The golden age of Hollywood cinema was surprisingly dark. From 1941 to 1959, viewers were fascinated by crime dramas with cool detectives, mysterious and dangerous women, an atmosphere of lies and cynicism. This cinematic style later became known as noir (from the French film noir "black film").
Many films from the 1940s and 1950s inspired the noir era for decades to come. In recognition of this, we have compiled a list of the best noir films of all time - not only critically, but also in terms of their impact on the genre, as well as based on ratings on Kinopoisk and IMDb. For convenience, all films are arranged chronologically.
10. Maltese Falcon (1941)
Genre: noir, detective
Kinopoisk rating: 7.7
IMDb rating: 8.0
Country: USA
Producer: John Houston
Music: Adolf Deutsch
This "grandfather of film noir" is renowned for its brilliant cast and superb direction. Its cold atmosphere is fully in line with what we expect from a movie like this: black and white colors, action mostly taking place in the dark, as well as cynicism and deception reigning on the screen.
The Maltese Falcon, based on the novel by Dashil Hammett, revolves around the search for the valuable artifact that gave the film its name. And the archetypal protagonist, aka frequent detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), served as the prototype for the tough but romantic antihero guy who settled in the noir genre for many years.
9. Deep Sleep (1946)
Genre: noir, detective, thriller
Kinopoisk rating: 7.4
IMDb rating: 7.9
Country: USA
Producer: Howard Hawks
Music: Max Steiner
For the second time in the top 10 best noir films of all time, Humphrey Bogart has been in the spotlight, this time in the film adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel of the same name. By the way, it was this writer who was responsible for the creation of one of his most famous film noir characters and short stories - Philip Marlowe.
If you are someone who loves to quickly solve a mystery with a detective, it is better to skip "Deep Sleep". But if you can excuse the inconsistency of the storytelling and the overly twisted storyline, then you will find more than enough character chemistry, interesting dialogue, and excellent acting to enjoy this movie.
8. From the Past (1947)
Genre: noir, thriller, melodrama
Kinopoisk rating: 7.3
IMDb rating: 8
Country: USA
Producer: Jacques Tourneur
Music: Roy Webb
Director Jacques Turner uses every archetype of noir as a weapon: a private detective, a femme fatale, a charismatic villain, and an intricate plot.
One of the greatest moments of From The Past is the fight scene between Jeff (Robert Mitch) and Fisher (Steve Brody). They beat each other savagely as their shadows dance across the face of the protagonist Katie (Jane Greer), symbolizing that both men are victims of the web of lies she has weaved.
7. The third man (1949)
Genre: noir, thriller, detective
Kinopoisk rating: 7.6
IMDb Rating: 8.1
Country: United Kingdom
Producer: Carol Reid
Music: Anton Carras
Arriving in post-war Vienna at the invitation of his friend Harry Lyme, writer Holly Martins discovered that Harry had died in an accident.
The police consider Lyme a speculator and a shady businessman, and is in no hurry to investigate the true causes of his death. Martins is confident that his friend was unjustly accused and killed. He starts his own investigation ...
From the general list of the best noir detectives with a high rating, this movie stands out because it was created not in the USA, but in the UK. And also by the fact that in the film, to create an atmosphere of alarm, the so-called "Dutch angle" is used - the camera is directed at the hero from the bottom up, while the horizon is littered to one side.
This atmosphere is fully consistent with the time period when "The Third Man" was filmed - during the uncertainty after the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War.
6. Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Genre: noir, thriller, detective
Kinopoisk rating: 7.3
IMDb rating: 7.9
Country: USA
Producer: John Houston
Music: Miklos Rozha
While many of the best film noir films tell the story from the point of view of the guardian of the law, Asphalt Jungle shows the other side of the coin.
In it, the main roles went to criminals who intend to go to their last business, before returning to a normal, law-abiding life. Each of the characters has their own dreams and hopes, and the director, not relying on the standard formula "bad bandits, good cops", tries to reveal the characters from a side that is unexpected for the viewer.
