On Film Noir:
Many people equate film noir with private eyes and/or Humphrey Bogart. This is a flawed
definition. To me, a noir film is a movie that has some element of crime along with characters
that are damaged psychologically. It is (more often than not) pessimistic about human nature.
Plot-wise it is a genre of doomed relationships, corruption, paranoia, and fear. You'll find
psychopaths, thieves, whores, dirty cops, drug addicts, and a gritty version of society that you
don't often see in movies of that period (1940s-1960s). It is a genre of personal and societal
destruction.
In visual terms, most film noir films are rooted in darkness: dark rooms and dark streets to
accompany the dark actions of the characters. (Despite that somewhat accurate
generalization, this is is not the case in many of the "noir" films of the 1950s.) The darkness
that we all know and love was often the result of the limited budget of a lot of the films (it's
easier to hide a small set with darkness). Robert Mitchum, star of many film noir classics, has
said, "We lit our sets with cigarette butts." Even if it just started to be a matter of budget, this
darkness helped to create a mood of fear, claustrophobia, sleaze, and the anticipation of
violence. We get an intimate view of dank apartments, dirty streets, cramped stairways, dive
bars, and anywhere else you'd find in the underbelly of society. Also, there is quite a bit of
experimentation in the directing of many films in the noir genre (good examples: Lady in the
Lake, Killer's Kiss, The Thief, et al).
The film noir genre is really a posthumous one. Back when these films were being made, no
one sought out to make a "film noir". There was no such thing. They were making crime
pictures, mysteries, or dramas. Because of this, there is some debate as to when the genre
actually started and what films should be included. There are some westerns that people
consider noir while others dismiss them as simply sullen westerns. Many critics believe that the
golden age of noir started during WW2. You can see an obvious change in tone and themes in
these movies. There was more cynicism and brutality. There was pessimistic doubt about
human nature. (Many critics consider the 1940 film Stranger on the Third Floor to be the
first true noir even though it is not a post-war movie.)
Another common element of the noir is the femme fatale. The sexy yet deadly woman who
often single-handedly destroys a man through promises of sensual pleasures. Personally, I
think that this is one of the most important (and fun to watch) elements of the genre. In film noir
we get brutal violence, psychological torment, and sexy women. What else do you need in a
movie?
Milland, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester.
This is another movie that I sort of put off watching
even though I owned it for a few years. I’m pretty sorry I
did. It was pretty damn entertaining and suspenseful. A
crime reporter is told by his boss to hunt after a mysterious
man who is accused of killing a woman. Just so happens
this “mysterious man” is the crime reporter himself.. and
he’s innocent of the crime! Yikes.
The movie struck me as a sort of light version of a
Alfred Hitchcock movie or a Cornell Woolrich story. There’s
no real mystery here; the audience knows everything. It’s
the suspense that’s the entertainment and that
entertainment is spectacular. Recommended.
Filmy Noir Rating 4.5 out of 5
Palance, Ida Lupino, and Rod Steiger.
If you doubt the acting chops of Jack Palance, then watch
this movie. He’s impressive as a famous actor whose life is slowly
going to pieces. Most of the movie takes place in his house as we
watch everything unfold in a devastating manner. It’s considered
a noir but that’s debatable.
Regardless, it’s a story of guilt, blackmail, infidelity, and fame
at all costs. It’s another “showbiz noir” like Sweet Smell of
Success though not as coldhearted (and not as good). Rod
Steiger’s character is ridiculous.. in a good way. He plays a very
memorable character. I believe that this movie was based on a
stage play so some of the dialogue comes off like monologues
and (according to my wife) there is a bit of overacting in the
process. Oh well. Still, it’s a pretty entertaining movie that’s also
pretty depressing.
PS: Ignore the really ugly poster art that gives NO indication of
the tone of the movie.
Filmy Noir Rating 3.5 out of 5
Allen Baron, Molly McCarthy, and Larry Tucker.
Raw. Minimalist. Existential.
Blast of Silence is a low-budget crime drama that’s closer
to a French noir than an American one. It was shot on
location in NYC and feels more like a black-and-white
documentary than a movie.
It’s a character study with an uncomplicated plot: A hitman
comes to NYC from Chicago in order to make a hit. He
arranges to get a gun from his connection and has to kill
time (no pun intended) while waiting to do the job. It’s
Christmas time and that depresses this professional killer
who grew up in an orphanage and has limited social skills.
He bumps into an old friend from that orphanage and
reluctantly goes to a Christmas party. He’s an outsider
both figuratively and literally. He’s like a more restrained
version of Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver except there is no
doubt as to what side of the law he is on (I still think Bickle
is a good guy though my wife thinks he's crazy.)
