Blu-ray.com Community Top 50 FILMS NOIR

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by ShirleyFilms

For me, Hitchcock is Hitchcock. But I can see why people would group it in with Noir too.

I have the same thoughts.

Vertigo is a true film noir through and through, but I left it off of my own list, simply because I tend to view "Hitchcock movies" as their own stand-alone genre.

Of all of the Hitchcock films, Shadow of a Doubt is the one that I consider to be the most "noir" by nature, because its uncomfortable portrayal of idyllic small town life paved the way for so many subsequent films of that sort. It's the one Hitchcock film that I have on my Top 50 list, just because I cannot imagine a Top 50 films noir list without it.

Strangers on a Train, Notorious, Vertigo, and even Rear Window could be easily classified as films noir, but I tend to place them apart as "Hitchcock films." I should reconsider doing so, I guess.

[Rodney-2187]

I see many sticking to the classic noir for their list. Wish I could do that, but I just can't bare the thought of taking Blade Runner off my list. How about To Have and Have Not though. It's one of my favorites, but I can see how the ending make take it out of contention as a true noir. Any thoughts?

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

How about To Have and Have Not though. It's one of my favorites, but I can see how the ending make take it out of contention as a true noir. Any thoughts?

I think of To Have and Have Not in the same way that I think of Casablanca, in that it's a wartime thriller, as opposed to a film noir. It shares many of the visual sensibilities of the noir genre, but its storyline departs from the darker trademarks of noir.

[Rodney-2187]

I removed To Have and Have Not and The Game, to more closely fit in with the theme, but I just couldn't take off Blade Runner, L.A. Confidential, or Thief. They are just too good not to include on a list of noir movies.

[ajburke]

reserved

[Show spoiler]Night of the Hunter, All the king's men, fargo, layer cake, 30s films, history of violence

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Big Heat (1953)
The Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
The Third Man (1949)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Night and the City (1950)
House of Bamboo (1955)
All the King's Men (1949)

Laura (1944)
The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
The Petrified Forest (1936)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Notorious (1946)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Strangers on the Train (1951)
The Killing (1955)
Scarface (1932)

Dial M For Murder (1954)
Spellbound (1945)
Killer's Kiss (1955)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Fargo (1996)
Taxi Driver (1976)
Jackie Brown (1997)
Inherent Vice (2014)
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Drive (2011)

LA Confidential (1997)
Chinatown (1974)
Se7en (1995)
The Big Lebowski (1998)
A History of Violence (2005)
Blood Simple. (1984)
Body Heat (1981)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
In Bruges (2008)
Body Double (1984)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
Bad Lieutenant (1992)
Hard Eight (1996)
Strange Days (1995)
Angel Heart (1987)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
The Underneath (1995)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Killing Them Softly (2012)
The Counselor (2013)

The Ice Harvest (2005)
The Naked Kiss (1964)
Following (1998)
Dark City (1998)
Blade Runner (1982)
Memento (2000)
Shoot the Piano Player (1960)

[Trax-3]

For me, Hitchcock is Hitchcock.

Same here. When I watch a Hitchcock movie I never think:" Well, that was a noir". There's something about the style or atmosphere, I guess.

I think of To Have and Have Not in the same way that I think of Casablanca, in that it's a wartime thriller, as opposed to a film noir.

I would never agree that Casablanca is a noir but I'm not so sure about To Have and Have Not even though they are so similar in many ways. It doesn't make any sense, it's just a feeling.

[Talleyrand]

Caught a special screening of Odd Man Out the other day. Confirmed to me that I was right to put it above The Third Man

[Juels Winnfield]

Originally Posted by Trax-3

Same here. When I watch a Hitchcock movie I never think:" Well, that was a noir". There's something about the style or atmosphere, I guess.

Exactly...however, I do say that with Shadow of a Doubt and The Wrong Man. Also, in most ways, Strangers on a Train (more of a suspense film) and in many ways Notorious (more of a spy film). I decided to watch Vertigo yesterday as it had been awhile. I can see how the last 30 minutes (starting with the big reveal) make it feel like watching a noir but the rest of the film just does not give me that feeling. It's that Hitchcock feeling instead. That's what makes noir so interesting. It's present in certain films to some viewers and not to others.

