Lots of film genres speak for themselves… action, drama, comedy, horror. We instantly understand what to expect when we buy a ticket. Even mumblecore is straightforward. But the deeper you get into film analysis and theory, the more complex the categories become.
Neo-noir is the perfect example. It comes from film noir, which sounds just as vague at first. But what is it, what characteristics define it, and which neo-noir movies are worth watching?
What is a Neo-Noir Film?
In the 1940s and 50s, a series of crime dramas produced in Hollywood eventually became known as film noir. This reflected their dark tone and subject matter, as well as their shared styles. From hard-boiled antiheroes and femme fatales to the stark use of shadow and lighting, film noir was popular and unique.
But this time at the top wasn’t meant to last. In the 1960s, audiences got tired of film noir. However, early classics like The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Big Sleep (1946) influenced the next generation of filmmakers. So, by the 1970s and 80s, the neo-noir movement emerged. But what is it exactly?
A neo-noir movie is a film noir-inspired project released after the heyday of the 40s and 50s. It builds on the tropes of this genre, without being restricted to them. This means there’s much more flexibility with neo-noir movies. They can take film noir fundamentals, adapt them to new settings, and blend them with other genres.
Also, while ‘film noir’ might literally mean ‘dark film,’ neo-noir (new noir) can be colorful and even funny. So long as classic noir characteristics are used in a modern movie, it can earn neo-noir status. This evolution lets today’s filmmakers highlight current social and moral issues, with old techniques applied to new talking points.
Main Characteristics Of A Neo-Noir
The features of the neo-noir genre are fairly loose, especially compared to film noir. In fact, it’s useful to know what makes a movie ‘film noir’ in the first place.
Common characteristics include:
- Main characters with a troubled backstory and a chaotic lifestyle
- Cruel plots and themes centered on crime
- Erotic romantic relationships that end in tragedy
- Low-key lighting and extensive use of shadow, with scenes often taking place at night
- Unbalanced shot composition and jarring camera angles create a dream-like experience
Film noir is also linked to detective stories, although it covers other genres as well. Casablanca (1942), for example, makes heavy use of the film noir style but is mainly a romance.
Defining neo-noir movies is even trickier. Calling it a genre is controversial, and no two movies are the same. However, there are a few shared elements in neo-noir films, including:
- Crime and graphic violence
- Characters kept apart from their community or society
- Experimental use of lighting, color, and shot composition
Most Notable Neo-Noir Film Examples
Some critics don’t like the term neo-noir because they argue it’s too broad to be useful. However, there are plenty of films that showcase what it’s about clearly. So if you want to understand it, check out some of the following important, compelling neo-noirs.
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Some 1960s films fall under the neo-noir banner, but it’s in the 70s that things really got moving. The Long Goodbye is a good starting point as it’s a deliberate satire of film noir. It takes Raymond Chandler’s novel and pokes fun at its hero, Philip Marlowe.
Elliott Gould plays Marlowe, a man struggling to function in the modern world. The opening scene, in which Marlowe buys cat food, makes the life of a private eye look anything but glamorous. It’s a clear inspiration for Shane Black’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and The Nice Guys (2016).
Chinatown (1974)
If you only watch one neo-noir from the 1970s, make it Chinatown. This Oscar-winning mystery movie hits many of the film noir tropes. A glamorous woman hires a hard-nosed private investigator to watch her high-powered husband. Death, lies, romance, and tragedy follow.
Unlike The Long Goodbye, Chinatown is a straight-laced tribute to film noir. Director Roman Polanski and cinematographer John A. Alonzo collaborated to use realistic lighting, so despite being set in the 1930s, it looks thoroughly modern.
Taxi Driver (1976)
As well as directing gangster movies, Martin Scorsese made neo-noir films early in his career. Taxi Driver is a great example. Its protagonist, Travis Bickel, is an outcast. He sees the decline of society and the rise of crime as something he must fix. We experience New York City with him as a decaying dreamscape. This makes the people he encounters less human and explains the ultraviolent climax. It set the bar for bloodiness in neo-noir.
Blood Simple (1984)
The Coen brothers bring their own strange style to neo-noir in their first feature film. There’s less glamor to the relationship that drives the plot, and more cynicism. Characters are motivated by jealousy and greed, while the neon-tinged color palette and frequent close-ups create an uncomfortable, dreamy atmosphere.
Basic Instinct (1992)
Sharon Stone is the ultimate femme fatale in Basic Instinct, an erotic neo-noir with cinema’s most infamous interrogation scene. Sex and death go hand in hand, and every character has secret motivations. The way it is shot and edited also has that dream-like intensity, which is important for any neo-noir movie.
Many other 1990s erotic thrillers tried to copy Basic Instinct and put kinkiness in the spotlight. Most, like the 1994 Bruce Willis vehicle Color of Night, failed. This might be why we’ve not seen blockbusters featuring uncensored sex ever since.
Seven (1995)
Seven is a neo-noir with a nasty core. Like Taxi Driver, it’s all about our broken modern society. This time, it’s a serial killer who’s sent to punish us. The detectives on his tail get dragged into a nightmare. If they win, they lose. It’s all the same in David Fincher’s brutal and bleak film.
Fargo (1996)
Neo-noir doesn’t have to be depressing. Fargo makes it funny, and it seems the Coen brothers have a blast setting it in the frozen Midwest. There’s bribery, blackmail, and bloody murder. There are also cute, quirky characters and absurd plot points aplenty.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Perhaps the most traditional neo-noir of the 90s, L.A. Confidential captured the atmosphere of 1950s Hollywood perfectly. Aside from the setting, its characters are its biggest asset. We meet slimy tabloid journalists, self-righteous rookie cops, corrupt veteran detectives, and beautiful women with dark secrets. The darkness of the plot is contrasted with the bright sunshine of the City of Angels. Although when the sun sets, L.A.’s grubby underbelly rivals any classic film noir.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
David Lynch is a master of neo-noir. While Mulholland Drive is less accessible than earlier efforts like Blue Velvet (1986), that’s the point.
Lynch loves leaving audiences to make their own decisions about what his movies mean. Hollywood is again the backdrop, a dreamlike place where an aspiring actress hopes to make her mark. A friend’s case of amnesia following a car accident and mob involvement in a movie director’s latest project complicates things.
This is neo-noir taken to its logical conclusion. There are many light moments, but the main themes are darkness and confusion.
In Bruges (2008)
In Bruges is about two hitmen forced to vacation in a sleepy Belgian city. This starting point is closer to Fargo than Basic Instinct. It’s a funny, sometimes sentimental film with violent moments that shake the audience up. When characters use drugs and alcohol, things get dream-like.
Drive (2011)
Adding a healthy splash of neon to neo-noir, Drive has it all. A tough protagonist who chooses his words carefully. A clash of civilian life with the criminal underworld. An ultraviolent climax that goes toe to toe with Taxi Driver’s. It’s a legitimate modern classic.
Hell or High Water (2017)
Several projects from writer Taylor Sheridan fit the neo-noir profile. Hell or High Water is the strongest of the pack and also falls under the neo-Western banner.
In place of urban decay, we get rural poverty. In place of chaotic city cops, we get bank-robbing brothers and moustachioed Texas Rangers. Darkness comes from cloud-filled southern skies. The main characters face modern problems, but money and power are behind it all. So it’s an example of old-meets-new that’s true to its neo-noir ambitions.
Wrapping Up
Neo-noir is one of those labels that not every filmmaker or critic loves. It also has a definition that’s tied more to vibes and loose themes than anything specific. But once you get lost in its dark world, you’ll spot new neo-noirs from a mile away. It might even inspire you to make your own.
