# Noir movie recomendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614 "2006-11-24T04:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/21 "2006-11-24T15:39:43Z")
I think I mentioned before that [**The Man Who Wasn’t There**](http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Wasnt-There/dp/B00005JKMG/sr=8-1/qid=1164382630/ref=sr_1_1/103-9288114-6709431?ie=UTF8&s=dvd) is a decent newer noir film. The cast is terrific, with Billy Bob Thornton, James Gandolfini and Frances McDormand. Directed by one of the Coens, it captures the essence of film noir, from the lighting to the twisted plot. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/22 "2006-11-24T17:07:39Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] I saw a modern Hungarian film the other day which could be classed as noir . Called [Kontroll](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373981/) it is set on the Budapest metro system and is a mixture of crime, romance and the supernatural. Very enjoyable. [/QUOTE] Bizarre film; well worth catching (and unfortuntely extraordinarily expensive on DVD.) I don’t know if I’d exactly call it noir, but I don’t know what else I’d call it, either, except surreal. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/23 "2006-11-24T17:38:57Z")
Blood Simple for "The Coen Brothers Do Noir. " ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/24 "2006-11-24T17:55:15Z")
For another sci-fi noir hybrid, check out Alex Proyas’ stylishly grim Dark City. Just do me a big favor and put your TV on mute when the movie starts, and don’t unmute it until the first scene in a bathroom. (The opening narration ruins a major plot point, and you’ll appreciate it more later if you don’t know everything as the movie starts.) ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/25 "2006-11-24T17:58:49Z")
Oh, for a Western-noir, _Last Man Standing_ is awesome. It’s a gangster story set during Prohibition, but takes place in a dusty Texas ghost town near the Mexican border. Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken are badass in it! (It’s also a remake of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western _A Fistful of Dollars_, which was a remake of Kurosawa’s samurai epic _Yojimbo_, which was based on noir writer Dashiell Hammett’s novella _Red Harvest_, and they’re all very worthwhile as well.) Seconding _Angel Heart_ for horror-noir, and it makes a great double-feature with _Constantine_. (The latter movie has its flaws, and mostly fails as an adaptation of the mature-readers comic book series _Hellblazer_, but it isn’t bad at all when watched independently, with no knowledge of the source material.) ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/26 "2006-11-24T20:05:43Z")
Would _My Darling Clementine_ be classed as a Western-noir ? It’s got that dark, enclosed feeling about it, as well as being a superb film. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/27 "2006-11-25T01:37:08Z")
Now that I think of it, the Russian film Night Watch has something of a noir feel to it. The majority of the action takes place at night, it’s a bit of a mystery, and it has a deeply flawed protagonist. On the other hand, it’s possible that I’m just obsessed with that film/novel lately, and seeing it whereever I look. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/28 "2006-11-25T05:09:07Z")
I can’t believe no one has said this yet. What I the only one who loved [Sin City](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/)? A very dark and contemporary noir-like atmosphere. With anti-heroes galore. Even Mickey Spillane has said how much he enjoys Frank Miller’s work. ---
**Author:** ![RhapsodyInBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RhapsodyInBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RhapsodyInBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/29 "2006-11-25T05:14:43Z")
“Laura” with Gene Tierney is classic noir. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/30 "2006-11-25T06:12:02Z")
[QUOTE=bigbabysweets2000] I can’t believe no one has said this yet. What I the only one who loved [Sin City](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/)? A very dark and contemporary noir-like atmosphere. With anti-heroes galore. Even Mickey Spillane has said how much he enjoys Frank Miller’s work. [/QUOTE] Hey, the OP mentioned Sin City. The OP also likes refering to himself in the third person. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/31 "2006-11-25T06:27:44Z")
[QUOTE=Rayne Man] Would _My Darling Clementine_ be classed as a Western-noir ? It’s got that dark, enclosed feeling about it, as well as being a superb film. [/QUOTE] I love that movie, but I don’t think I would ever, ever call it anyhwhere near Noir; it just has some of Ford’s brilliant atmospherics. The closest Ford got to Noir–in a Western at least–would probably be _Stagecoach_, whose cinemtography was one of the greatest influences on later Noir. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/32 "2006-11-25T07:05:02Z")
Man, that \*\*BBS2000 \*\* guy must be a real moron. ---
**Author:** ![JoeSki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b487fb/32.png) [@JoeSki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeSki)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/33 "2006-11-25T15:58:44Z")
[QUOTE=Raguleader] So, I’m in a Noir mood again. Any recommendations for good Film-Noir movie or TV shows? Bonus points for unusual variations on it, like sci-fi Noir. Off the top of my head, I can think of Sin City, LA Confidential, a number of Garibalid-centric episodes of Babylon 5, and “Detective Story” from The Animatrix. [/QUOTE] [Brick](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERwZXojb55M) fits the bill. Think Phillip Marlow goes to high school. It’s noir…but all of the characters are either young adults or teenagers, and they all talk like 1940 gangsters. Quite different, but very, very good. One of my new favorite movies. I must have seen it over a dozen times by now. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/34 "2006-11-25T16:03:20Z")
The Third Man is great. ---
**Author:** ![capybara](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/capybara/32/202_2.png) [@capybara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capybara)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/35 "2006-11-25T19:28:08Z")
I was coming in to say The Third Man. I second M, as well. More noir than expressionism. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/36 "2006-11-25T19:55:39Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P] The Third Man is great. [/QUOTE] _The Third Man_ is a really interesting film (I think of it as the anti-_Casablanca_) and it definitely has some noirish-elements. I’m not sure if it’s actually traditional noir or not, though. The protagonist, far from being jaded, is this optimistic, happy-go-lucky fellow “without a care in the world”. He learns better throughout the film, though, but he’s never really hard-boiled, and even in the end, where he’s found out the truth about the black market ring, betray his best friend to the police, and generally lost his innocence over the whole deal, he still has a core of optimism when he has Calloway leave him on the side of the road waiting for Anna, who walks right past him without notice. So I don’t know that it quite qualifies as noir, at least in the Chandler/Hammett/Cain sense. It’s almost if Carol Reed and screenwriter Graham Green took a typically noir plot and flipped the characters around. Regardless, it’s a fantastic movie, and highly recommended. Try to find the Rialto/Criterion collection restortoration, as prints and transfers from the unrestored negative are badly degraded. > [@JoeSki](#): > > Brick fits the bill. > > Think Phillip Marlow goes to high school. It’s noir…but all of the characters are either young adults or teenagers, and they all talk like 1940 gangsters. Quite different, but very, very good. One of my new favorite movies. I must have seen it over a dozen times by now. I missed this on initial release but watched it a few weeks ago on DVD with a friend. t’s almost at a _Blue Velvet_-level of reality skewness (think _Veronica Mars_ scripted by David Mamet and directed by David Lynch) but definitely worth checking out if you’re into noir. I’m not sure whether I liked it or not; I need to watch it at least a couple more times. I wasn’t too fond of _Sin City_–too over the top for my tastes, but then it’s based on a graphic novel, so if that’s your think it’s probably the perfect cinematic expression of it. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/37 "2006-11-25T20:02:30Z")
“Payback” (even knowing what a whacknut Mel Gibson is). Haven’t seen the original with Lee Marvin. “Bound” (Wachowski brothers. Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon and Joe Pantoliano. Get the unrated version) “History Of Violence” ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/38 "2006-11-25T21:04:26Z")
I just checked the thread over, and I can’t believe anyone hasn’t mentioned “The Usual Suspects.” So I will. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614/39 "2006-11-26T00:29:42Z")
dead again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/noir-movie-recomendations/381614.md?page=1)