[MalteseCrow]

Hello all, my name is MalteseCrow and I have a problem: I'm addicted to film noir. Seriously. It's consuming me.

I fell into it after obsessively reading the entire works of Hammett and Chandler (and gritting my teeth through some Spillane) and now here I am, looking for your help to pick my next flick.

My available options are currently limited to the following list. If you had to pick ONE of these to watch first, which would it be?
-In A Lonely Place
-Gilda
-Murder My Sweet
-The Big Heat
-Scarlet Street
-Mildred Pierce
-Sweet Smell of Success

I realize that's a loaded question that immediately deserves a follow-up question: "Well, what do you LIKE?" So, for the record, my favorite noir films (so far) are:
-Out of the Past
-Double Indemnity
-The Killers (1946)
-Killer's Kiss (call me crazy, but I prefer it over The Killing)
-Sunset Boulevard
-Vertigo
-Kiss Me Deadly
-The Asphalt Jungle
-Cape Fear (1962)

I love films that push boundaries, that are cinematically daring and visually experimental. Although I ADORE Chandler and Hammett, I'm actually less interested in an exposition laden story that could be told just as effectively as a stage play (crucify me if you must, but that's my problem with Maltese Falcon as a film, and to a lesser extent The Big Sleep).

I need less Drawing Room Mystery and more Psychological Thriller. A novel is the place I go for language and dialogue; in a film, I want mood, attitude, shock and "chutzpah." That said, these things don't have to be mutually exclusive. If there's a total package on this list, by all means, I'm game. (And honestly, I'm going to end up watching all these films anyway... it's just about where do I start?)

If I haven't already made enemies of this entire board, I'll humbly and patiently await any insight or advice you could provide. Cheers!