The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Considered one of the first and best noir detective films. First-time director Huston interprets Dashiell Hammett's complex tale with scrutinous attention to detail and dead-on casting — Bogart's hard-boiled Spade, Astor as the quintessential femme fatale and the supporting ensemble of requisite shady characters.