy) client Ruth Wonderly. She's looking for her missing sister. By the next day, his partner is dead and there's a trail leading to Spade for two murders. The real plot deals with the acquisition of a fabled bird artifact that involves Ms. Wonderly, a "Fat Man" named Gutman, and his two henchmen. Spade, however, is not to be suckered, and he plans on acquiring the statue and avenging his partner's murder.

Dad's Preview: The evil men do to possess an item of untold riches... Nobody played a tough guy like Bogart and here he makes it an art form. No dame's gonna win his love, no prying cops are gonna get him to give up the scoop, and no second-rate criminals are gonna intimidate him. Bogie simply was "The Man". This faithful rendering of Dashiell Hammett's novel is Bogarts's only turn as Detective Sam Spade, a man who punches guys out and never even puts down his cigarette. After this film, the press began calling dark, gritty, detective thrillers film noir.

Warner Bros.