Film Noir

[Avaitor]

Lately I've been especially into this film movement. I love the way movies like these are shot and written. As a pessimist, noir is like a second language to me.

Some of my favorite "traditional" noirs include

Sunset Boulevard
Double Indemnity
Out of the Past
The Maltese Falcon
Ace in the Hole
The Killing
Laura
In a Lonely Place
The Blue Dahlia

[Pharass]

Considering that I too, am a fan of film noir in general, it's a shame that I haven't seen "Sunset Boulevard" or "Double Indemnity" yet. After all, those are often upheld as two of the finest movies the genre has produced.

"The Third Man" is another great movie that I feel fits quite nicely into the noir-genre; considering that it's about a hapless protagonist who gets dragged into a world filled with betrayal, hopelessness, manipulation, death and other fun stuff. And speaking of Orson Welles, add "Touch of Evil" to the list of movies I need to see but haven't got around to, yet.

[Avaitor]

I'm a really big Wilder fan, so I definitely say that you need to watch those two as soon as you can.

The Third Man isn't a big favorite of mine, but Orson Welles' performance alone justifies a recommendation.

[Lord Dalek]

Some of my favorites...

Gun Crazy
Double Indemnity
Kiss Me Deadly (the ultimate noir apocalypse)
The Lady From Shanghai
White Heat
Maltese Falcon

[Avaitor]

Bumping to get you all prepped up for my list, which I'll work on tomorrow.

You'll be surprised at how few of the noirs I mentioned in my OP don't make this list.

[Avaitor]

I'll skip the introduction and just say that I'm putting Citizen Kane and The Maltese Falcon at honorable mentions. They brought a lot of ideas and techniques to noir to life, but I don't think they necessarily count as film noir.

10- The Killers (1946)
Directed by Robert Siodmak



This has one of the coolest openings of all noir, with two hit men coming into a diner looking to kill a Swede in town. He happens to be hiding in that very diner, and as he comes out, they take care of business. It's handled very well, way better than I could do it justice.

Based off of a sick short story by Hemingway and adapted by the great John Huston (uncredited), along with Anthony Veiller and Richard Brooks, this film not only gives us the screen debut of the sensational Burt Lancaster, but also features one of his best performances. He plays the Swede, killed in the beginning of the film, as we see in flashbacks why he has a hit on him. Lancaster's chemistry with Ava Gardner, in one of her most sultry roles, is undeniable, as is the tone of the film. High on subtly and passion, this is easily one of the best Hemingway adaptations you can find.

9- The Big Heat (1953)
Directed by Fritz Lang



Despite the importance of Metropolis, despite the power of M, despite the inventiveness and craft in his filmography, this might be Lang's most revered film of all. That's gotta mean something, right?

The movie takes a twist on you, starting off a little sweet, as we see Glenn Ford's honest cop spend time with his loving family. There's touches of intensity sprinkled throughout, but we don't get a full glimpse of how cruel it gets before the big twist. I don't want to spoil it, but it's truly heartbreaking. Once you get to that point, you'll want to watch the entire thing all over again to catch what you missed before, and this is when you're not even at the halfway point.

We see Ford's cop become increasingly more crooked throughout, leading towards the inevitable climax. Gloria Grahame plays a great femme fatale opposite Ford and Lee Marvin, taking one of the biggest blows to the face you'll see a woman get thrown at before the film's over. Marvin meanwhile is one of noir's most loathable bastards, a real slimeball whom you'll think won't get a punishment fitting enough by the end. So yeah, great acting, some insane plot twists, and a killer script all done under ace direction. What more could you ask for?

I hate to cut this so soon, but I have less time than I thought I did before I have to go out and do some things. I'll post my next 3 when I come home, but I hope you're enjoying this so far.

[Lord Dalek]

Gun Crazy, Naked City, and Kiss Me Deadly better be here somewhere.

[Avaitor]

8- In a Lonely Place (1950)
Directed by Nicholas Ray



If there's one thing Nicholas Ray knew, it's loneliness. Watch... pretty much any of his films to see what I mean. This is proof positive, and even contains what I consider to be Bogie's best performance. And THAT'S saying something.

