I'm late chiming in--I waited till the last minute hoping my audiobook hold at the library would come, and when I was halfway through reading, I was finally able to borrow it, and started over listening.
I mostly enjoyed it, but for some of convoluted plot. I've never seen the movie in full, I don't think, but
The characters are all despicable in one way or another, but since I like the occasional pulp and noir tales, the stereotypes are familiar enough that I don't find them as objectionable as they really are. Women especially always fare badly in the genre, with their pretty faces and black hearts. Or else they're faintly pathetic, throwing themselves at the hero who barely tolerates them. Probably because these tales are written by men, filled with male fantasies.
I found some scenes rather inexplicable--the long-ish description of rolling a cigarette, the story of the guy hit by a beam who abandoned his life. As others have noted, the repetitive descriptions of Spade's eyes and Gutman's fatness were annoying, as were the times Cairo was called the Levantine.
I'm not inspired to read more Hammett, but I'm glad I finally read this one.