I've taken a sudden interest in film noir and would love to check out some classics. The recent Noir Box Set from Warner looks very appealing. What are some essential noir films that a newbie should seek out?

Good to see your new interest. That set I am ordering here soon myself.

A pretty good read about top noir films at this link here...
http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue02/infocus.htm

Maybe my favorite noir would be..
The Killing (Directed by Stanley Kubrick)

Also I forgot about this thread which is why you may not get many replies.. always do a search.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...highlight=noir

The Killers (the '46 version) is a great one. The Killing, as mentioned, is also tip-top. Also I would recommend The Third Man, DOA, and In a Lonely Place. There are some great foreign Noirs like Le Jour se lève and Bob le Flambeur. Detours and Lost Highways: A Map of Neo-Noir is a great book about noir up until the recent past, and More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts is another one I'd recommend. These were the req'd texts for my film class last semester (a noir class, obviously) and helped me learn a great deal. The thread mentioned above is also a great list of titles and resources. Noir is an incredibly interesting genre/mode/theme/letsargueaboutwhatitreallyis and it's always nice to see people getting interested in it. It's how I got interested in older films in general.

EDIT: D'oh. Yes, buy the WB box set first. They are all great films.

Actually the Warner Brothers box set would be a great place to begin, and you can get it for around $35. Each of the 5 movies included is outstanding, and each has a commentary track, so the whole thing is like an "Intro to Noir 101" course.

A good place to start would be checking out the noir/crime section in gutwrenchers collection, I always get ideas of films to check out from his stuff.

I gotta agree, I think the box set is a new brainer as the perfect intro to film noir, with 5 all-time classics for like $8 a pop, plus commentaries on all. Plus, it's has Asphalt Jungle, while not my favorite , it was the very first classic noir movie I'd ever seen & the one that got me hooked.

The Warner Film Noir Box Set is a great deal and great film noir movies.

Robert Aldrich's "Kiss Me Deadly" is my personal all time favorite and a must.

That WB box is absolutely essential. Go and get it now. Any noir fan should. Other noirs that I consider to be essential purchases:

The Big Sleep
Kiss Me Deadly
The Maltese Falcon
The Third Man
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Shadow of a Doubt
Sunset Boulevard
Touch of Evil
Sweet Smell of Success
Force of Evil


That should get you off to a really good start.

I know you have been redirected to a couple of threads, but I just want to mention a couple of my favorites.

Kiss Me Deadly
Gun Crazy
Sweet Smell of Success
Touch of Evil

Kingtopher lists many great ones and I would agree that the new box set would be a great place to start (I'm dying to get it), but definitely check out the above.

check the Noir folder in my collection link below.

Double Indemnity is one to see (but not buy yet).

A lot of great suggestions here. I think I might pick up the Warner box set soon. Some of the Criterion noirs have also been getting my interest, as well. Thanks to everyone, and feel free to keep the suggestions coming!

Haven't heard these mentioned yet:

Nightmare Alley (1947)- Tyrone Power, Joan Blondell
Night and the City (1950)- Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney

P.S.- I know these two aren't out yet, but if you ever get the chance to catch them. . .

If you are going criterion, don't forget
Riffifi and Pick up on Sount Street. Both are great.

Can't recommend the Noir box enough. It is awesome.

For my money, Out of the Past is THE quintessential film noir. The absolute apex of the "genre" if you ask me.

great freakin' flick.

I got the new noir boxset and watched all but 'Murder, my sweet', but I'd have to say I liked Out of the Past the LEAST. It may have an excellent cast, but after the first 45 mins it ceased to be compelling. I did, however, absolutely love The Ashpalt Jungle and The Set-Up.

Any Noir fan should keep a close eye on Turner Classic Movies's schedule. They show tons of great noir, many of which are not yet available on dvd.

Check out my review of Out of the Past for DVDTalk. It is really a superb film.

Absolutely. I just taped Out of the Past the other night and in about an hour I'm going to tape The Killing. After watching Out of the Past, I'm definitely going to buy the Warner box set.

The Killing is incredible, only 85 minutes or so, but it's quite possibly my favorite Kubrick film. Hayden is great.

I believe my favorite Film Noir movie is Double Endemnity (SP?). It's really hard to find on VHS and I don't believe it has been released on DVD yet but I really hope that it will be released sometime in the future ..