Paste's The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time
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Since its coining in 1946 by French critic Nino Frank, the term “film noir” has been debated endlessly: Is it a genre? A subgenre? A movement? A trend? A commentary? A style? For the purposes of this introduction, let’s call it a response.
We think of noirs as urban stories, but that’s not always the case—for every L.A. and N.Y.C.-set saga, there’s a small, heartland tragedy. We think of a never-ending, rain-soaked night—sunlight replaced with neon and nocturnal reflections, the optical trickery of mirrors and shadows—but in contrast, the days of noir scorched its characters. We admire its heavily stylized approach—exaggerated camera angles, tension-crafting mise-en-scène, flashbacks, deep focus and trademark shadows—but also its neo-realist and documentary-like experiments.
However (un)conscious a reaction, noir resonates to this day, with several neo-noir cycles beginning with the Cold War era through Gen X and the millennials. And while a healthy share of neo-noirs make our list, the classic period remains the most telling—context is critical. Then there are the sub-classifications within the subgenre: proto-noirs, foreign noirs (like the British “Spiv” cycle), neon noirs, and, of course, neo-noirs.
We’ll start with the following 100 titles. Some 70 years after the term “film noir” was first uttered, take a trip through the screwed-up terrain of the mid-century psyche, with all its sex, lies, and crime scene tape. Let’s get going—don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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3 new
Double Indemnity
1944, in 37 top lists Check -
6 new
The Third Man
1949, in 37 top lists Check -
29 new
Blade Runner
1982, in 36 top lists Check -
12 new
The Night of the Hunter
1955, in 35 top lists Check -
10 new
Sunset Blvd.
1950 — a.k.a. Sunset Boulevard, in 35 top lists Check -
81 new
Oldeuboi
2003 — a.k.a. Oldboy, in 34 top lists Check -
43 new
Taxi Driver
1976, in 34 top lists Check -
4 new
Chinatown
1974, in 31 top lists Check -
5 new
Touch of Evil
1958, in 30 top lists Check -
84 new
Se7en
1995, in 29 top lists Check -
31 new
Blue Velvet
1986, in 27 top lists Check -
63 new
Fargo
1996, in 27 top lists Check -
38 new
L.A. Confidential
1997, in 27 top lists Check -
11 new
The Maltese Falcon
1941, in 27 top lists Check -
75 new
Memento
2000, in 27 top lists Check -
52 new
Mulholland Dr.
2001 — a.k.a. Mulholland Drive, in 26 top lists Check -
89 new
The Usual Suspects
1995, in 24 top lists Check -
2 new
The Big Sleep
1946, in 22 top lists Check -
15 new
Ace in the Hole
1951, in 21 top lists Check -
9 new
Laura
1944, in 21 top lists Check -
8 new
Kiss Me Deadly
1955, in 20 top lists Check -
50 new
Le samouraï
1967 — a.k.a. Le Samouraï, in 20 top lists Check -
64 new
Sweet Smell of Success
1957, in 20 top lists Check -
22 new
In a Lonely Place
1950, in 19 top lists Check -
24 new
The Big Heat
1953, in 18 top lists Check -
58 new
Gun Crazy
1950, in 17 top lists Check -
27 new
Mildred Pierce
1945, in 17 top lists Check -
73 new
Detour
1945, in 16 top lists Check -
7 new
Out of the Past
1947, in 16 top lists Check -
79 new
The Asphalt Jungle
1950, in 15 top lists Check -
19 new
The Killers
1946, in 15 top lists Check -
23 new
The Killing
1956, in 15 top lists Check -
51 new
The Long Goodbye
1973, in 15 top lists Check -
39 new
Odd Man Out
1947, in 15 top lists Check -
41 new
White Heat
1949, in 15 top lists Check -
40 new
Pickup on South Street
1953, in 14 top lists Check -
72 new
Zodiac
2007, in 14 top lists Check -
68 new
Force of Evil
1948, in 13 top lists Check -
13 new
Gilda
1946, in 13 top lists Check -
16 new
They Live by Night
1948, in 13 top lists Check -
86 new
Gaslight
1944, in 12 top lists Check -
28 new
Night and the City
1950, in 12 top lists Check -
54 new
Miller's Crossing
1990, in 11 top lists Check -
14 new
Ascenseur pour l'échafaud
1958 — a.k.a. Elevator to the Gallows, in 10 top lists Check -
37 new
Blood Simple
1984, in 10 top lists Check -
53 new
Le doulos
1962 — a.k.a. Le Doulos, in 10 top lists Check -
55 new
The Last Seduction
1994, in 10 top lists Check -
30 new
The Set-Up
1949, in 10 top lists Check -
59 new
Tirez sur le pianiste
1960 — a.k.a. Shoot the Piano Player, in 10 top lists Check -
67 new
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938, in 9 top lists Check
Last updated on Apr 28, 2021; source