movies - film noir

the dark world of noir

The Big Combo

It's a genre that's easy to place in the mind's eye ... but is curiously difficult to define. Perhaps it is not a genre, but rather a mood, a style -- a point-of-view. The term 'film noir' was not even coined until many of the noir classics had already been produced.

If you hear a voiceover like "She was so gorgeous that you got bloodshot eyes just by looking at her" you're probably watching a noir film. In addition to the definitions we've posted, here are two other attempts to describe one of the Last Link's favourite film genres. Enjoy or we'll squirt metal!


the genre defined | most wanted | the usual suspects | film noir films & figures | also of interest | a voice of reason | elsewhere on the web | related pages


The Genre Defined


See also further attempts to define the genre.


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Most Wanted


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The Usual Suspects


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Film Noir Films and Figures

A selection of films and filmmakers from the noir genre.


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Also Of Interest


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A Voice Of Reason


Elsewhere On The Web


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Related Pages



Further Attempts To Define Film Noir


Tim Dirks of Greatest Films says the term film noir (literally 'black film or cinema') was coined by French film critics who noticed the trend of how dark and black the looks and themes were of many American crime and detective films released following WWII. The criminal, violence or greed elements in film noir are a metaphoric symptom of society's evils, with a strong undercurrent of moral conflict.


Meanwhile, Hyde Flippo of the German-Hollywood Connection says to qualify as "true" noir, a film must contain most or all of the following: • dark, shadowy, contrasty images filmed in black and white, often at night and usually in a gritty urban setting • hard-boiled, cynical, disillusioned characters - who are nevertheless usually likable • a male protagonist facing a moral dilemma and/or some kind of threat • an alluring, sassy, independent and usually dangerous woman • flashbacks - a wavering past and present, inextricably linked • a voice-over narration • crisp, often witty dialog, sprinkled with great one-liners • a German, Austrian or Austro-Hungarian director of the German school (Curtiz, Lang, Maté, Preminger, Siodmak, Ulmer, Wilder, et al) • a healthy dose of paranoia or, at the very least, a strong sense of insecurity, betrayal, or being trapped • angst, American style • NO happy ending.