The Maltese Falcon (1941) is a national treasure. Often cited as the first Film Noir, many film historians consider it the greatest detective movie ever made. In One Magnificent Bird, we discover how the film's mean streets, dark shadows and razor-edged cast each became the prototype for future detective thrillers and atmospheric Noir dramas. Through interviews with such film artists as Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Madsen, James Cromwell, Frank Miller and Christopher McQuarrie, we uncover the magic that director John Huston brought to this, his first feature film. As a bonus, our documentary also examines the two previous attempts to adapt Dashiell Hammett's dark novel to the screen, first as a by-the-book detective picture, then as an out-and-out comedy starring a young Bette Davis.