Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sam Spade returns in mature, smoky French mystery.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Monsieur Spade
What's the Story?
In MONSIEUR SPADE, an American private detective named Sam Spade (Clive Owen) picks up a child in Istanbul and delivers her to her father's family in a town in the South of France. He discovers that her family isn't interested in caring for the child, and he takes it upon himself to find her a spot in a convent school. Although his French is poor, and his status as a conscientious objector to WWII draws contempt from the townspeople, he makes a life for himself that could be mistaken for retirement. When a series of brutal murders take place in a symbolic place, his detective flame rekindles. Will he find himself implicated by virtue of his presence? Can he help solve the mystery that seems to have found him?
Is It Any Good?
Unlike the Maltese Falcon, and other California-set interpretations of Dashiell Hammett's books, this version finds the American detective escorting a child to the South of France -- where he stays. "People come to you with problems, and you end up inheriting those problems," Monsieur Spade muses, smoking a seemingly everlasting cigarette. The gumshoe speak doesn't come as easily to Clive Owens' Monsieur Spade as it did to Humphrey Bogart, but a smoldering saxophone attending a luminous shot of a sad woman waiting outside of a French jazz bar sets a confident tone.
Teens might find this story slow-moving and confusing, though those teens who've explored the detective genre will relate more readily. Adults also might need time to untangle the flashbacks in the first episode to understand what's going on. But as it continues, this show builds steam. And in a noir detective show like this, the more steam the better.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how, as in old movies, people smoke often in Monsieur Spade. How is smoking different now than it was then? What has changed? Does the smoking add anything to the show?
People speak English and French in this show, though the main character, an American, has learned French as an adult. When is effortless? When is language a barrier to communicating what you feel and think?
The main character in this show is given the task of accompanying a child to another country after her mother dies. His compassion for her wellbeing causes him to risk his life. What does compassion motivate you to do?
TV Details
- Premiere date : January 14, 2024
- Cast : Clive Owen , Cara Bossom , Denis Ménochet
- Network : AMC+
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Courage
- TV rating :
- Last updated : December 10, 2025
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