Blu-ray.com Community Top 50 FILMS NOIR

[Juels Winnfield]

Welcome to the Blu-ray.com Community Top 50 Films Noir!

A lot of lists are dominating the forums this week, but the most revered genre of all has been put on the backburner...film noir. Some say it can't be classified as a genre but, chances are, one of your favorite films is possibly considered noir as it is a cross of several genres.

A little background:
Oxford Dictionaries defines film noir as "a style or genre of cinematograpic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism and menace." It has also been said that a film is noir if, upon viewing, you point, and say "that's film noir!" There are several types of film noirs, ranging from proto-noirs to classic noirs to neo-noirs. Characteristics identifying these films include low-key lighting, voiceovers, narrative flashbacks, the private eye and the femme fatale involved in a crime.

What counts:
It's easy to throw in films that many will agree don't belong, so this list will be less strict than others on this. For example, some consider Alien a neo-noir, whereas most will argue whether it's more sci-fi or horror. I would be one of the latter. Use good judgment and consider how good of an example of a noir any films in question are compared to how good of a (insert genre here) film it is.

The challenge for true fans is to figure out what's better: your #1 or #2 classic noir or your #1 or #2 neo-noir. This is why it's top 50 and not 25 to include everyone's favorite. Don't let your head explode just have fun.


Point system:
#1 50 points
#2 45 points
#3 40 points
#4 35 points
#5 30 points
#6 25 points
#7 20 points
#8-25 19-2 points
#26 and below 1 point

List at least 25 to give both classic noirs and neo-noirs a chance. We'll do through Mother's Day, May 14, as it is a difficult one. Now to make my own list...

[Rodney-2187]

1. Blade Runner
2. The Maltese Falcon
3. L.A. Confidential
4. The Asphalt Jungle
5. The Sweet Smell of Success
...............
6. Union Station
7. Appointment With Danger
8. Kansas City Confidential
9. Kiss Me Deadly
10. Thief
...............
11. The Woman in the Window
12. The Stranger
13. The Third Man
14. Chinatown
15. The Man Who Wasn't There
...............
16. The Night of the Hunter
17. Sin City
18. Key Largo
19. Scarlet Street
20. The Killers (1946)
...............
21. The Big Sleep
22. Out of the Past
23. The Naked City
24. The Killing
25. Where the Sidewalk Ends

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Possibly my favorite genre. This was an extremely tough list to do, maybe the hardest yet next to the Crime film thread. If there are any that don't count just let me know.

1. Chinatown
2. Pulp Fiction
3. L.A. Confidential
4. Taxi Driver
5. Drive
6. To Live and Die in L.A.
7. Out of the Past
8. The Big Heat
9. Bad Boys (1983)
10. At Close Range
11. Heat (1995)
12. Body Heat
13. John Wick
14. John Wick Chapter 2
15. In a Lonely Place
16. American Gangster
17. True Romance
18. Internal Affairs (1990)
19. Road to Perdition
20. Jackie Brown
21. No Country for Old Men
22. Dirty Harry
23. Fight Club
24. Reservoir Dogs
25. New Jack City
26. Zodiac
27. The Counselor
28. Basic Instinct
29. The Driver
30. Experiment in Terror
31. The French Connection
32. Primal Fear
33. Running Scared (2006)
34. The American
35. The Last Boy Scout
36. Raging Bull
37. The Asphalt Jungle
38. Wild Things
39. Bound
40. Training Day
41. Blue Velvet
42. Layer Cake
43. Mulholland Dr
44. Mean Streets
45. Dark Blue
46. U Turn
47. White Heat
48. Kiss of Death (1947)
49. The Killing
50. Tightrope

[Juels Winnfield]

Originally Posted by rodneyfaile

1. Blade Runner

Nice first #1 vote. Just watched the theatrical cut last night.

[The Great Owl]

My favorite movie genre!

The Great Owl's Top 50 Films Noir...

1. Out of the Past (1947)
2. Double Indemnity (1944)
3. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
4. In a Lonely Place (1951)
5. Detour (1945)
6. Criss Cross (1949)
7. The Big Heat (1953)
8. The Big Sleep (1946)
9. The Third Man (1949)
10. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
11. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
12. Private Hell 36 (1954)
13. On Dangerous Ground (1951)
14. Act of Violence (1948)
15. The Killers (1946)
16. Night and the City (1950)
17. Nightmare Alley (1947)
18. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
19. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
20. Ace in the Hole (1951)
21. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
22. Murder, My Sweet (1944)
23. Pitfall (1948)
24. The Lady from Shanghai (1948)
25. The Killing (1956)
26. The Prowler (1950)
27. Laura (1944)
28. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
29. Touch of Evil (1958)
30. Too Late for Tears (1949)
31. Scarlet Street (1945)
32. Raw Deal (1948)
33. Gun Crazy (1950)
34. D.O.A. (1950)
35. Ministry of Fear (1944)
36. The Big Combo (1955)
37. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
38. City That Never Sleeps (1953)
39. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
40. Road House (1948)
41. Decoy (1946)
42. The Narrow Margin (1952)
43. Pickup on South Street (1953)
44. The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
45. The Scar (Hollow Triumph) (1948)
46. Crashout (1955)
47. Hell's Half Acre (1954)
48. The Woman in the Window (1944)
49. Kiss of Death (1947)
50. The Set-Up (1949)


Just to keep myself sane, I limited my choices to the classic film noir era of the 1940s and 1950s.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

My favorite movie genre!

The Great Owl's Top 50 Films Noir...

