An easily noticeable example of the hardboiled detective can be seen in Sam Spade, main character in The Maltese Falcon (1941). Sam Spade is seen as this archetype due to his attributes, many of which are consistent with the Noir genre of the time. One such attribute of Spade’s is his ability to reason and think things through. He justifies the means for his actions, which seems meticulously thought out and premeditated. When he meets Mr. Gutman in the room, Sam Spade attempts to take back control, which he may have felt a loss of, considering he did not choose the venue for the meeting and was followed by a gunman prior to the meet. Spade stands up abruptly, tosses his cigar, yells at Mr. Gutman, and knocks his drinks and glasses off the table
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In the dark of his office, in one specific scene, we hear his phone ring and the subsequent conversation that follows, between someone we assume to be law enforcement and Spade. The man on the phone informs Spade of his partner's death. His reaction is more shocking than the news, because we hear absolutely no remorse, melancholy, regret, anger, or anything of the sort in his voice after learning of the news. We simply hear him continue on as if what he had just learned was that it will rain the next day. In fact, his next phone call is not to the widow of his partner, who he had an affair with, but to his secretary, Effie, informing her of the news and having her inform the widow of her husband’s passing. The fact that he showed absolutely no change in voice or body language proceeding his partner's demise is an evident connection to the Noir private eye character type that tends to show little to no emotion. Spade’s lack of expression, even in the face of his coworker’s death, is an apparent example of his hardboiled characterization, with an impenetrable exoskeleton, which remains consistent in the Noir genre. It is through these character qualities that one can see the discernable fitting of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and the conventional hardboiled detective of
In the dark of his office, in one specific scene, we hear his phone ring and the subsequent conversation that follows, between someone we assume to be law enforcement and Spade. The man on the phone informs Spade of his partner's death. His reaction is more shocking than the news, because we hear absolutely no remorse, melancholy, regret, anger, or anything of the sort in his voice after learning of the news. We simply hear him continue on as if what he had just learned was that it will rain the next day. In fact, his next phone call is not to the widow of his partner, who he had an affair with, but to his secretary, Effie, informing her of the news and having her inform the widow of her husband’s passing. The fact that he showed absolutely no change in voice or body language proceeding his partner's demise is an evident connection to the Noir private eye character type that tends to show little to no emotion. Spade’s lack of expression, even in the face of his coworker’s death, is an apparent example of his hardboiled characterization, with an impenetrable exoskeleton, which remains consistent in the Noir genre. It is through these character qualities that one can see the discernable fitting of Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and the conventional hardboiled detective of