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100 films

Film-Noir

Film noir is a mood more than a plot: shadowy cities, fatalistic heroes, deadly women and corruption beneath the surface. It arose in 1940s Hollywood from hard-boiled fiction and from émigré directors such as Lang, Wilder and Siodmak, who brought German Expressionist lighting. Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep and Touch of Evil defined it; it later returned as neo-noir in Chinatown and Blade Runner.

Where
The United States; later France and Japan
When
Classic period 1941–1958; neo-noir from the 1970s
Key figures
Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, Orson Welles, Jules Dassin, Jean-Pierre Melville
Landmark films
Double Indemnity (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Out of the Past (1947), Touch of Evil (1958)
Legacy
Its look and attitude are still used to signal moral darkness

What to look for

  • Low-key lighting and strong shadows
  • Voice-over and flashback
  • Femmes fatales and doomed protagonists
  • Night streets, rain and neon
  • Cynicism toward institutions

Directors with the most films in this genre

Fritz Lang9 filmsAlfred Hitchcock6 filmsNicholas Ray5 filmsRobert Siodmak5 filmsBilly Wilder4 filmsJosef von Sternberg4 filmsOrson Welles4 filmsCarol Reed3 filmsEdward Dmytryk3 filmsJohn Huston3 filmsJoseph Losey3 filmsRaoul Walsh3 filmsWilliam Wyler3 filmsAkira Kurosawa2 filmsChristopher Nolan2 filmsDiao Yinan2 filmsDon Siegel2 filmsElia Kazan2 filmsHoward Hawks2 filmsJean Renoir2 filmsJean-Pierre Melville2 filmsMax Ophüls2 filmsMichael Curtiz2 filmsSamuel Fuller2 films
See all 45 directors
Stanley Kubrick2 filmsThe Coen Brothers2 filmsAlexander Mackendrick1 filmArthur Penn1 filmBéla Tarr1 filmDennis Hopper1 filmFrançois Truffaut1 filmGuillermo del Toro1 filmJean-Luc Godard1 filmJohn Cassavetes1 filmLawrence Kasdan1 filmLouis Malle1 filmLuchino Visconti1 filmMasahiro Shinoda1 filmMichelangelo Antonioni1 filmRainer Werner Fassbinder1 filmRidley Scott1 filmRobert Altman1 filmRoman Polanski1 filmSeijun Suzuki1 filmStephen Frears1 film