I would never agree that Casablanca is a noir but I'm not so sure about To Have and Have Not even though they are so similar in many ways. It doesn't make any sense, it's just a feeling.

I feel the same about both of these.

[UltraMario9]

Just rewatched Mob City. What a shame that wasn't a film because it would've definitely been on my list my list.

[Juels Winnfield]

Originally Posted by UltraMario9

Just rewatched Mob City. What a shame that wasn't a film because it would've definitely been on my list my list.

Noir TV shows would be an interesting discussion. Twin Peaks, Fargo and Breaking Bad would definitely be some of my top picks.

[Gerby]

Originally Posted by Juels Winnfield

Noir TV shows would be an interesting discussion. Twin Peaks, Fargo and Breaking Bad would definitely be some of my top picks.

Johnny Staccato would be mine.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by Juels Winnfield

Noir TV shows would be an interesting discussion. Twin Peaks, Fargo and Breaking Bad would definitely be some of my top picks.

Hannibal

[kaseaver]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I think of To Have and Have Not in the same way that I think of Casablanca, in that it's a wartime thriller, as opposed to a film noir. It shares many of the visual sensibilities of the noir genre, but its storyline departs from the darker trademarks of noir.

I agree. Casablanca and To Have and Have Not strike me as having too much romance and endings too upbeat to be true film noir. Also the protagonist of the films, Bogart, really is too likable to be a true noir "anti-hero" imo.

[kaseaver]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

I have the same thoughts.

Vertigo is a true film noir through and through, but I left it off of my own list, simply because I tend to view "Hitchcock movies" as their own stand-alone genre.

Of all of the Hitchcock films, Shadow of a Doubt is the one that I consider to be the most "noir" by nature, because its uncomfortable portrayal of idyllic small town life paved the way for so many subsequent films of that sort. It's the one Hitchcock film that I have on my Top 50 list, just because I cannot imagine a Top 50 films noir list without it.

Strangers on a Train, Notorious, Vertigo, and even Rear Window could be easily classified as films noir, but I tend to place them apart as "Hitchcock films." I should reconsider doing so, I guess.

The Official Film Noir Thread on this site includes Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, Vertigo, I Confess and The Wrong Man. Titles aren't added to that list without a certain amount of deliberation, fwiw. I did include Shadow of a Doubt, Strangers on a Train, Vertigo and Suspicion in my Top 50. I can see argument re including Hitchcock titles either way. These 4 to me seem like film noir. The rest really don't. Imo a lot of Hitchcock films have degrees of humor, romance and happy ending that would disqualify them as true films noir.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Hey Juels, just wanted to let you know I removed a title from my list to add Out of the Past due to just watching for the first time.

Also it's possible I might be doing it some more with some other titles I will be watching for the first time as well just fyi but I'll keep you posted.

[Juels Winnfield]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

Hey Juels, just wanted to let you know I removed a title from my list to add Out of the Past due to just watching for the first time.

Also it's possible I might be doing it some more with some other titles I will be watching for the first time as well just fyi but I'll keep you posted.

I'll highlight yours to check at the end of voting. These lists always offer great suggestions on films you may have never seen before.

[Trax-3]

Only including stuff IMDB considers noir to make it easier.
I cleaned the list from things I don't think are noir. Controversial and subjective, I know. I'm sure some borderline stuff made it in.

1. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
2. The Big Heat (1953)
3. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
4. Double Indemnity (1944)
5. Pickup on South Street (1953)
6. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
7. Pitfall (1948)
8. The Third Man (1949)
9. Somewhere in the Night (1946)
10. Mildred Pierce (1945)
11. No Way Out (1950)
12. Laura (1944)
13. Gilda (1946)
14. Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
15. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
16. House of Bamboo (1955)
17. Fallen Angel (1945)
18. The Blue Dahlia (1946)
19. Road House (1948)
20. Ace in the Hole (1951)
21. Criss Cross (1949)
22. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
23. The Big Sleep (1946)
24. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
25. The Killers (1946)
26. I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
27. The Dark Corner (1946)

I've yet to see many famous ones but several of those I've seen I simply don't like. The less known examples can often be better as far as I'm concerned.

