I grew up watching film noir and neo-noir movies. I love the retro vibe, fashion, décor, the jazz music, and the drama, mystery, and intrigue of noir films. Neo-noir movies are a revival of 1940s and 1950s film noir crime movies. Neo-noir emerged in the 1960s and has produced some of the greatest movies ever made.
Old school film noir and contemporary neo-noir are psychological crime thriller stories told from the criminal’s point of view. The films use stylish cinematography, dark shadows, symbolism, angle shots, twisted perspectives, and stylized scenes. Noir films express isolation, alienation, doom, fatalism, and cynicism of a cold, harsh world. Stylish fashion and decor, plot twists, violent action, night clubs, vintage cars, jazz, singers, dark alleys, and lonely cityscapes at night are all elements of the noir style. Outside the mainstream, underground. The genre often crosses over to horror and science fiction. Compared to old film noir, neo-noir films are often more raw, disturbing, realistic, violent, psychological, and deal with sensitive social issues.
American Gigilo, Richard Gere
Noir characters are flawed anti-heroes helplessly trapped by forces beyond their control, often paranoid, and are driven toward a tragic end. Heists and schemes that go wrong, deception and betrayal, blackmail, and being hunted by the law or gangsters. They usually portray beaten down and desperate criminals who cannot escape their fate. Characters include con-men, mob bosses, hard-nosed police detectives and private eyes, femme fatale ladies who lead men to a tragic end, and innocent women who try to reform the wayward criminal hero.
Neo Noir popular movie hits – L.A. Confidential, Chinatown, Body Heat, The Thomas Crown Affair, Dirty Harry, Blood Simple, Pulp Fiction, The Godfather, John Wick, Heat, Blade Runner, Casino, Goodfellas, Mulholland Drive, Drive, Taxi Driver, The Usual Suspects, Sin City, Fargo, Harper, Point Blank, Memento, Seven, Blue Velvet, Reservoir Dogs, Cape Fear, The Hustler, and others.
Neo Noir TV shows – Fargo, Twin Peaks, Boardwalk Empire, Mr. Robot, Miami Vice, Veronica Mars, True Detective, new Perry Mason, Mob City, Monsieur Spade, Justified, and others.
Neo-noir Directors – Martin Scorsese, Coen Brothers, Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Bryan Singer, David Fincher, Ridley Scott, Brian De Palma, Jane Campion, Michael Mann, Sidney Lumet, Curtis Hanson, Lynne Ramsay, Rian Johnson, and others.
Drive, 2011, Ryan Gosling
Pulp Fiction, 1994, John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman
Pulp Fiction
Blade Runner, 1982, Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
The Hunger, 1983, Catharine Deneuve, David Bowie, Susan Sarandon
The Hunger
Ocean’s Eleven, 1960, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr.
Ocean’s Eleven
Chinatown, 1974, Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Chinatown
Black Widow, 1987, Debra Winger, Theresa Russell
The Hustler, 1961, Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason
Body Heat, 1981, William Hurt, Kathleen Turner
Blue Velvet, 1986, Dennis hopper, Isabella Rossilini, Kyle MacLachlin
Blue Velvet
Devil In a Blue Dress, 1995, Denzil Washington, Jennifer Beals
Devil In a Blue Dress
The Usual Suspects, 1995, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey
The Usual Suspects
Goodfellas, 1990, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta
Goodfellas
House of Gucci, 2021, Lady Gaga, Adam Driver
House of Gucci
Atomic Blonde, 2017, Charlize Theron, James McAvoy
Atomic Blonde
American Gigilo, 1980, Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton
Resevoir Dogs, 1992, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Michael Madsen
L.A. Confidential, 1997, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Bassinger
L.A. Confidential
Mulholland Drive, 2001, Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux
Mulholland Drive
Dirty Harry, 1971, Clint Eastwood
Bullitt, 1968, Steve McQueen, Jacqueline Bisset
Le Samourai, 1967, Alain Delon
Le Samourai
The Black Dahlia, 2006, Josh Harnett, Scarlet Johansson, Aaron Eckhart
The Thomas Crown Affair, 1968, Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway
The Thomas Crown Affair
The Thomas Crown Affair
Casino, 1995, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone
Casino
