Film Noir recommendations?

[noirjunkie]

If you're new to the genre, then start with the classics. I've listed, in chronological order, 25 films that are generally regarded by critics as the top noirs (of course, the debate is always ongoing, but this list should give you a good starting point):

The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Laura
Murder, My Sweet
Detour
Mildred Pierce
Scarlet Street
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Killers
Nightmare Alley
Out of the Past
The Lady from Shanghai
The Third Man
Gun Crazy
In a Lonely Place
Sunset Blvd.
The Narrow Margin
The Big Heat
The Big Combo
Kiss Me Deadly
The Killing
Sweet Smell of Success
Touch of Evil
Vertigo

Also, it should be noted that many people are listing neo-noirs, not noirs. Anything including and after 1967's Point Blank should be categorized as such.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

If you're new to the genre, then start with the classics. I've listed, in chronological order, 25 films that are generally regarded by critics as the top noirs (of course, the debate is always ongoing, but this list should give you a good starting point):

[Show spoiler]The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Laura
Murder, My Sweet
Detour
Mildred Pierce
Scarlet Street
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Killers
Nightmare Alley
Out of the Past
The Lady from Shanghai
The Third Man
Gun Crazy
In a Lonely Place
Sunset Blvd.
The Narrow Margin
The Big Heat
The Big Combo
Kiss Me Deadly
The Killing
Sweet Smell of Success
Touch of Evil
Vertigo

Great list. All of those films are golden.

[Xenia]

I know I'm not the OP but thanks to all who've contributed to this, I've got myself a decent list of noir films I haven't yet seen.

So thank you!

[Saccharin]

Originally Posted by Yojimbo68

Great film with a terrific script by Robert Towne that actually improves on repeat viewings. But I would consider the movie Neo-Noir.

Maybe it isn't, maybe it is. For me it is. It is certainly a ode to the Film Noir era.

[theprestige85]

If you're interested in neo noir, you can't go wrong with John Dahl's The Last Seduction , probably the most definitive neo noir and the most subversive. It's got a star making iconic turn from Linda Fiorentino, slick direction, a nice jazzy score, perpetually quotable dialogue and witty dark humour. I think it's ace.



Theres a British blu ray release coming early November from the up and coming British label Network.

[Rich65]

Some Bogie and Bacall classics:
Key Largo
To Have and Have Not
Dark Passage
And classic 80's noir I can't believe was not listed yet:
Body Heat

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by Rich65

And classic 80's noir I can't believe was not listed yet:
Body Heat

Body Heat is an outstanding movie, and it captures the essence of classic-era film noir quite well.

Another 1980s noir that I hold in high esteem is William Friedkin's To Live and Die in L.A.

[theprestige85]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I consider Shadow of a Doubt to be a film noir, though and through. It's such a great movie.

I also consider Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and Vertigo to be film noir titles.

Yeah, I love that film to death. It might be my favourite Hitchcock, and, based on what you said, my favourite classic film noir from that period.

[L.J.]

Might want to try Chinatown and The Two Jakes both are good.

[P@t_Mtl]

I would recommend Eclipse 17 Nikkatsu Noir set from Criterion. Some very good movies on that set but it's a bit expensive and its only DVD

[JimDiGriz]

Originally Posted by L.J.

Might want to try Chinatown and The Two Jakes both are good.

Chinatown is a classic. The Two Jakes is just...good(ish).

[Saucerful]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

The Warner Bros. Film Noir Classic Collection, Volumes 1 through 5 are the best starting point, because those old RKO titles are hard to beat. Out of the Past, from the first volume box set, was just released in a beautiful Blu-ray transfer, but the other films in these sets have yet to surface in the format.

The four volumes of the Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics collection have some killer titles as well, only one of which (The Big Heat) has seen the light of day on Blu-ray. A fair warning, though, that the third volume of this Columbia series went out of print pretty quickly. Being the dork that I am, I just shelled out $99 for a "Used - Like New" set from Amazon, because that's the cheapest price that I've seen for it by far, but some of you may have better luck. The first two Columbia box sets, which are easily available, are particularly quintessential.