1. Out of the Past (1947)
2. Double Indemnity (1944)
3. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
4. In a Lonely Place (1951)
5. Detour (1945)
6. Criss Cross (1949)
7. The Big Heat (1953)
8. The Big Sleep (1946)
9. The Third Man (1949)
10. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
11. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
12. Private Hell 36 (1954)
13. On Dangerous Ground (1951)
14. Act of Violence (1948)
15. The Killers (1946)
16. Night and the City (1950)
17. Nightmare Alley (1947)
18. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
19. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
20. Ace in the Hole (1951)
21. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
22. Murder, My Sweet (1944)
23. Pitfall (1948)
24. The Lady from Shanghai (1948)
25. The Killing (1956)
26. The Prowler (1950)
27. Laura (1944)
28. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
29. Touch of Evil (1958)
30. Too Late for Tears (1949)
31. Scarlet Street (1945)
32. Raw Deal (1948)
33. Gun Crazy (1950)
34. D.O.A. (1950)
35. Ministry of Fear (1944)
36. The Big Combo (1955)
37. City That Never Sleeps (1953)
38. Kansas City Confidential (1952)
39. Notorious (1946)
40. Decoy (1946)
41. The Narrow Margin (1952)
42. Pickup on South Street (1953)
43. The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
44. The Scar (Hollow Triumph) (1948)
45. Crashout (1955)
46. Hell's Half Acre (1954)
47. The Woman in the Window (1944)
48. Dark Passage (1947)
49. The Set-Up (1949)
50. Crossfire (1947)

Just to keep myself sane, I limited my choices to the classic film noir era of the 1940s and 1950s.

I get that... but no list is complete without CHINATOWN and BODY HEAT.......

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I get that... but no list is complete without CHINATOWN and BODY HEAT.......

I completely agree. It's everyone's own opinions anyways but Chinatown is the King Daddy film noir for me. However, as outstanding of a masterpiece as Body Heat is, it is very influenced by some older film noirs that Owl has on his list such as Double Indemnity being a big one from what I've heard so I can see why he might not include Body Heat. I haven't seen Double Indemnity yet though.

[principehomura]

Uuuuh, will totally do this one, but I hope noone will double check the positions with the crime movie list.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by principehomura

Uuuuh, will totally do this one, but I hope noone will double check the positions with the crime movie list.

If I understood your post right there can be certain films in your crime films list that are also considered film noir/neo noir as well.

[principehomura]

No I mean that by making a new list, maybe I'll put here "film A" higher than than "film B", while in the crime movie list "film B" was higher :P

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by principehomura

No I mean that by making a new list, maybe I'll put here "film A" higher than than "film B", while in the crime movie list "film B" was higher :P

Oh ok I gotcha

[Juels Winnfield]

Originally Posted by principehomura

No I mean that by making a new list, maybe I'll put here "film A" higher than than "film B", while in the crime movie list "film B" was higher :P

No worries, I have a few on my list that would be higher on a crime film list.

[Hoke Moseley]

Might bump this up to 50 before the deadline, but for now...

1. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
2. Rififi (1955)
3. White Heat (1949)
4. Out of the Past (1947)
5. Le Samourai (1967)
6. The Killers (1946)
7. The Big Sleep (1946)
8. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
9. The Killing (1956)
10. The Set-Up (1949)
11. Double Indemnity (1944)
12. Night and the City (1950)
13. The Long Goodbye (1973)
14. Chinatown (1974)
15. Mildred Pierce (1945)
16. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)
17. Criss Cross (1949)
18. Key Largo (1948)
19. Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
20. The Last Seduction (1994)
21. Brute Force (1947)
22. Body Heat (1981)
23. Panic in the Streets (1950)
24. Red Rock West (1993)
25. The Racket (1951)

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Hey Juels, what movie is that black and white clip from on the welcome post? Looks very interesting. Not sure if I've seen it but I want to.

[djrobchampion]

1. Se7en
2. Memento
3. Strangers On A Train
4. Dark City
5. Chinatown
6. Sunset Boulevard
7. Blade Runner
8. Sin City
9. Brick
10. L.A. Confidential

[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.

[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.

[deltatauhobbit]

1. Double Indemnity
2. LA Confidential
3. Blade Runner
4. Out of the Past
5. Strangers on a Train
6. Drive
7. The Big Heat
8. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
9. Kiss Me Deadly
10. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
11. The Big Sleep
12. Laura
13. Leave Her To Heaven
14. Touch of Evil
15. Brick
16. Inferno 3D
17. Vertigo
18. The Maltese Falcon
19. Fargo
20. Ride the Pink Horse
21. Woman on the Run
22. Memento
23. The Usual Suspects
24. Key Largo
25. The Third Man
26. Dark City
27. Sin City
28. Violent Saturday
29. Cold in July
30. Man in the Dark 3D

I felt my top three were pretty easy to decide, Double Indemnity will always be at the top of noir for me. LA Confidential I consider to be one of the best films ever made and Blade Runner is a perfect mix of noir and sci-fi. Everything below those three is a bit more difficult to figure out, mostly for placement than anything else.

Looking through these lists, there are plenty of films I just haven't had the chance to watch yet so I couldn't rate them even if they are top notch noir (I even own plenty of them too, never enough time in a day or night).

Plenty of films in the neo-noir category that I enjoy more than some of my lower ranked ones but that I don't feel really represent noir enough for them to make my list (John Wick and Fight Club come to mind).

I wouldn't be surprised if my most controversial pick is Who Framed Roger Rabbit? at #8 but damn if Jessica Rabbit isn't one of the best femme fatales ever