Set in San Francisco in the 1920s and based on Dashiell Hammett's own experience as a private investigator.
When Sam Spade is investigating the murder of his partner, he finds himself surrounded by a host of strange characters all after one thing - a statue of a falcon reputed to contain priceless jewels.
THE MALTESE FALCON set the standard by which the private eye genre is judged. The film starring Humphrey Bogart is widely regarded as a masterpiece of thriller noir.
