Bogart is Sam Spade the original “hardboiled” private eye. In fact, he’s SO hardboiled that you can’t figure out why he doesn’t get “worked over” (in noir parlance) more often. He mouths off in the face of guns…to the cops…to pretty much everyone..including (eventually) the person who had killed his partner. It’s hard to believe he’d be that favoured by the angels.

If you get past that, though, the acting is great (especially Bogart), the dialogue witty, and the action fast-paced. Absolutely deserves its Oscar and its place as one of the greatest flicks ever made.