Character Analysis in The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett is a thrilling movie full of twists and turns and deceits. Each character wants the Maltese falcon for the rewards it will bring. Almost everyone is a villain in some way or another.

I will start with Sam Spade. He is the hero of the story, but I would say he is more of an anti-hero. He plays by his own rules. He is tough and a bit hard-nosed. He doesn't seem to be upset that his partner is dead. I feel that he knew Brigid killed his partner from day one, but for some reason he didn't let on until the end. Knowing this he still put up with her lies and melodrama. He obviously isn't a man of scruples as he was having an affair with his partner's wife. At the end I wonder did he love Brigid as he claims or was he just playing with her? I'm also left wondering was he redeeming his character by turning Brigid over to the police or was he saving his own skin? I like his character but I'm not entirely sure about his motives at all points in the movie. I'm not sure how much I would trust him.

Next we have Brigid. From the beginning of the movie until the end she is deceitful. She is a woman of no morals and seems to have no conscious. She is a murder; she killed Mr. Archer. She plays games and manipulates or tries to manipulate Sam through the whole movie. She even has Effie fooled into thinking she is a nice woman. Everything that she does is for her own personal gain. She has a treacherous heart. She says that she is in love with Sam, but how could anyone belief anything she says after all the lying that she has done? She even calls and pretends that she is danger so that he will leave the office and go to an abandoned lot. Personally I feel that she was just using him to save her own skin, because the whole movie, that is the type of character that she has shown.

Gutman is the ringleader of this group of criminals. I find is name to be ironic since he has such a large gut. He is so obsessed with the Falcon and will stop at nothing to get it. He already paid Cairo, Brigid and Thursman to steal it from its Russian owner. He's had Thursman killed in order to get it. He drugged Sam to get to the Falcon. He shows in the end that he has absolutely no morals. When he thinks he has the Falcon he is even after minimal persuasion willing to let Wilmer take the fall. He says that Wilmer is like a son to him but that he can get another son. He is cold, greedy and corrupt.

Wilmer is just a young lowlife who does what he is told. He isn't a very good shadower, as Sam picks him up right away. He has a quick temper. He has no problem drawing his guns to kill someone. Unfortunately for him, Sam quite easily disarms him several times. I think that Wilmer is possibly homosexual. Perhaps he and the fat man have a special relationship. I'm not really sure on that angle. Perhaps he has a relationship with Mr. Cairo. I can't be sure, but the nickname "gunsel" also has homosexual reference as I learned in class.

Mr. Cairo is definitely homosexual. He is very effeminate. His business cards are gardenia scented and he dresses like a dandy. He also acts like a girl when Sam punches him and again later when fighting with Brigid. He also is scruple-less. Even after Sam disarms him, agrees to work with him, and then gives him back his gun, Mr. Cairo pulls the gun on him. He hires Sam and then goes behind his back to Gutman. He is part of the reason that Sam is drugged and beaten by Wilmer. In his search for the Falcon, Mr. Cairo is motivated by greed.

Finally, I move on to my personal favorite character, Effie. Effie seems to be what holds Sam together. She takes care of him. She doesn't ask questions when he calls her at all hours of the night. She does what needs to be done. She is intelligent and is the only character in this movie who isn't lying about something.

I really liked this movie and feel that it was well worth the class time spent watching it. I plan to read the book on my Christmas break from school. I hope that the book will give me more insight into all of these characters.