14. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Most have heard of The Maltese Falcon, the first film of the Film Noir genre that swept the world by storm through the 40s. Film Noir was a genre of detective movies known for their broody atmospheres and dark twists. It has birthed many archetypes, from the monologuing detective to the femme fatale.
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But in truth, Film Noir was really just an adaption of popular pulp novels. They were always intended to be the B movies, holding second place to the more expensive epics, but found far more success with their audiences for the risqué approach to the story.