Watch Order
0 / 3 watchedThree tellings of the same Hammett story.
About Sam Spade
Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel was filmed three times by Warner Bros in ten years, each version retelling the same hunt for the jeweled falcon. The 1931 version is a faithful pre-Code telling, the 1936 version renames everyone and plays it as screwball comedy, and the 1941 version with Humphrey Bogart became the definitive film noir.
Watch them in release order to see the same plot get stranger and then snap into focus. Most viewers only need the 1941 film, but the pair of earlier attempts shows how long it took the studio to crack the material.
Good to know
There is no chronological order distinct from release order here because all three films tell the same story rather than continuing it. Start with the 1941 Bogart version if you only watch one. The 1931 cut was retitled Dangerous Female for television, which still confuses listings, and no new film remake has been announced as of 2026.