[qb2333]

1. Double Indemnity
The Big Heat
Scarlet Street
Vertigo
Sunset Boulevard
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Laura
Memento
Out of the Past
10. Strangers on a Train
Kiss me Deadly
White Heat
The Maltese Falcon
Chinatown
Blood Simple
The Lady from Shanghai
L.A. Confidential
The Big Sleep
Gilda
20. The Night of the Hunter
In a Lonely Place
You Only Live Once
D.O.A. (1950)
The File on Thelma Jordan
The Lost Weekend

[Al_The_Strange]

Before I forget, here's my list (might be re-arranged as we get closer to the finish date). I'd say I've explored my fair share of the genre, and found I like the neo-noir movies more than the classics. That's just me though--there's lots of appeal to both sides.

01: The Third Man
02: M
03: John Wick
04: Fight Club
05: Memento
06: Blade Runner
07: Collateral
08: Drive
09: John Wick Chapter 2
10: Wages of Fear
11: White Heat
12: Sin City
13: Vertigo
14: Diabolique
15: The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
16: The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
17: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
18: Strangers on a Train
19: Sunset Blvd.
20: Night of the Hunter
21: Fargo
22: Se7en
23: Double Indemnity
24: The Driver (1978)
25: Nightcrawler
26: Bound
27: The Killing (1956)
28: Le Samourai
29: Point Blank (1967)
30: House of Bamboo
31: The Wrong Man
32: Rififi
33: I Want To Live!
34: Experiment in Terror
35: Dark Passage
36: Killer's Kiss
37: The Maltese Falcon (1931)
38: Man Hunt
39: I, Confess
40: Ace in the Hole
41: Try and Get Me!
42: Petrified Forest
43: The Following
44: Hardcore
45: Private Property
46: Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
47: Bunny Lake Is Missing
48: Heat
49: Angel Heart
50: Blood Simple

Honorable Mentions:

[Show spoiler]Asphalt Jungle
The Big Heat
Chinatown
The Killers
Naked City
Night and the City
Out of the Past
The Sweet Smell of Success
Touch of Evil
Where the Sidewalk Ends
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane

[Juels Winnfield]

Originally Posted by Al_The_Strange

Before I forget, here's my list (might be re-arranged as we get closer to the finish date). I'd say I've explored my fair share of the genre, and found I like the neo-noir movies more than the classics. That's just me though--there's lots of appeal to both sides.

01: The Third Man
02: M
03: Fight Club
04: Memento
05: Collateral
06: Drive
07: White Heat
08: Sin City
09: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
10: Night of the Hunter
11: Se7en
12: Double Indemnity
13: The Driver (1978)
14: Nightcrawler
15: Bound
16: The Killing (1956)
17: Point Blank (1967)
18: House of Bamboo
19: I Want To Live!
20: Experiment in Terror
21: Dark Passage
22: Killer's Kiss
23: The Maltese Falcon (1931)
24: Man Hunt
25: Try and Get Me!
26: Petrified Forest
27: The Following
28: Private Property
29: Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
30: Chinatown

Must rewatch/consider:
Asphalt Jungle
The Big Heat
Heat
The Killers
Naked City
Night and the City
Out of the Past
Sunset Blvd.
The Sweet Smell of Success
Touch of Evil
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Various mystery/thrillers that are borderline noir
Various old Hitchcock thrillers that are sorta noir-ish
Mabuse films (do those count?)

If you think it's borderline, someone else probably considers it a noir. There are several Hitchcock films that I, as well as others, have listed. As far as Mabuse films? I haven't seen any. However, they seem to be before noirs came around, but so was M....