I was wondering how these Warner sets rank among each other, and also how they rank compared to the Columbia sets. I realize this is purely subjective, but I'm trying to get a sense of what to get next. I currently own the Warner volumes 1-3 and I'm wondering if it makes sense to track down volumes 4 and 5 of the Warner sets or if it makes more sense to get the first couple of Columbia ones.

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

I don't think i saw anyone mention this.



What a damn good movie that must be seen.

[kaseaver]

I'm wondering if it makes sense to track down volumes 4 and 5 of the Warner sets or if it makes more sense to get the first couple of Columbia ones.


Here are films from the sets you mentioned that I liked:

Warner box #4 - Crime Wave (excellent), Act of Violence, Illegal, They Live by Night
Warner box #5 - The Phenix City Story, Cornered

As Owl mentioned, there are some good films in the Columbia box sets. My favorites:

Columbia box #1 - The Lineup, Murder by Contract, The Sniper
Columbia box #2 - Human Desire (excellent Fritz Lang film), Nightfall, Pushover
Columbia box #3 - My Name is Julia Ross, The Mob

[Miholina]

Rififi is briliant noir.

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

If you're new to the genre, then start with the classics. I've listed, in chronological order, 25 films that are generally regarded by critics as the top noirs (of course, the debate is always ongoing, but this list should give you a good starting point):

The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Laura
Murder, My Sweet
Detour
Mildred Pierce
Scarlet Street
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Killers
Nightmare Alley
Out of the Past
The Lady from Shanghai
The Third Man
Gun Crazy
In a Lonely Place
Sunset Blvd.
The Narrow Margin
The Big Heat
The Big Combo
Kiss Me Deadly
The Killing
Sweet Smell of Success
Touch of Evil
Vertigo

Also, it should be noted that many people are listing neo-noirs, not noirs. Anything including and after 1967's Point Blank should be categorized as such.

I've made the case before that Vertigo is the greatest film noir ever made, but I rarely see it classified as noir by film critics.

...also no Night and the City?

[Ray Jackson]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

If neo-noir is allowed, then Se7en, Memento, Fight Club, Brick, Pi, and Bound should all be must-sees too. I personally prefer these over the classics.

I've never seen Seven described as neo-noir.

...that's interesting.

[Ray Jackson]

Might seem like a stretch, but World on a Wire by Rainer Werner Fassbinder is a great neo-noir in my mind.

More often labeled as science fiction, but it possesses many of the classic noir elements.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I've never seen Seven described as neo-noir.

...that's interesting.

Pretty sure I saw it mentioned somewhere else as noir.

At the very least, there are a few specific scenes that strike me as being very noir-like (like the conversation in the car when it's raining, or the bit where the dude in the hat chases the one detective around).

Originally Posted by xghghj

I lend my vote to Maltese falcon.Can the Third man be considered Film Noir?

Yes, why not? It's like the noirest noir that ever noired.

Just ordered the 4K version from the UK. Can't wait.

[Al_The_Strange]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

Might seem like a stretch, but World on a Wire by Rainer Werner Fassbinder is a great neo-noir in my mind.

More often labeled as science fiction, but it possesses many of the classic noir elements.

We need more sci-fi noir in the world.

World on a Wire is a bit long for my taste, but there are things I admire about it. Bigger favorites of mine would be Dark City and Blade Runner. For anybody looking for more of these types of films, there's also The Thirteenth Floor (I'm personally not a fan of it, but it is quite a bit noir-like).

Heck, even the first half of The Matrix is like a film noir, especially with all the rain imagery.

I kinda wonder if Ex Machina and The Terminator could count as films noir. The latter especially has a certain look, style, and setting that feels very fitting for noir.