Recently, AMC TV channel has finished broadcasting the crime-detective thriller Monsieur Spade, the plot of which focuses on the character of the classic noir novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. Responsibility for the title role was assigned to the 59-year-old British actor Clive Owen. In this review, we will tell you what kind of adventure Mr. Spade got into this time and whether it was worth being riveted to the screen for six unhurried episodes.
Pluses:
moderately exciting crime-detective story; unhurried dialog narrative is competently constructed so that the viewer does not lose interest while watching; charismatic protagonist with a lot of witty ironic lines; cool acting work from Clive Owen; respectful attitude to the original film and pleasant references to it
Minuses:
sometimes continuous dialogues make you bored; some potentially interesting characters do not get enough time for character development/disclosure; the first episode is introductory and takes a long time to rock the boat, and the ending causes a feeling of dissatisfaction, which is a significant drawback
Monsieur Spade
Genre crime detective thriller
Director Scott Frank
Starring Clive Owen, Kara Bossom, Denis Menochet, Louis Bourgoin, Chiara Mastroianni, Stanley Weber, Matthew Beard, Rebecca Ruth, Jonathan Zakkai
Premiere AMC
Year of issue 2024
Website IMDb
The year is 1955. A rugged American man in a long raincoat and an elegant felt hat arrives in the small sunny town of Beausoleil somewhere in the south of France. In the backseat of his car is a slightly frightened 8-year-old girl, Therese — the daughter of a deceased acquaintance of an uninvited guest in these parts, who is trying to pass her on to her father. The latter has a very dubious reputation, and visitors never find him at home.
In the midst of a thunderstorm, they get into an unpleasant accident, but a spectacular woman in a luxurious Rolls-Royce comes to the rescue. Before the viewer can see the obvious spark between the fellow travelers, minutes turn into years through a series of simple editing splices. The characters manage to get married, and young Teresa goes to a local monastery. Now the American enjoys retirement in a picturesque location, as well as swimming naked in the pool in the backyard of his beautiful home and the vineyards he inherited from his now deceased wife.
But the trouble comes from where it was not expected. Not only did the doctor find out that the hero has pulmonary emphysema, which was the result of many years of heavy smoking (but the prostate is fine — and that’s good!), but someone evil shot six local nuns at close range. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like a ritualistic massacre, and Sam Spade is back in the game.
Already in the debut episode, those who are “in the know” will easily notice the bridge between the most famous adaptation of Hammett’s novel with the unsurpassed Humphrey Bogart and the new sequel series. Little Theresa is the daughter of the same Bridget O’Shaughnessy who played Spade in John Huston’s 1941 noir classic.
In fact, the entire first episode, which lasts a full hour, is not the most exciting introduction in the world, with the most interesting things happening at the end to motivate the viewer to continue watching.
But there is no reason to worry. Firstly, even if someone hasn’t read the book or watched the movie, it won’t be an obstacle to an interesting viewing experience. Secondly, after the series, the events take on the distinct features of the very intricate story for which everyone has gathered.
It will involve many stakeholders, almost everyone will pose a threat (and not just those who suspiciously lurk in dark corners), and then there is the mysterious ghost rider who will hunt Mr. Spade. And this is despite the fact that in his moments of greatest stress he has to deny himself the pleasure of tasting such a tempting crayfish stick.
While Kenneth Branagh is pompously adapting in a Hollywood style Agatha Christie’s novels, where in the end his Poirot, like the tired Spade, seeks peace in post-war Europe, the author of the acclaimed The Queen’s Gambit Scott Frank makes his own attempt, if not to rethink, then to exercise in the old-fashioned genre and test him in modern realities. At the same time, he does not deprive the work of its appropriate old-fashionedness. The local approach is more down-to-earth and modest in a television way, which is only good for the series format.
Besides, it makes no sense for Frank to frame his story in a bright and expensive cover. The only thing that can be considered as such is a refusal to blindly follow the rules of the game of gloomy noir: for the latter, there is too much levity (at least on the part of the protagonist) and vineyards and fields flooded with generous sunshine.
The series appeals more to fans of gradual immersion in the intellectual literary jungle by the fireplace with a glass of good wine than to regular visitors to multiplexes with popcorn and coke in hand. No wonder one of the characters, addressing Spade, symbolically says: “Your life in San Francisco is worthy of becoming the subject of a novel”. It’s funny.
The literary-centered narrative of Monsieur Spade is endowed with a deliberate slowness and wit, which comes from the protagonist’s apt remarks. At the same time, like any (literary) work, the series has its weaknesses and strengths.
For example, along with the not always exciting and sometimes long dialogues, there is probably the funniest interrogation in the history of cinema, which eventually turns into a dialog. For some people, this sequel may even be considered dispensable fanfiction. Not everyone will like the vague ending either.
Clive Owen, who hasn’t spoiled us with roles of this caliber for a long time, spouts witticisms at machine gun speed and turns out to be the main attraction of the show. There is also Denis Moshe, who treated the insidious Nazi Hans Landa to fresh milk in Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, although he didn’t get much space to reveal his character. In general, all the performers look harmonious in the roles they have been entrusted with.
“Samuel Spade… What a stupid name” — one of the French policemen is surprised in the first episode. However, the series is based on a not at all stupid plot with a certainly not stupid hero, whose charm should be enough to spend a couple of evenings in his pleasant company.