Chewers' 100 Best Neo-Noirs of All Time

2. Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. 

I'll mention an obvious movie as if you judge this list strongly on the number ratings, this should be ranked where I will put it at. It's a movie that still packs a punch today and it has what you could say with little hyperbole is a perfect script and story which is not afraid to be dark and moody through the very end in a mature way. One of Jack's best performances if not the best, long before he become a parody of himself.

3. Blade Runner 1982 (dir. Ridley Scott)

Hell, this little chunk of iconic cinema melded the tropes of noir to a gritty scifi LA so successfully it helped kick off an entire sub genre of science fiction. Enough said.

I've always been sketchy on the definition of Neo-Noir, Whenever I feel I find the perfect example someone contradicts me. Correct me if I got the wrong end of the thread.

4. Fargo (1996) d. The Coen Bros.

My favorite of the Coen Brothers oeuvre. The darkness of noir is replaced by burning white and endless snow, just as blinding. I feel it has all the hallmarks, a impotent character lying to get what he wants, the law with a mystery to solve, double crossing, plans that do not go according to plan and sudden, startling death. The only thing missing, which some people would argue is necessary to a noir is a femme fatale.

5.

1967  dir. John Boorman

I really just want my money

Visually rich & hyper-stylized. Boorman's innovative use of manipulated sound, slow motion, & New Wave influenced edits redefined noir in the mid-Sixties.

6. Memento (2000) dir. Christopher Nolan

Though Nolan's films have become technically superior over the years, none have been as accomplished of "complete" as the one that launched him into the limelight. It's a mindbending take on the noir tropes and one of my favourite films of the past 20 years

7.) Dead Man, dir Jim Jamursh.  Love that film, it has my favorite soundtrack out of any film ever, with Neil Young ripping it on an electric.

I see we're defining neo noir as any noir made after the 60s?  I don't know if that's the accepted definition of it.  Because China Town, isn't something I really considered to be neo noir.  It's as conventional as noir can get.

I always thought of neo noir as noir taken out of it's traditional narrative hallmarks, yet the underlying conventions are obviously still present.  But, I guess this will keep it simple.  

8.  'Body Heat' 1981 (Lawrence Kasdan)

It put William Hurt and Kathleen Turner on the map.

9. Dark City (1998, Alex Proyas)

More the Director's Cut than the suspense-killing theatrical, but it's arguably the only film made between '82 and 2000 to pick up Blade Runner's slack in earnest, mashing together classic noir tropes with contemplative, visionary science fiction.

10. Brick

One of the most successful attempts at least as far as I'm concerned. What would on paper appear to be at most cute, surprisingly ends up being a bona fide noir in everything but environment. Mostly because of everyone's commitment to the concept.

11. A Simple Plan (1998)

I get the feeling that the Coens are going to appear on this list quite often, but their buddy, Sam Raimi, is also capable of turning out a great noir. Three men discover the remains of a small plane that crashed in the woods. Inside the plane is a dead body and bags of money. Oh, and nothing but trouble.

I love how restrained Raimi is with this movie. None of the flashy camera tricks from his other movies is on display because he is much more concerned with telling a story of simple men caught up in a world of mistrust and greed. Great script, cast, score, cinematography, everything. If you haven't seen this yet, you need to.

12. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1998, d. Roger Zemeckis)

I had the luck to attend the World Premiere for this movie back in 1988 and, of course, found the melding of the real world with 'toons incredibly captivating (getting to meet the cast didn't hurt either).  It was only when I grew up a bit--had the opportunity to work my way through the novels of Hammett and Chandler, had the chance to watch classics like The Big Sleep--that I realized how steeped in the tropes of film noir Roger Rabbit actually is.  It's a film with a fantastical premise that still manages to honor film noir while simultaneously twisting its conventions.  Love, love, love it.

Now where's my Toon Platoon prequel?

13. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005, Shane Black)

A noir as foppish as the performances by RDJ and Val Kilmer.  A film so cool that it clearly doesn't give a shit about its central mystery and derides itself for its use of a heavy-handed moment of exposition through RDJ's snarky narration.  Michelle Monaghan at her best and sexiest.  A stream of endlessly quotable lines that sound completely natural coming from the excellent chemistry of the entire cast.

Shane Black is Captain Fucking Magic!

And I'm gonna cheat and go ahead with another one.

14. In Bruges (2008, Martin McDonagh)

A neo-noir that is as hilarious as it is melancholy.  Farrell and Gleeson are another on-screen pair with fantastic chemistry.  Ralph Fiennes makes a hilarious and menacing entrance in the third act.  A simple story that seems to set up random elements that eventually come all together.  

All set in fuckin' Bruges!?

15.

1998        dir. Mike Hodges

The world breaks everyone, and afterwards many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break, it kills - it kills the very good, and the very gentle, and the very brave, impartially. If you are none of these, you can be sure it will kill you, too, but there will be no special hurry.