Despite its venerable age, Asphalt Jungle is still an entertaining film, involving the planning, preparation and execution of a multi-million dollar heist that is not going according to plan.
There is also a rising (at the time of filming) Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe in Asphalt Jungle. She performed a small but memorable role.
5. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Genre: noir drama
Kinopoisk rating: 7.9
IMDb rating: 8.4
Country: USA
Producer: Billy Wilder
Music: Franz Waxmann
Some filmmakers do not consider this to be noir, and refer to the cinema, which is at the intersection of black comedy and gothic melodrama. However, Sunset Boulevard has important hallmarks of noir style, such as the play of light and shadow, the relative realism of what is happening, and the pessimistic atmosphere.
It also begins with a corpse floating face down in a pool. Isn't that noir enough?
Yes, the audience will be told their story by a dead man who was a young screenwriter Joe Gillis during his lifetime. Fortunately (and unfortunately) fate brought him together with the aging movie star Norma Desmond. And how he ended up in the pool - you will find out for yourself.
4. Kiss Me Death (1955)
Genre: noir, thriller, detective
Kinopoisk rating: 6.9
IMDb rating: 7.6
Country: USA
Producer: Robert Aldrich
Music: Frank De Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlLvpsrzTI0
One of the best film noir films conveys all the paranoia and nihilism of its time, and at the same time kills the image of a private detective as a knight without fear or reproach. Its main character, Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker), is an immoral misanthrope who wants revenge after killing a mysterious woman he picked up on the side of the road.
It's a proven formula, but it adds a memorable detail to Kiss Me Death: a box of mysterious glowing contents. At the time of the release of the film, it could be perceived as an analogue of the danger of nuclear weapons, but now we can recognize its influence on such movie masterpieces as "Pulp Fiction" and "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark."
3. Murder (1956)
Genre: noir, thriller, crime
Kinopoisk rating: 7.7
IMDb rating: 8.0
Country: USA
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Music: Gerald Freed
Although in Russia the title of this film was translated as "The Killing", the term The Killing is slang and means "big jackpot". Based on this, it is easy to guess that we have before us another representative of the robbery films. It was filmed by the now famous, then 27-year-old Stanley Kubrick.
The plot revolves around former inmate Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) planning a hippodrome heist that doesn't go as planned.
It is curious that the image of Clay going "on business" with a briefcase in his hands and wearing a hat on his head was parodied in the cult Soviet comedy "Beware of the Car", which was shot by Eldar Ryazanov.
2. Sweet smell of success (1957)
Genre: noir drama
Kinopoisk rating: 7.4
IMDb rating: 8.1
Country: USA
Producer: Alexander Mackendrick
Music: Elmer Bernstein
Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis compete with each other to play the most vile character in this endlessly cynical tale of the machinations of ruthless media mogul Jay Jay Hunsecker and slick, temperamental publicist Sidney Falco, who is ready to go over the head to get to the top. , behind the sweet smell of success.
There are no gangsters, no weapons, no one killed in this movie, but the plot that reveals the dark behind the scenes of the world of journalism, the relationship of the heroes and even well-aimed humor makes it the blackest of all noirs.
1. Seal of Evil (1958)
Genre: noir, drama, crime
Kinopoisk rating: 7.4
IMDb rating: 8.1
Country: USA
Producer: Orson Welles
Music: Henry Mancini
The film is set on the border between Mexico and the United States. The protagonist, Mexican Miguel Vargasas (Charlton Heston), an employee of the anti-drug department, is investigating the case of a bomb explosion that smashed to smithereens not only the car of the "big shot" entrepreneur Linnecar, but also Vargasas's dreams of a quiet life.
Seal of Evil is a surreal noir-style action with a stellar cast, a play of light and shadow, and an introductory five-minute scene shot in one take. She sets the tone for all film narration.