Bogie plays a screenwriter who is consistently falling out of relevancy in post-war society. While reading a novel he has been hired to adapt, he meets a girl engrossed in both Bogie and the book. They spend part of the night together... only for Dix, Bogart's character, to find that she has been murdered that night and is considered to be the culprit. We see Dix suffer through the guilt in which he might have indeed killed this girl without remembering, and find shades of his despondent character throughout, bringing up the title. Did he do it? I won't say, but the film is totally worth checking out.

7- Touch of Evil (1958)
Directed by Orson Welles



Not to be confused with the awesome Judas Priest song. This was Welles' first directoral Hollywood film in over a decade, and remained his last due to the typical attempts at sabotage his work was given. It also remains one of the last key films in the original era of noir. Thankfully in 1958, a new, restored version was made in as close detail to a memo written by Welles himself to Universal. This is the ideal version to watch.

Welles plays a greasy, corrupt cop out to find a bomber. His first instinct is to blame all the damn spics in town, but it turns out that it was indeed a Mexican immigrant who was responsible for it- played by Charlton Heston, no less. If there's anything I can fault the film for, it's Heston's performance. It's not as racist as Natalie Wood in West Side Story or Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's, but he doesn't pull it off. Thankfully Janet Leigh works so well opposite him as his wife.

But Orson. Man oh man. This was before he gained that massive girth, and you actually see him in a fat suit, but he nails the character to well. He's never likable, not at all, but Welles was a genius actor as well as a gifted director, and I think this does as good of a job as proving it as Citizen Kane does.

6- Gilda (1946)
Directed by Charles Vidor



This made the list alone for Rita Hayworth's opening appearance as the title character. I can only think of 3 more badass character introductions in a film, and I'll get to one of them later (the other 2 are John Wayne in Stagecoach and Jack Skellington).

And man, is Rita sensational as Gilda. She doesn't even appear for the first act of the film; that is entirely lead by Glenn Ford, who is also great here. But when she's on screen, you can't take your eyes off of her. Her songs are undoubtfully memorable, both of which shining some color into the otherwise drab flick. And the relationship between Gilda and Ford's character is also great. They're both despicable people, as you'll get to see partway through, but it's their sadistic tendencies that bring them together.

The direction is classic, the script is top-notch, and the performances are uniformly excellent. The top 5 barely overshadow it, but man oh man, can I recommend this film to you guys.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, I've been delaying this for long enough. Let's crack that top 5!

5- Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Directed by Robert Aldrich



Hey kids, do you like violence Primus Pulp Fiction? Do you not like it? Either way, you should see this flick, since a lot of its inspiration came from it, right down to the secret of Marsellus Wallace's suitcase.

Ralph Meeker plays a dick (as in, detective) who's anything but meek, as he delves through 3 different fatales in one flick, along with a suitcase that contains the powers of all hell in it. It's Cold War hyperbole and pure, unadulterated suspense as unlike anything else from the era, resulting in some of the most intense sequences in all of noir. I know this is Dalek's fav, and it's a strong contender for among the top.

4- The Third Man (1949)
Directed by Carol Reed



There's no accounting for good taste. The two things that producer David O. Selznick, one of the most respected names of all classic Hollywood, wasn't happy with in this, the only British-produced film on my list, ended up becoming the most iconic from Carol Reed's masterpiece- the zither-oriented score, far unlike the waltzes made famous by Vienna composers, and Orson Welles' use as the Harry Lime character, which contains that epic opening I talked about earlier.

Set in post-WWII Vienna, Joseph Cotten plays an American author invited to Vienna to work for Lime, only to discover that Cotten's friend died as he arrives. Cotten's character, Holly Martins, eventually meets up with Lime's girlfriend of the time, and learns more about his death. Unfortunately, the girl is taken away before Martins can learn even more. This sets up a conflicting mystery story that takes up the rest of the film.

Until Lime reveals himself to be alive to Martins. One of the greatest speeches in all of film is spoken by Welles, as well as some great build-up leading up to this and the ending. The Third Man is a harsh film where the "good" guy doesn't get the girl and the villain is ultimately more likable and memorable than the protagonist. It may not be for everyone, but this is definitely an essential for noir sake.