One of my all-time favourite films. Clive Owen's never been more cool or charismatic than he is here playing a writer who takes a low paying job at a tough, sleazy casino. In this unfamiliar world, his reality soon becomes a shell game of secrets & criminality, which he navigates with a caustic swagger.

Screenwriter Paul Mayersberg (Roeg's The Man Who Fell To Earth) uses noir-esque interior monologues to great effect here, building multiple layers of suspense & tension while dressing them up in sharp, cynical existential observation. A brilliant, slick film.

16) The Zero Effect (Jake Kasdan)

If this had been a Coens flick, it'd be more loved, as it is, it's a funky re-telling of Sherlock and Watson.  Bill Pullman has never been better and just when you think it's all a joke, it takes a hard right turn into dark heart-breaking NOIR. Great characters, quirky sense of humor,  great mystery and story.  You'll thank me. Also, it has one hell of a soundtrack.

Great essay on this over-looked  classic:  http://www.chronologicalsnobbery.com/2008/01/zero-effect-tenth-anniversary-of-daryl.html

17.   'El Aura' (The Aura) 2005, Bielinsky

This is an amazing film.  Ricardo Darin is an epileptic taxidermist who fancies himself as being a brilliant planner.  He knows how to pull off a crime, he's just never done it and has no real intention of ever doing it.  While on a hunting trip with a friend, he accidentally shoots a man.  While trying to figure out what to do with the body, he discovers that the man was the 'brains' behind an upcoming crime.  He decides to interject himself into the situation...

From Argentina, in Spanish.  Tati turned me on to this film.

"If this had been a Coens flick, it'd be more loved"

So true, it hurts. Zero Effect also makes a helluva double bill with The Long Goodbye.

18.  Blood Simple

The Coens Brothers first feature film about a bar owner in Texas who is certain his wife is cheating on him and hires a private investigator.

19. The Grifters (1990) d. Stephen Frears

This one doesn't seem to get much notice anymore, but it's a very good film. Three words: Annette Bening nude.

20. Winter's Bone (2010) dir. Debra Granik

This film's inclusion might be debatable but I think it fits the bill. The first in a series of hillbilly noir? I can only hope. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evi 

20. Winter's Bone (2010) dir. Debra Granik

 

This film's inclusion might be debatable but I think it fits the bill. The first in a series of hillbilly noir? I can only hope. 

I'll fight anyone who says it doesn't belong here. Even better book.

Of course Winter's Bone is noir. Neo, hillbily who cares?

21. Red Rock West  (1992) d. John Dahl

A perfect noir from the B auteur John Dahl. Nic Cage is great as the flawed everyman caught in a mess of his own making, but the movie belongs to the two slimy turns of J.T. Walsh and Dennis Hopper.

22.

1992    dir. Carl Franklin

Lila, even if I wanted to, I can't help you. [pauses] I don't have the legal authority.
You didn't have the legal authority to fuck me when I was 17 years old... but that didn't stop you, did it?
 

Co-written by Billy Bob Thornton & starring Bill Paxton in his first lead role, Carl Franklin's masterful, violent, & thoughful modern noir is 2 hours of searing intensity.

23.  'Bound' 1996, the Wachowskis.

Gershon and Tilly playing lesbian lovers.  The movie's pretty good too.

24.

1997                                                     dir. Curtis Hanson

'nuff said.

25. Shallow Grave. Dir. Danny Boyle. 1994.

"Victory is the same as defeat. It's giving in to destructive competitive urges."

A dark, visceral Brit-flick with tremendous performances and atmosphere. The protagonists' central decision and the resultant "in over your head" aspect takes care of the Neo-Noir credentials, while the horror / suspense elements so prominent in the film's branding give it an extra set of teeth.

Also, Obi-Wan vs. The Doctor.

26. 12 Monkeys (1995)  d. Terry Gilliam

Like Evi I feel that this one is also debatable, but I think it has the hallmark noir "black moods" and has central mystery which must be solved by flawed characters.

<edit> Wow, something must be wrong with the posting system, because I refreshed right before I posted this and it still read 20 as the number above.

22) The Last Seduction

John Dahl's* other 90's masterpiece starring Linda Fiorentino as an insurance investigator. She's one of the best femme fatale's ever because it's a sexy but not sexist role and she's in complete control of herself and the  situation through the whole thing.

*If you haven't, check out Dahl's recent movie You Kill Me starring Ben Kingsley, a dramedy about an alcoholic hitman who can't get work until he gets sober and clean.

I disagree on The Long Kiss Goodnight's omission & I think it's very much a successful neo-noir/comic book hybrid (even the title's uber-Chandler-esque, fer chrissakes) but for the sake of civility, here is:

28.

1995         dir. Carl Franklin

If Chinatown & LA Confidential were Star Wars & The Empire Strikes Back, respectively, then Devil In A Blue Dress would be Return Of The Jedi. Carl Franklin's major studio follow-up to 1992's One False Move, while not entirely successful, is a beautifully directed & fascinating neo-noir about WW2 vet Easy Rawlins' sojourn through the bloody & dark underbelly of post-war L.A. Don Cheadle makes his jump from supporting Golden Girls spin-off actor to A-List character thespian playing Rawlins' dangerously unpredictable sidekick, Mouse.