Often combined with

Drama Crime Mystery Thriller Action Adventure

100 films, best rated first

  1. Memento 2000 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 8.4
  2. Sunset Boulevard 1950 · Billy Wilder · IMDb 8.4
  3. Double Indemnity 1944 · Billy Wilder · IMDb 8.3
  4. Blade Runner 1982 · Ridley Scott · IMDb 8.1
  5. Chinatown 1974 · Roman Polanski · IMDb 8.1
  6. On the Waterfront 1954 · Elia Kazan · IMDb 8.1
  7. The Third Man 1949 · Carol Reed · IMDb 8.1
  8. White Heat 1949 · Raoul Walsh · IMDb 8.1
  9. Ace in the Hole 1951 · Billy Wilder · IMDb 8.0
  10. Le Samouraï 1967 · Jean-Pierre Melville · IMDb 8.0
  11. Sweet Smell of Success 1957 · Alexander Mackendrick · IMDb 8.0
  12. Elevator to the Gallows 1958 · Louis Malle · IMDb 7.9
  13. In a Lonely Place 1950 · Nicholas Ray · IMDb 7.9
  14. Mildred Pierce 1945 · Michael Curtiz · IMDb 7.9
  15. Notorious 1946 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.9
  16. Strangers on a Train 1951 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.9
  17. The Big Heat 1953 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.9
  18. The Big Sleep 1946 · Howard Hawks · IMDb 7.9
  19. The Killing 1956 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 7.9
  20. The Maltese Falcon 1941 · John Huston · IMDb 7.9
  21. Touch of Evil 1958 · Orson Welles · IMDb 7.9
  22. Angels with Dirty Faces 1938 · Michael Curtiz · IMDb 7.8
  23. Fury 1936 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.8
  24. Stray Dog 1949 · Akira Kurosawa · IMDb 7.8
  25. The Asphalt Jungle 1950 · John Huston · IMDb 7.8
  26. The Lost Weekend 1945 · Billy Wilder · IMDb 7.8
  27. Key Largo 1948 · John Huston · IMDb 7.7
  28. Le Doulos 1962 · Jean-Pierre Melville · IMDb 7.7
  29. Pale Flower 1964 · Masahiro Shinoda · IMDb 7.7
  30. Scarface 1932 · Howard Hawks · IMDb 7.7
  31. Scarlet Street 1945 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.7
  32. Shadow of a Doubt 1943 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.7
  33. The Killers 1946 · Robert Siodmak · IMDb 7.7
  34. Damnation 1988 · Béla Tarr · IMDb 7.6
  35. Drunken Angel 1948 · Akira Kurosawa · IMDb 7.6
  36. Odd Man Out 1947 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.6
  37. Pickup on South Street 1953 · Samuel Fuller · IMDb 7.6
  38. The Fallen Idol 1948 · Carol Reed · IMDb 7.6
  39. The Woman in the Window 1944 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.6
  40. Veronika Voss 1982 · Rainer Werner Fassbinder · IMDb 7.6
  41. Blood Simple 1984 · The Coen Brothers · IMDb 7.5
  42. Detective Story 1951 · William Wyler · IMDb 7.5
  43. High Sierra 1941 · Raoul Walsh · IMDb 7.5
  44. La Bête humaine 1938 · Jean Renoir · IMDb 7.5
  45. La Chienne 1931 · Jean Renoir · IMDb 7.5
  46. Murder, My Sweet 1944 · Edward Dmytryk · IMDb 7.5
  47. Ossessione 1943 · Luchino Visconti · IMDb 7.5
  48. Spellbound 1945 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.5
  49. The Docks of New York 1928 · Josef von Sternberg · IMDb 7.5
  50. The Lady from Shanghai 1947 · Orson Welles · IMDb 7.5
  51. The Letter 1940 · William Wyler · IMDb 7.5
  52. The Long Goodbye 1973 · Robert Altman · IMDb 7.5
  53. The Man Who Wasn't There 2001 · The Coen Brothers · IMDb 7.5
  54. Underworld 1927 · Josef von Sternberg · IMDb 7.5
  55. Body Heat 1981 · Lawrence Kasdan · IMDb 7.4
  56. Criss Cross 1949 · Robert Siodmak · IMDb 7.4
  57. Following 1998 · Christopher Nolan · IMDb 7.4
  58. Hangmen Also Die! 1943 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.4
  59. Shoot the Piano Player 1960 · François Truffaut · IMDb 7.4
  60. The Wrong Man 1956 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.4
  61. They Live by Night 1948 · Nicholas Ray · IMDb 7.4
  62. Shanghai Express 1932 · Josef von Sternberg · IMDb 7.3
  63. The Stranger 1946 · Orson Welles · IMDb 7.3
  64. Youth of the Beast 1963 · Seijun Suzuki · IMDb 7.3
  65. Crossfire 1947 · Edward Dmytryk · IMDb 7.2
  66. Cry of the City 1948 · Robert Siodmak · IMDb 7.2
  67. Dead End 1937 · William Wyler · IMDb 7.2
  68. On Dangerous Ground 1951 · Nicholas Ray · IMDb 7.2
  69. Panic in the Streets 1950 · Elia Kazan · IMDb 7.2
  70. Phantom Lady 1944 · Robert Siodmak · IMDb 7.2
  71. Pursued 1947 · Raoul Walsh · IMDb 7.2
  72. Suspicion 1941 · Alfred Hitchcock · IMDb 7.2
  73. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie 1976 · John Cassavetes · IMDb 7.2
  74. The Naked Kiss 1964 · Samuel Fuller · IMDb 7.2
  75. You Only Live Once 1937 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.2
  76. Human Desire 1954 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 7.1
  77. Mr. Arkadin 1955 · Orson Welles · IMDb 7.1
  78. Night Moves 1975 · Arthur Penn · IMDb 7.1
  79. Story of a Love Affair 1950 · Michelangelo Antonioni · IMDb 7.1
  80. The Prowler 1951 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 7.1
  81. The Reckless Moment 1949 · Max Ophüls · IMDb 7.1
  82. The Sniper 1952 · Edward Dmytryk · IMDb 7.1
  83. Caught 1949 · Max Ophüls · IMDb 7.0
  84. Nightmare Alley 2021 · Guillermo del Toro · IMDb 7.0
  85. Party Girl 1958 · Nicholas Ray · IMDb 7.0
  86. Riot in Cell Block 11 1954 · Don Siegel · IMDb 7.0
  87. The Dark Mirror 1946 · Robert Siodmak · IMDb 7.0
  88. The Killers (1964) 1964 · Don Siegel · IMDb 7.0
  89. Alphaville 1965 · Jean-Luc Godard · IMDb 6.9
  90. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt 1956 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 6.9
  91. While the City Sleeps 1956 · Fritz Lang · IMDb 6.9
  92. The Grifters 1990 · Stephen Frears · IMDb 6.8
  93. Time Without Pity 1957 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 6.8
  94. Black Coal, Thin Ice 2014 · Diao Yinan · IMDb 6.7
  95. The Wild Goose Lake 2019 · Diao Yinan · IMDb 6.7
  96. Knock on Any Door 1949 · Nicholas Ray · IMDb 6.6
  97. Killer's Kiss 1955 · Stanley Kubrick · IMDb 6.5
  98. The Shanghai Gesture 1941 · Josef von Sternberg · IMDb 6.5
  99. The Hot Spot 1990 · Dennis Hopper · IMDb 6.4
  100. The Big Night 1951 · Joseph Losey · IMDb 6.3