In a rare case of the stars aligning, the film's Hollywood ending is utterly faithful to the last pages of Hammett's novel at least in spirit, if not dialogue.

WSJ: Black and White and Noir | Dark Crimes: Film Noir Thrillers | By David Mermelstein

Mr. Coppola contributed the film's beginning and ending and much of the memorable dialogue.

WSJ: Book Review: Making 'Patton'

Instead of showing the movie to test audiences and then tweaking any problems, Lionsgate has kept the film under wraps in the hopes of keeping information about the movie from ending up on the Internet.

FORBES: 'The Hunger Games' Producer Keeping Film's Secrets 'Under Lock And Key'

Nicholls revealed last year that he had written a new ending for his "thriller" version of the film.

BBC: Great Expectations to close London Film Festival

The continuing power of the Lost Cause romance can even be seen in a more recent film such as Gettysburg, which in the ending frames shows the fate of the various major characters.

FORBES: Greens And The Confederate Flag - Jill Stein Not Whistling Dixie