Film Noir doesn’t have a set structure but is instead a mood, a state of mind that categorises a series of related films in the 1940s and 50s. Typical features include stylised, low-key lighting, complex narratives and an emphasis on outsiders and loners.
Whether they be about detectives, gangsters or unlucky innocents, these films all share a dark, uncompromising view of the world and a thrillingly modern outlook that continues to fascinate audiences worldwide and influence filmmakers now. The films of the Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino owe a huge debt to the stylish and fascinating works of the time, proving their continued influence even in the present day.
I adore these films; many have barely dated when watched today.
With all of this in mind, I have chosen ten of the best examples of Film Noir to illustrate this highly distinctive and endlessly beguiling genre.
10. All The King’s Men
This amazing 1949 Noir stars Broderick Crawford in this scarily relevant cautionary tale of the corruption of Willie Starke, a well-meaning man of the people, as he gains more and more political power. Crawford is spellbinding, showing Starke’s moral downfall flawlessly and creating an unforgettable performance. While not sharing the focus on crime in the other entries, I believe that this film is typical of a noirish tone, featuring a flawed anti-hero as the protagonist and a dark and pessimistic view that serves to show the dangers of too much power. I was blown away by how intelligent and gripping this film was, being drawn into its story and taken in by its uncompromising style.
9. Laura
Otto Preminger’s atmospheric thriller stars Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews in a story about a man that becomes obsessed with the portrait of the woman whose apparent death he is investigating. The film uses flashbacks, a key Noir device, in order to present some of the story, and its themes of memory and crime also show film noir clearly. There is something haunting about the film, from the music to the level of suspense raised, making it a great watch.
8. The Big Sleep
This famously complicated Noir stars quintessential hardboiled actor Humphrey Bogart as the quintessential hardboiled private detective Philip Marlowe, caught up in a case involving murder and blackmail. This film has all of the key Noir elements, from the wisecracking private eye to the femme fatale, a woman of questionable morality and her own intentions, played to perfection here by Lauren Bacall. The story was heavily edited by the censors so it can be difficult to work out all of the various plot threads, but the fun of it is in the witty dialogue, unexpected twists and the crackling chemistry of Bogart and Bacall, who were married before it was released. Overall, an engaging and iconic film noir.
7. Sunset Boulevard
Director Billy Wilder was a huge influence on the genre, defining and shaping it in many of his films, as we will see later. He used his distinctive style of witty humour mixed with darkness perfectly here, with the whole story narrated by Joe Gillis (William Holden) from beyond the grave, the first shot being him floating face down in the swimming pool of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), the faded silent film star he has become involved with. In turns satirical, dark and biting, this Noir is all the more exceptional from the way Wilder creates an almost gothic atmosphere from Desmond’s old mansion and contrasts this with the sunny Californian landscape. A must watch for all film fans.
6. Shadow of a Doubt
Alfred Hitchcock’s sinister thriller was said to be his favourite among his films, and it’s easy to see why. It contains a classic Noir trope of subversion, as Teresa Wright’s bored young woman begins to suspect her beloved uncle (played to perfection by Joseph Cotten) is not what he seems to be. Hitchcock cleverly twists our idea of safe suburbia, increasing the level of discomfort as the tension begins to rise. This is a masterful Film Noir that takes us as an audience out of its comfort zone as the familiar becomes the frightening. It is probably one of my favourite Hitchcock films, and certainly one of the best.
5. The Set-Up
A washed up boxer who should have quit long ago prepares for his next fight in Robert Wise’s brutal and moving Noir. Robert Ryan plays the role of the over-the-hill fighter, creating real sympathy as we see that boxing is all he knows and that is unable to break free from it. Showing the sleazy, realistic side of the sport, this gripping thriller works well as it focuses on a loser, someone who, like in any good Noir, is forever outside of the mainstream. It is probably the most underrated film on this list, but is important because of the claustrophobic atmosphere created in the ring, helped by setting the story entirely in real time to make it feel even more true to life. Film Noir is concerned with the dark side of society presented in a frank and uncompromising way, and that is certainly true of this film.
4. Touch of Evil
Boasting perhaps one of the most famous long takes in cinematic history, with an opening tracking shot of three minutes and twenty seconds that helps to draw the audience in to Orson Welles’ masterful thriller about a murder of a Mexican on American soil. Welles uses the shadows and off-kilter angles of Film Noir to his advantage, creating an uncanny, nightmarish world in which the story takes place that is typical of the genre, taking the world we know and making it seem unfamiliar.
3. The Maltese Falcon
“The stuff that dreams are made of.” This is how the titular Falcon is described, but it could be referring to this classic film itself. Humphrey Bogart, in the role that helped him become a legend, plays private detective Sam Spade, drawn into the search for a valuable statuette. John Huston’s first film set the template for all Films Noir to come, with a witty and suspenseful atmosphere that is aided by some of the best character actors of the time, including Sydney Greenstreet, in his film debut, and Peter Lorre, playing a pair of wonderfully sinister villains. The low-key lighting and unconventional angles helped to set the tone for the following decades of the genre, and even today the film is stylish and thoroughly entertaining.
2. The Big Heat
Possibly one of the darkest Films Noir of its kind (and that’s saying something), Fritz Lang’s iconic crime thriller stars Glenn Ford as a dedicated policeman out to stop a mob boss. Lang was a German director who had moved to America due to the rise of Nazism and took with him the techniques of German Expressionism, which he very effectively uses here. This was a movement that directly influenced Film Noir in its early days in the 1930s, with a deeply atmospheric look and a focus on showing the character's emotions through outside means, like lighting. A late Lang film, this is possibly his masterpiece, creating an unforgettable story and one very famous scene in particular that is still shocking to this day.
1. Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder’s seminal classic takes the top spot, with its dark tale of an unfaithful wife (played wonderfully by Barbara Stanwyk) convincing weak-willed insurance man Walter Neff (a brilliant Fred MacMurray, playing against type) to murder her husband so that they can collect on his policy. The twists and turns of the story are helped by Wilder’s clever use of Expressionistic techniques, including his influential use of Venetian blinds to draw a comparison to prison bars. The film is presented almost entirely in flashback, with a mortally wounded Neff narrating the tale into his dictaphone. Stylish, inventive and groundbreaking in its presentation of crime, this film sums up the Noir style perfectly, as well as being one of my favourite films of all time.
***
Noir is French for “black” or “dark”, and all of these films are exceptionally dark, both in tone and lighting. What makes them so entertaining, however, is the skill that has been put into them, creating unforgettable experiences for generations of movie lovers. I highly recommend these films as even if you are not a fan of crime dramas you will find something you like in them.
Thanks for reading!
Josh
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