What are some of the great film noirs?
 

I haven't seen too many, but third man and le samourai top my list. What are some other ones worth checking out? Any as good as the two i mentioned?


and does casablanca count as a noir?

The Maltese Falcon
Naked City
Sunset Boulevard
Double Indemnity
Chinatown
Gilda
The Lady From Shanghai
The Big Sleep

Those might be good for a start.

You should start with "Double Indemnity," which was just released to DVD in a very nice two-disc Universal Legacy Edition.

You should definitely check out "Sunset Boulevard," which, like "Double Indemnity," was directed by Billy Wilder. And Otto Preminger's "Laura" is not to be missed.

"The Third Man" is one of my favorites, too. I don't think "Casablanca" can be considered film noir.

Casablanca doesn't count, because it's not actually dark--it's a hopeful movie.

In addition the the films mentioned above there's also:

Out of the Past
D.O.A. (1950)
Criss Cross (1949)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Kiss Me Deadly
The Asphalt Jungle

The Killing
Detour
The Set-Up
Criss Cross
Out of the Past
Laura

Do a search for the various Noir threads in movie talk. There has been a lot of discussion that you will find useful. Have fun.

There's also: Mildred Pierce, The Naked Kiss & Shock Corridor by Samuel Fuller, Night and the City & Thieves' Highway by Jules Dassin, Strangers on a Train. And if you liked Le Samourai, check out Le Circle Rouge, another great Melville film.

Complete agreement. I simply could not remember the title when I was writing my list.

And I highly suggest staying away from Mildred Pierce. It's much more of a melodrama than a noir, and not a good one.

And for "future noir," let's not forget "Blade Runner."

And for "contemporary noir," let's not forget "Sin City."

And L.A. Confidential

Good call. :up:

I love The Maltese Falcon. Anytime I catch it on TCM, I usually watch 'til the end. Great replayability. Reckon I should pick up that new-fangled DVD coming out soon.

And Miller's Crossing, and Brick...

I highly recommend D.O.A. and Laura. Kubrick's The Killing does nothing for me, and the narration (including the narrator himself) just grates on me. I am well aware that this is not a popular opinion.

Then again, the zither score in The Third Man grates on a number of people, but I love it.

Brick

This Gun for Hire always made me happy.

Elevator to the Gallows anyone? I just watched this over the weekend.

What about Dark City as contemporary noir?

And no one's mentioned Touch of Evil, generally considered the last film in the classic noir genre.

Double Indemnity is the prototype


for contemporary noir, what about Out of Sight?

Good call on Touch of Evil ... That is a real gem, too. The movie has an eerie, dusk and darkness feel to it throughout the running time.

Can't believe I missed putting in Touch of Evil. I was just recommending it to someone the other day, too.

When I took the dive into film noir, the first one I checked out was The Big Sleep, and it remains one of my favorites out of all of them. I do not recommend starting with that one though.

Martha Vickers, mmmmmmm:

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/6505/hairph3.gif

"She tried to sit in my lap while I was standing up."

Do Memento and Insomnia (both Christopher Nolan flicks) count as Contemporary Noir?

Gun Crazy (1949)
Nightmare Alley (1947)

I seem to be prejudiced towards noir with carny folk.

I have to second "The Set-up" (mentioned above). Watched it on TCM a little while back; very well done. I don't think Robert Ryan made a bad film (or gave a poor performance in any movie I have seen).

Seconded. :up:

Nice call. Wouldn't have really considered that to be a "noir", but now that I think on it, it's a great one.

I'll also agree with the Maltese Falcon (#1 fave Bogie film), Chinatown, and Double Idemnity. Something about Casablanca just doesn't scream dark and broody to me - I'd have to lean against it being a noir.

It's a stretch, but if we're trying to break some barriers with genre ... how about Gattaca?