Brigid O Shaughnessy In The Maltese Falcon

In the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon the character Brigid O’Shaughnessy functions as a typical Femme Fatale. She possesses qualities of the classic Femme Fatale such as the ability to manipulate the males around her for self-gain. Brigid O’Shaughnessy is a very attractive woman and she knows it, she uses her beauty and sexuality to get men to do what she wants treating them like puppets on a string. In the film, Brigid plays the innocent damsel in distress card to mask her true intentions which usually works on most men because they find it irresistible and feel obligated to be the hero, especially alpha males. However, it is not just the eyes of men Miss O’Shaughnessy catches, in the beginning of the movie we see Effie Perine walk into Spade
The lie she told to convince the detectives to take her case to investigate Thursby was an extravagant one and was convincing to the audience however not convincing enough to the lead character but he was intrigued by Brigid. She then turned on her irresistible damsel in distress charm when she asked Spade “Do they have to know about me, I mean - can't you shield me so that I won't have to answer their questions. I can't tell you now. I will later when I can. You've got to trust me, Mr. Spade. Oh, I'm so alone and afraid. I've got nobody to help me if you won't help me. Be generous, Mr. Spade. You're brave. You're strong. You can spare me some of that courage and strength surely. Help me, Mr. Spade. I need help so badly. I've no right to ask you, I know I haven't, but I do ask you. Help me”. He caught on to her act and called her out on it by saying “You won't need much of anybody's help. You're good. It's chiefly your eyes, I think, and that throb you get in your voice when you say things like 'Be generous, Mr. Spade”. She then reply’s with “I deserve
Spade then made the grave discovery that Brigid killed Archer because he did fall for her seduction and let down his guard around her. Spade realized that she wanted Archer to kill Thursby or Thursby to kill Archer so she could have something on him and use it to blackmail him. Spade confronted her about his theory of nether men killing each other and accused her of murdering his partner “If you thought he wouldn't kill Miles, you were right, angel. Miles hadn't many brains but he'd had too many years experience as a detective to be caught like that by a man he was shadowing up a blind alley with his gun in his hip and his overcoat buttoned. But he'd have gone up there with you, angel. He was just dumb enough for that! He would have looked you up and down and licked his lips and gone, grinning from ear to ear. And then you could have stood as close to him as you liked in the dark and put a hole through him with a gun you got from Thursby that evening. The police will be here any minute. Now talk!”. At first the siren question him asking him why he was accusing her as she used her charms but Spade wasn’t buying the act nor did he care to play along for a second he said to her “this isn't the time for that school girl act. We're both of us