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Film noir is a sub-genre of filmmaking that predominantly focuses on stylistic visual elements like the interplay of shadow lighting along with black and white motifs. Film historians believe that noir films have their roots in German expressionist cinematography, originating during a period of angst: the Great Depression. Apart from the similarity in visuals, the narrative themes depicted in the genre include: an anti-hero protagonist, femme fatale characters, and a bleak overarching theme. Since its origin, post the chaos of WW2, noir films have come a long way. While there are no hard and fast rules that apply for a film to fit into the sub-genre, film noir can be viewed as a movement more than a genre. Here are some of the best modern noir movies, ranked.
8/8 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
An extension of the 1982 classic of the same name, Blade Runner 2049 picks off 30 years after the original. Set in a world that operates on the same principles thematically, the latest edition of the film follows K (Ryan Gosling), an officer working with the LAPD, directly responsible for “retiring” cyborgs that are rogue human replicants. The film is directed by the legendary Denis Villeneuve and shot by two-time Academy Award winner Roger Deakins.
7/8 Drive (2011)
Drive is a perfect example of a modern day noir film due to its explosive use of neon lights matched with a somber narrative. Embodying the principles of traditional noir films, Drive pushes the conventional norms of visual storytelling. The film is directed by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn and features a blockbuster soundtrack, which includes “Night Call” by Kavinsky.
6/8 Se7en (1995)
David Fincher’s Se7en conventionally fits the description of what an old school noir film would seem like in today’s time. A thriller by nature, Se7en’s filmmaking ethos thematically resembles the classic noir genre. With striking cinematography and grungy production design, the film is the perfect example of what an old school noir film would look like, in today’s cultural backdrop.
5/8 Sin City (2005)
Sin City is possibly the closest film that visually comes close to the original noir films of the ’40s. A Neo noir film in its own right, Sin City features striking black and white cinematography that plays off majorly on lights and shadows. The narrative of the film also compliments the visuals in accordance to the theme of the original noir films. The plot revolves around four individuals who cross paths with each other set against the violent background of Basin City, Washington. The film is helmed by legendary comic writer Frank Miller along with Robert Rodriguez and has a star cast of Hollywood veterans such as Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, and Benicio del Toro.
4/8 Blue Velvet (1986)
David Lynch’s films extend a charm of classy noir visuals along with elements of mystique and surrealism. To the point where Lynch’s films are quite similar to his paintings, they focus more on stylistic communication and less about the point their trying to make. Blue Velvet follows a man named Jeffrey and the consequences of his curiosity when he discovers a severed human ear on the ground. The film makes use of seductive visual motifs, with elements of cabaret and surrealism. A significant homage to the noir films of the ’40s and ’50s, Blue Velvet essentially serves as the amalgamation of progression of various noir films through the years.
3/8 Taxi Driver (1976)
A case study into life in an urban metro and the loneliness it can cause, Taxi Driver is a stellar portrait of mental decay in a society that feeds off excess. The film metaphorically serves as a visual memoir of an outsider trying to find an entry point into the American Dream, through the backdrop of New York in the ’70s. The story revolves around Travis Pickle (Robert De Niro), and his journey as he tries to save an underage prostitute (Jodie Foster). Through his journey, Travis’s gets a shift in perspective as he comes face to face with the corrupt roots of humanity.
2/8 Mulholland Drive (2001)
Another moody David Lynch film, Mulholland Drive renders a story that diffuses the bounds between surrealism and reality. Operating narratively on a mixture of femme fatale and a whodunit thriller, Mulholland Drive is in equal measures mysterious as it is thrilling. The story follows a woman who after a car crash, loses her memory. In her attempt to find out what happened before the crash, the woman, along with an aspiring Hollywood hopeful, scatters across LA for clues.
1/8 Chinatown (1974)
Arguably one of the best written films of the last few years, Chinatown is a must-watch for everyone. A noir, thriller in equal measures, the film works as an edge-of-the-seat thriller, with the main element being that of uncertainty. Robert Towne brilliantly stays one step ahead of the viewer, just leaving enough breadcrumbs to arouse curiosity but never enough to lead to complacency. The Neo noir murder mystery is directed by Roman Polanski and features Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Houston in pivotal roles.
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