3- Laura (1944)
Directed by Otto Preminger



Another murder mystery flick where we discover that there actually wasn't a murder that occurred, Laura is among the best of 'em.

Dana Andrews plays a private eye who has recently been put on the job to discover what happened to the beautiful Laura. He interviews her former mentor in the press, played with relish by Clifton Webb, her near-fiance, portrayed by the ever-great Vincent Price, and numerous other people involved the story behind Laura.

I won't say how things turn out exactly, but let it be known that this is one of the most engrossing of all mystery tales. Webb steals the show throughout. He's one of the most endearing assholes in all of dark cinema, and that's saying something. The rest of the cast is solid as well, and the story is ace.

2- Out of the Past (1947)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur



If anyone was perfect for playing the hard-boiled lead in noir, it's Robert Mitchum. Man has got talent, and he knows when to show it or cut back. Sadly this is the only one of his work I put on, but it's a classic for not just him, but everyone involved.

Mitchum plays the fiance of dirty dame Jane Greer, a pairing no one in town agrees with, particularly Kirk Douglas. Do I need to tell you that Douglas kicks ass here? He's sadistic, but endlessly enjoyable to watch. The rest of the cast is steak sauce as well. But it's the shades of story told that is what sells the film. The narrative is traditionally loose, and might require more than one viewing to truly appreciate, but you only need to see the film once to enjoy it as a whole. It's one of the sharpest of all noir tales.

And now it's time for the top. Are you ready?

1- Double Indemnity (1944)
Directed by Billy Wilder



I made a rule to myself in the very beginning- only one Wilder flick. There are 2 other great ones I could have gone with; Sunset Boulevard, which would've tied or topped the list if it was on due to just how incredibly well-done it is, but I don't consider it to be fully noir, and Ace in the Hole, featuring another one of Kirk Douglas' best roles, but at the same time, he and the script are so far from likable that it might be a little too hard to commend it.

Double Indemnity pretty much perfected the style of noir when it came out and instantly put Wilder, already considered one of film's greatest screenwrites, to the top of all cinema greats, where he still stands. Why is this one film so great? Let me count the ways.

For starters, Raymond Chandler. The man responsible for Phillip Marlowe never had a say in any of his character's adaptations, but he was a major contributor to three scripts, and this, co-written with Wilder, was his first and arguably his best. You can find Chandler's love for laconic dialogue and confused relationships in here, along with Bill's own trademark use of irony and self-deprecating humor. Even though the two writers didn't get along, they fit together hand in glove as they tackled James M. Cain's novel.

Then you have the cast. You might recognize Fred MacMurray from his work from Disney or My Three Sons, and wonder why he'd be put in as a lead in such a gritty film. But MacMurray plays a sick BAMF as Walter Neff, as he delves into the world of Phyllis Dietrichson and her gorgeous ankles. Stanwyck pulls off that character extraordinarily well, using her wide range to her advantage as she easily seduces MacMurray. Then you have Edward G. Robinson, one of the all-time greats, as a brilliant mediator in one of his best roles. Add in the rest of the supporting cast, and there you go.

The story is also wholly iconic. Dietrichson, tired of her husband and ungrateful daughter-in-law, convinces insurance salesman Neff to help cook up a plot to make her a widow and have her pour in with insurance money. They succeed... but not without their pros and cons. It wouldn't be noir if things worked out well for everyone involved. We see the true shades of these characters after the payoff occurs, and the film makes it fair enough for you to decide whether or not you can trust or like them.

And the cinematography. Drool. Just, droollllll.

Double Indemnity is my #1, and nothing you can say will make me change that.

And that's my list! Whaddya think?

[Lord Dalek]

A good list but its basically scratching the surface (No Polonsky, Dassin, or Ulmer) but what is there is pretty good.

[Avaitor]

True, I made it more for "beginners" than anything, but you can't deny the greatness of a lot of the most well-known noir.

[gunswordfist]

as much as i love comic book noir, i've seen very few movies from this genre. i'll have to comb through this thread.

[Avaitor]

One of these days, I'll have to redo that list.

[gunswordfist]

i'll look over that list.