The Maltese Falcon is leaving HBO Max on November 1 — not with a fanfare, but with a whisper. The 1941 noir classic, directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, will vanish from the platform’s US library after nearly two years of streaming. No official reason has been given. But the timing feels less like a routine rotation and more like a quiet purge. And it comes amid a rare public jab from Quentin Tarantino, who reportedly told French director Bertrand Tavernier he has 'little respect' for Huston’s career. Why? Because, according to Tarantino, Huston was too versatile, too all over the place. 'If I can’t have confidence in someone, I can’t respect his career,' he said. 'And I can’t have faith in John Huston because too many of his movies are terrible.' That’s a lot to say about a man who also made The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen, and Annie. Yet here we are: one of cinema’s most iconic films, a film that defined the genre and launched Bogart into legend, being quietly unshelved. The consensus on Rotten Tomatoes still holds at 99%. 'suspenseful, labyrinthine, and brilliantly cast'. But even classics aren’t immune to algorithmic whims. The removal is set for November 1, just weeks before the film turns 95. A century-old character turns 100 in 2030. The novel came out in 1930. The series has had multiple adaptations, including Clive Owen’s recent limited run. But this version, the one that shaped the detective genre. Is going dark. On HBO Max. In the US. For now. What happens next? Whether it’ll land on another streamer, or if it’ll be re-released in a box set, remains unknown. One thing’s certain: the world’s most famous wooden falcon isn’t flying again anytime soon. Not on HBO Max.