By the end of BLAST OF SILENCE, you do feel sorry for
the hit-man, however. There’s a bit of sadness in his
misanthropy and you will not soon forget this film.
Highly recommended. Criterion finally released this movie
on DVD. Even though it's a bit expensive, it's worth it.
Filmy Noir Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Taylor, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price, Ava Gardner, and John
Hodiak.
A federal agent goes undercover in South America in order to squash
an illegal arms trade ring. As the title suggests, he is faced with the
conflict of either doing the right thing or taking a piece of the pie (as
well as the woman). Despite this, the agent (Taylor) doesn't really
come across as a tortured protagonist who is legitimately tempted by
the proposition.
There are a few stylized directorial touches that add an extra
something to the film. The ending chase through a fireworks display is
also pretty entertaining. The addition of Vincent Price to the plot
bumps the film up a notch. Price has that effect on most movies he is
cast in. Laughton, too, is a great character and seems to have a lot of
fun.
The setting is claustrophobic and you can almost feel the heat of the
South American climate through the television screen. Again, this isn't
one of the best noirs I've seen. It lacks the grittiness, brutality, and
darkness that I prefer in a noir....but it's entertaining nonetheless.
Worth a look if you can catch it on T.V.
Filmy Noir Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Ann Savage.
Let me preface this review by mentioning that this was filmed in 6
days. Yep, that’s right. SIX DAYS. The director was also rationed
a certain amount of film and was told by the studio that he had to
shoot within 15 miles of the studio’s headquarters. Despite those
limitations, this is a classic 1945 low-budget film noir directed by
Edgar G. Ulmer.
Though I wouldn’t go as far as to call it surreal, the low budget
quality and the simplicity of the plot make it almost dream like. It’s
67 minutes of pure noir bliss. This is a fatalistic and bleak film that
also features one of the bitchiest femme fatales ever: the sexy
Ann Savage who plays Vera, a nasty little woman who gives our
main character a lot of trouble.
I’m going to insist that if you are reading this, go out and get this
movie. I believe it is in the public domain so you can find it in
several DVD boxed sets. If you end up liking it, read the book, too.
It's just as good.
Filmy Noir Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Richard Boone.
Of course, this isn’t a noir but it’s a movie that’s a spin-
off of one of the most famous crime television shows of all
time. The first scene is a pretty brutal (for it’s time) murder-
by-shotgun in clear daylight. The rest of the film is an
excuse for Jack Webb to talk tough really fast. Remember
the library policeman Mr. Bookman from that Seinfeld
episode? Well, that was a spoof of Jack Webb and let’s
just say that it’s actually funnier when Webb does it. I mean
that with respect, though. It was entertaining and he is still
likeable as a character. A bit stiff, yeah, .. but likeable.
The movie itself isn’t a mystery. We know the killers
right from the beginning. Some people complain about this
in other reviews but so what? There are plenty of really
good crime stories where the audience knows who
committed the crime and the suspense lies in how they are
going to get caught. Anyway, it’s a pretty good flick if you
like the Dragnet show. If you are looking for a dark crime
story or brutal film noir, then look elsewhere.
Trivia: (Richard Boone also plays a small role and you
might recognize him from that awesome low budget horror
movie I Bury the Living which I highly recommend for late
night Saturday viewing.)
Filmy Noir Rating 2.5 out of 5
Smith and Frank Silvera.
Brutal, raw, low budget noir by Stanley Kubrick. This was only
his second feature and even though it’s roughly edited, it shows
just how much talent he had. At 67 minutes, it’s pretty short
(and there’s a chase scene at the end that could’ve been
trimmed by a minute or two) but it’s an enjoyable but bleak look
at what happens when a washed-up boxer gets involved with a
girl and her shady, obsessive boss. There’s no melodrama
here. It’s pure gritty film-making on location in NYC. Excellent
noir. (This would also make a good companion piece to Robert
Wise's 1949 film The Set-Up which stars Robert Ryan as a
boxer on his way out. And it has a bummer of an ending.)
Filmy Noir Rating: 4 out of 5.
Sterling Hayden and Elisha Cook, Jr.
A more polished (but still pretty raw) follow-up to Kubrick’s
previous film Killer’s Kiss. One of my favorite crime authors
Jim Thompson assisted with writing the dialogue for this
movie (though it is rumored that he had a greater role in the
writing which Kubrick refused to give him credit for).
This is a classic noir film that features criminals as the
protagonists. This has probably influenced most of the
modern heist/robbery films such as Reservoir Dogs. The
plot is given to us in bits and pieces, letting us know about
each member of the gang a little bit at a time. This unique
structure makes it a step above other crime films of the
1950s.
Filmy Noir Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