It's pretty brilliant (in spots).

23.  'Sexy Beast' (2000), Glazer.

Shut up, cunt.

24. The Matrix

Has way too many noir tropes to not include on this list.  Before the sci-fi/action elements and the sequels 'expanded' away from its grimy intimacy, this film was straight-up noir.  

(Slightly cheating, I know, but I wanted to make sure this got in)

25) Femme Fatale(De Palma)

It starts off with a great heist at Cannes where Rebecca Romjiin and her team steal a very valuable...well you'll see, right off an actress at the festival. She betrays her team and escapes and manages to build a whole new life and then bad things start happening. GREAT movie. Twisty as hell

We've skipped a few entries.

The next pick should be #32.

32.  'Blow Out' (1981), DePalma.

That's a good scream.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Decade 

28.

1996       dir. Renny Harlin

 

Shane Black's brilliant comic book action noir starring Geena Davis in her greatest role.

I like this movie a lot, but you need to make a case for it being noir. Crime does not equal noir and this is barely a crime movie.

33.

1966                      dir. Michelangelo Antonioni

Mod noir.

34) Animal Kingdom

This Australian crime drama noir is about a teenager named J and when his mother ODs he goes to live with his grandmother who is the matriarch of a violent family of career criminals. Entering a world of psychopaths, ultra-violence, and double-crosses, J must do whatever he has to to survive his new family.

35. Angel Heart

A potent blend of gothic horror and film noir tropes, with Mickey Rourke giving an all-time great performance as downtrodden gumshoe Harry Angel. One of the most visually sumptuous neo-noirs out there.

Much as I like both of them, I say we strike Long Kiss Goodbye and The Matrix from the list. I don't think either has enough noir tropes to fit the bill. Dark City you can make the case for, IMHO.

Good call Art Decade on One False Move. That is a spectacular, and way too underrated a film.

As for my contribution, I too will cheat by adding two, but I'll do so thematically:

Charles Willeford Doubtle Feature:

36. The Woman Chaser

A super black comedy noir staring Patrick Wlahburton as a burly, loveable, despicable sociopathic con man who will let no one stand in his way when it comes to achieving his dreams. Which in this case is to make a movie. Awesome black and white cinematography, a fantastic script, wonderful acting, and a tone that's remenicent of the Coens at their best, without being derivative.

37. Miami Blues

Another great black comedy noir, with a psychotic Alec Baldwin as the anti-hero crook pretending to be a cop; Jenifer Jason Leigh at her best/cutest; and Fred fucking Ward Hoke Mosley, the police detective who gets his badge, gun and false teeth stolen by Baldwin. A fantastic film all the way through, with one of the most gruesome hatchet scenes put to film.

38. Night Moves (1975) d. Arthur Penn

Arguably THE 70's Noir, this is a lonely, cynical masterpiece, anchoed by one of Hackman's best performances. The ending reflects a generation that had lost its way and stumbled into darkness.

39. The Late Show (1977) d. Robert Benton

A light bittersweet Noir starring Art Carney and Lily Tomlin, with a chemisty recalling Nick and Nora, and a sly sense of humor teasing the tropes of the detective genre.

Gentlemen, we have a new #28.

Fuck it :

40. Malice

I know its got a mixed reputation, but I think its fucking great. One of Baldwin's best performances, and by the end, when Bill Pullman's character get's wise to what's actually going on, the tension rachet's up and it turns into a full blown noir. Plus, the Scott Frank/ Aaron Sorkin dialog gives some great bits:

"You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something: I am God."

"Welcome to the game."

"What happened to your face?"

"I kicked the shit out of a serial rapist."

"Fish in a fucking barrel."

41. The Man Who Wasn't There 

This seems to be one of the Coens' less appreciated films, but it's my personal favourite of their noir-flavoured offering.

42. The Friends of Eddie Coyle
 

A Boston crime drama before Lehane and Affleck, Eddie Coyle is an uncompromising look at a criminal at the end of the line. With a fantastic lead performance by Robert Mitchum (maybe his best) and the direction of Peter Yates, Eddie Coyle slowly unveils the dark, almost mundane, reality of American crime. Bank robberies are grandiose Michael Mann-esque shootouts, but instead just another blue collar job. Complete with a Bruins game, Bourbon and Irish Catholics, The Friends of Eddie Coyle is quintessential Boston Noir.

43. In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

I debated if I should include this on the list or not, but came to the conclusion that Sam Neill's protagonist is the type you would see in a traditional noir film. He's a cynical, no-nonsense investigator put in charge of finding a missing writer. It starts off like a typical Dashiell Hammett story, but then takes a demented detour into H.P. Lovecraft Land. This is still my one of my favorite movies by John Carpenter. 

46.

1971      dir. Alan J. Pakula

Modern noir dipped in molasses & sex featuring the most fascinating anti-heroine of the 70s.