Official Film Noir on Blu-ray Thread

[jayrobb9]

A top 5... tough.

Random order...

1. Touch of Evil
2. Kansas City Confidential
3. The Big Combo
4. The Killers
5. Raw Deal

Honourable mentions to Nightmare Alley, and The Web

[benedictopacifico]

Double Indemnity (1944)
Night and the City (1950)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Third Man (1949)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)

[Richard--W]

Only five? That leaves too many out. Sticking with the 1950s:

Ace In the Hole
The Asphalt Jungle
The Breaking Point
Kiss Me Deadly
Touch of Evil

[lemonski]

Ugh, too difficult. In no particular order, as of today, but could change tomorrow

Murder, My Sweet
The Third Man
Nightmare Alley
To The Ends of the Earth
Out of the Past

[editor*by*night88]

1 Murder by Contract
2 Ride The Pink Horse
3 Storm Fear
4 Blast Of Silence
5 Too Late For Tears

[nitin]

Double Indemnity
The Maltese Falcon
Sweet Smell of Success
The Third Man
Sunset Boulevard

But this is clearly a ridiculous question because I couldn’t include The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, Touch of Evil, In a Lonely Place, The Killers or The Killing.

[crazednoir]

Out Of The Past
Detour
The Asphalt Jungle
Sunset Boulevard
Pitfall

[skipkassidy]

I read a review of the recent film INTO THE ASHES and it used the term "Western Noir" as a descriptor. Then I did some searches related to Rural Noir (aka Country Noir, Backwoods Noir, Appalachian Noir) when applied to books. But what about in relation to traditional and neo-noir films?

With Film Noir, They Live By Night could fit into country/rural noir as could Moonrise and The Night of the Hunter.

For Neo-Noir, No Country for Old Men, Red Rock West, A Simple Plan, Blue Ruin, and Cold in July would probably work.

One "listicle" the author included these films when writing about films falling into the country/rural noir category. Not sure I agree with most of these, but here they are:

Shotgun Stories
Frozen River
Don McKay
The Killer Inside Me
Red, What, and Blue
Small Town Murder Songs
Killer Joe
Deadfall
Thin Ice
Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Out of the Furnace
Bad Turn Worse
A Single Shot
Joe
Ned Rifle
Flesh & Bone
Mud
Cut Bank
Bid Muddy
Uncle John
Lost in the Sun
Cop Car
Two Step
Hell or High Water
Wind River

[senseabove]

Imogen Sara Smith wrote an entire book on the subject: In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City. I've been meaning to pick it up, but I just discovered that it started as an essay at Bright Lights film journal, so I'll probably give that a read first: https://brightlightsfilm.com/in-lone...side-the-city/

[MalteseCrow]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Anyway, what would be your top 5 film noir films (only classica noir, so no neo noir or tech noir) ?

1. Out of the Past
2. Double Indemnity
3. Scarlet Street
4. The Killers
5. Night and the City

Happy to see The Breaking Point make it into so many top 5s here; that movie is terrific. Alas, it would be #6 for me.

[kaseaver]

1. Out of the Past
2. Double Indemnity
3. The Killing
4. The Third Man
5. Mildred Pierce

[SeanJoyce]

One of these days I'd like to understand what everybody loves so much about Out of the Past. I mean I like it a lot, and get why it's an archetypal noir, but it'd likely be difficult to crack my top 10 (if I were so inclined to create such a list.)

For a similar movie I'd easily take Siodmak's The Killers from the year prior.

[noirjunkie]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

One of these days I'd like to understand what everybody loves so much about Out of the Past.

For starters: Mitchum, Greer, and Douglas, all perfectly cast and doing excellent work.

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by noirjunkie

For starters: Mitchum, Greer, and Douglas, all perfectly cast and doing excellent work.

I agree with that completely.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

One of these days I'd like to understand what everybody loves so much about Out of the Past.

In addition to what was said above, we've got director Jacques Tourneur, who helmed some of the most visually remarkable movies in cinema history, and we've got cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.

Plus the snappiest dialogue out there...

“Build my gallows high, baby.”

“You're like a leaf that the wind blows from one gutter to another.”

“She can't be all bad. No one is.”
“Well, she comes the closest.”

“I don't want to die.”
“Neither do I, baby, but if I have to, I'm going to die last.”

[SeanJoyce]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Plus the snappiest dialogue out there...

Eh, there's plenty of noir with more distinguished patter out there IMO.

And while I'd never take issue with somebody who posits that Mitchum is the King of Cool, I think he's a bit too "try-hard" with his delivery in Out of the Past, like he's still discovering himself and hadn't fully tapped into that aspect of his persona. At that point in time I feel that Bogart and Powell were more effortlessly cool than Mitchum.

My favorite aspect of Out of the Past has always been its array of locations...the rustic mountains of CA, the urban jungle of NY, and sun-drenched Mexico, there's a little bit of everything there.

Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy Out of the Past, but seeing it at #1 on so many personal lists, I tend to wonder what I'm missing.

[bonehica]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In addition to what was said above, we've got director Jacques Tourneur, who helmed some of the most visually remarkable movies in cinema history, and we've got cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca.

Plus the snappiest dialogue out there...

“Build my gallows high, baby.”

“You're like a leaf that the wind blows from one gutter to another.”

“She can't be all bad. No one is.”
“Well, she comes the closest.”

“I don't want to die.”
“Neither do I, baby, but if I have to, I'm going to die last.”

I love this little gem:

"Tell me why you're so hard to please."
"Take me to where I can tell you."

[trentdiesel]

Originally Posted by SeanJoyce

Eh, there's plenty of noir with more distinguished patter out there IMO.

And while I'd never take issue with somebody who posits that Mitchum is the King of Cool, I think he's a bit too "try-hard" with his delivery in Out of the Past, like he's still discovering himself and hadn't fully tapped into that aspect of his persona. At that point in time I feel that Bogart and Powell were more effortlessly cool than Mitchum.

My favorite aspect of Out of the Past has always been its array of locations...the rustic mountains of CA, the urban jungle of NY, and sun-drenched Mexico, there's a little bit of everything there.

Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy Out of the Past, but seeing it at #1 on so many personal lists, I tend to wonder what I'm missing.

That's what does it for me more than anything else, the locations. I just feel you are taken on more of a trip and it's not as claustrophobic feeling as alot of other noir films, not that that is a bad thing of course.

[javy]

That look on Jane Greer's when the two of them are fighting is femme fatale film-noir gold. And then to top it off she's the one who

[Show spoiler] pulls the trigger

. I love that. And the shadows in this scene are great. Kirk Douglas is also great as the ruthless crime boss. Yes, Out of the Past is definitely top notch film noir goodness and it easily cracks my top ten.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8E...ature=youtu.be

[noiradelic]

It's one of the most beautiful-looking noirs. It's the best of the most beautiful noirs. It's the first noir about someone's who's started a new life and then is pulled back into his past life, a particularly resonant noir premise. Jane Greer's character's one of the best femme fatales. Dialogue-wise, it is up there. IMHO Mitchum's performance's is the most iconic noir performance other than Bogies'. IMHO Dick Powell doesn't hold a candle to him. Great cast.