Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 6
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Release Date: Jun 13, 1931 Wide
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 512
This first of three film adaptations of Dashiel Hammett's The Maltese Falcon plays at times like the road-company version of the more famous 1941 John Huston/Humphrey Bogart adaptation. Ricardo Cortez stars as a slick, rogueish edition of Sam Spade, using his office as a trysting place for his various amours. Bebe Daniels plays the Brigid O'Shaughnessy character, here rechristened Ruth Wonderly. Ruth hires Spade and his partner Miles Archer (Walter Long) to locate her missing sister. Archer is
Jun 13, 1931 Wide
All Critics (10) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (2) | DVD (1)
Dated grandpoppa of Bogart's classic is worth seeing to compare.
The original was a solid and enjoyable work.
Surprisingly racy pre-code first version of the Hammett novel.
There isn't a single aspect of this film that wasn't greatly improved in the 1941 version.
Better than "Satan Met a Lady" but not in the same league as the 1941 remake.
April 17, 2010
Super Reviewer
The first film adaptation of Hammett's novel, but certainly not the best. As an early "talkie," this film had practically no atmosphere, and Sam Spade is played by Cortez as a leering, lecherous playboy with a boyish smile; there is none of the "tough guy" detective that Spade deserves to be. While it's a bit more
October 22, 2008
Super Reviewer
| 57% | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (in 3D) | Feb 10 |
| 28% | The Vow | Feb 10 |
| 51% | Safe House | Feb 10 |
| 85% | Chronicle | $22.0M |
| 63% | The Woman in Black | $20.9M |
| 77% | The Grey | $9.3M |
| 72% | Big Miracle | $7.8M |
| 29% | Underworld Awakening | $5.5M |
| 2% | One for the Money | $5.2M |
| 36% | Red Tails | $4.7M |
| 90% | The Descendants | $4.6M |
| 32% | Man on a Ledge | $4.4M |
| 45% | Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close | $3.8M |
| 99% | A Separation | Dec 30 |
| 97% | The Muppets | Nov 23 |
| 97% | The Artist | Nov 25 |
| 96% | Tomboy | Nov 16 |
| 96% | Pariah | Dec 28 |
Journey 2 Not Worth the Trip
What are his 10 best movies ever?
See the all-new action-packed trailer!
Five new Marvelous pictures