The Maltese Falcon (1941) - 4/5

This movie hits all the film noir staples, from the world-weary private eye hired by a dame at the end of her rope, to the twisting larger-than-life narrative. It stays very close to the source material, which portrays its protagonist as if Dashiell Hammett had Humphrey Bogart in mind. Its characters are complex and subtle, so casual viewers will be easily lost, but a more attentive audience will be rewarded with an intricate web of lies and deceit. There’s no substitute for the golden dialogue delivery and pre-war era style that easily cements itself as a time-tested classic.

Closest comparison: It’s like a less sleazy Chinatown by way of The Big Sleep (1946).

Setting: Drama
Plot: Detective
Tone: Noir

The Killing (1956) - 3/5

This is a solid entry into the 50’s heist genre, but nothing more. It’s clever enough, well-acted enough, intriguing enough, and it all amounts to a perfectly fine movie. Unfortunately, by-the-numbers isn’t the same as ‘great’, so it settles in at ‘good’.

Closest comparison: It’s like Asphalt Jungle six years later.

Setting: Crime
Plot: Heist
Tone: Heist