“The Maltese Falcon” (1941)*

Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is a private investigator who’s firm is hired to tail somebody. His partner turns up dead, as does the target of their investigation. The complexity of the stories of the why and who increase almost as quickly as the flow of money into Spade’s pocket. All this from those who seek a falcon statuette. Spade is to movie detectives as Sherlock Holmes is to literary detectives; smart, convincing, shrewd, and a step ahead of his quarry. His quick-thinking cleverness made me chuckle a few times without being funny. I’ll be adding this movie to my collection.

Awf Hand gives four out of four stars and adds: Many movie private investigators we know and love owe their existence and personas to Sam Spade. He’s grandpa’s version of “Fletch” and “Alex Cross” rolled into one. Think Sherlock Holmes with style. Sadly, the audio on this “remastered” DVD (3 disk set) was fair to poor at best, and carried a rumbling clatter (24hz perhaps?) along its entire length.

*Yahoo’s 100 movies to see before you die.