[01] How This List Was Put Together
The ten films below were chosen for one reason: each is widely and consistently classified as a film noir or a neo-noir in film scholarship and criticism, not for personal preference. The list spans both the classic period covered in parts one and two of this guide, and the neo-noir period covered earlier in this part.
This is not a ranking, and the order below is chronological by release year rather than by quality. Several other titles could reasonably sit alongside these ten; this list is a starting point, not a closed canon.
[02] The List, in Release Order
- The Maltese Falcon (1941), directed by John Huston
- Adapted from Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, covered in chapter three. Frequently cited as an early defining example of the classic noir style.
- Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder
- The confession-and-flashback structure discussed in chapter seven, and one of the films most often used to define classic noir's narrative shape.
- Laura (1944), directed by Otto Preminger
- An investigation built around a portrait and an absence, cited for its atmosphere and for complicating the detective's objectivity.
- The Big Sleep (1946), directed by Howard Hawks
- Adapted from Raymond Chandler's 1939 novel featuring private investigator Philip Marlowe, discussed in chapter three.
- Out of the Past (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur
- Widely cited for its chiaroscuro cinematography, discussed in chapter five, and its layered flashback structure.
- Sunset Boulevard (1950), directed by Billy Wilder
- Narrated in voiceover by a character already dead by the story's end, an unusually direct example of the frame narrative discussed in chapter seven.
- Touch of Evil (1958), directed by Orson Welles
- Discussed in chapter nine as the film most often cited to mark the close of the classic noir period.
- Chinatown (1974), directed by Roman Polanski
- A neo-noir landmark discussed in chapter nine, shot in colour and set in 1930s Los Angeles.
- Blade Runner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott
- Discussed in chapter nine as an example of noir's visual grammar applied to a science fiction setting.
- L.A. Confidential (1997), directed by Curtis Hanson
- Adapted from James Ellroy's novel, frequently cited as a neo-noir that closely recreates classic-period Los Angeles setting and plotting.
[03] Four Pairings, If You Are Watching More Than One
If you are working through more than one title, these pairings highlight specific points covered elsewhere in this guide.
| Pairing | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Double Indemnity and Chinatown | The narrative core held constant across three decades and a shift from black and white to colour |
| The Big Sleep and L.A. Confidential | Two very different eras working with the same Los Angeles setting discussed in chapter eight |
| The Maltese Falcon and Out of the Past | Two approaches to chiaroscuro lighting within the same classic decade |
| Touch of Evil and Blade Runner | One film closing the classic period, one applying its visual grammar to an entirely new setting |
For a subject that stays entirely within film, that closes the viewing list. Chapter eleven widens the frame to prose fiction, comics and games that use the same devices without a camera at all.