Sunset Boulevard
1950
A dead screenwriter narrates his own murder from the opening frame. Billy Wilder made the perfect noir.
The Maltese Falcon
1941
Bogart invented the hardboiled detective. Huston invented the noir visual grammar. Same movie.
M
1931
Fritz Lang. A child murderer hunted by the Berlin underworld because the police are making business impossible. Peter Lorre.
Scarlet Street
1945
Fritz Lang again. Edward G. Robinson as a timid cashier. Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea dismantle him completely. No redemption.
Out of the Past
1947
Robert Mitchum has the best face for doom in cinema history. He knows how this ends.
Laura
1944
A detective investigates a murder and falls in love with the dead woman. Gene Tierney. David Raksin score.
In a Lonely Place
1950
Bogart plays a screenwriter everyone suspects of murder. Nicholas Ray. The question of guilt is never resolved.
The Lady from Shanghai
1947
Orson Welles directed, starred, and had Rita Hayworth dye her hair blonde. Hall of mirrors finale.
White Heat
1949
Cagney as a psychotic mob boss with a mother fixation. Top of the world.
Cape Fear
1962
Robert Mitchum as Max Cady following Gregory Peck everywhere with that smile.
The Asphalt Jungle
1950
The heist that goes wrong. Every heist movie made since owes this one something.
The Woman in the Window
1944
Fritz Lang made three of the best noirs ever and this is the one people forget.
Strangers on a Train
1951
Two men on a train agree to trade murders. One of them means it. Hitchcock.
The Night of the Hunter
1955
LOVE and HATE on his knuckles. The only film Charles Laughton ever directed.
Witness for the Prosecution
1957
Billy Wilder. Courtroom. Marlene Dietrich. The twist actually works.
Mildred Pierce
1945
Joan Crawford plays a woman who builds a business empire while her daughter destroys her.
Where the Sidewalk Ends
1950
Preminger. Dana Andrews accidentally kills someone and tries to cover it up.
Pickup on South Street
1953
Samuel Fuller. A pickpocket accidentally steals microfilm. He does not care about communism at all.
Key Largo
1948
Bogart and Bacall and Robinson stuck in a Florida hotel with a hurricane. John Huston.
Nightmare Alley
1947
A carny cons his way to the top and all the way back down. The 1947 version.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best classic film noir movies?
The essential classic film noirs are Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Maltese Falcon (1941), Out of the Past (1947), Laura (1944), and Double Indemnity (1944). These are the films that defined the genre.
When was the golden age of film noir?
The golden age of film noir was roughly 1940 to 1960, when Hollywood produced the bulk of the classic noir films. The genre emerged after World War II and faded with the rise of color television and changing tastes.
Who are the best film noir directors?
The essential film noir directors are Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Double Indemnity), Fritz Lang (Scarlet Street, The Woman in the Window), John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The Asphalt Jungle), Otto Preminger (Laura, Where the Sidewalk Ends), and Nicholas Ray (In a Lonely Place).