Never let it be said that Hollywood never made crappy movies back in the 30s and 40s, even when they used big stars, big directors, and big talent. Have I said that before in another review? I don't care. William Dieterle's Satan Met a Lady is such a powerful example that I will risk repeating myself. So what's wrong with the film? It tries to turn Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon into a screwball comedy. And, oh, how they fail. Warren William does his damndest to be charming as not-Sam-Spade and make the material work as a comedy, but he was doomed to fail. William treats almost every other line in the film like a punch-line, even when there's no joke (thankfully Dieterle had the good sense to treat the scene where not-Sam-Spade finds his partner’s body with a bit of emotional weight and seriousness). Not that anybody else in the film does much better...everybody DEVOURS scenery like they're trying to invent Hollywood campiness almost two decades before John Huston's Beat the Devil (1953). This film is forced smiles and pained laughter for 74 minutes.
4/10
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