Spade is then noosed further into danger by a gaggle of ne’er-do-wells seeking a mysterious and priceless object known as the Maltese Falcon: the effeminate Occidental businessman Joel Cairo ...

Peter Lorre, a frequent presence in Humphrey Bogart's film noir movies and the actor who played Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon, appears in Beat the Devil as well, once again in a supporting role.