The Maltese Falcon1941

Considering this is heralded as such an all-time classic, I was honestly expecting a little more.  I think private detective stories like these might be my favorite kind of mystery, so it’s a shame this one doesn’t quite work for me. I feel like the movie is trying to convey something different than what is actually portrayed on screen. That there is some sort of message, but it gets lost in the complex plot, confusing portrayal, and shallow romance.  Maybe Sam’s partner sucked. Maybe everyone hated him. But we don’t see that. We don’t know why. He doesn’t do anything worse than what Sam does throughout the movie, yet the only people who seem to care that he was murdered were the police, and that’s just because it’s their job. But at the end, Sam talks about how he’s duty-bound to avenge his partner because of the bro code? OK, buddy.  And the romance? What romance? Two characters who don’t have a single straight conversation the entire movie? And Sam’s like, “Sorry, baby, maybe I love ya, but I gotta turn you in. It’s the bro code”. OK, buddy.  Honestly, the best part of the movie is when Sam and O’Shaughnesy look at each other like they’re about to say something, but the elevator door closes before either of them can speak. That moment did more than anything else in the movie.  Overall, it’s a good movie, and I can understand why it’s a classic. But the movie feels sloppy even for the time. There’s probably more I liked, and I will give it a rewatch, but I was at least a little disappointed. Mysteries Ranked