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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88 new
Black Widow
1987, in 1 top list Check -
97 new
Croupier
1998, in 1 top list Check -
92 new
State of Grace
1990, in 1 top list Check -
99 new
Sydney
1996 — a.k.a. Hard Eight, in 1 top list Check -
83 new
Tension
1949, in 1 top list Check -
96 new
After Dark, My Sweet
1990, in 2 top lists Check -
33 new
Crime Wave
1953, in 2 top lists Check -
48 new
Journey Into Fear
1943, in 2 top lists Check -
76 new
Lady in the Lake
1946, in 2 top lists Check -
85 new
Obsession
1949 — a.k.a. The Hidden Room, in 2 top lists Check -
61 new
Red Rock West
1993, in 2 top lists Check -
98 new
A Simple Plan
1998, in 2 top lists Check -
47 new
Sorry, Wrong Number
1948, in 2 top lists Check -
70 new
The Sound of Fury
1950, in 2 top lists Check -
60 new
The Verdict
1946, in 2 top lists Check -
46 new
The Blue Dahlia
1946, in 3 top lists Check -
100 new
Angel Heart
1987, in 4 top lists Check -
56 new
Clash by Night
1952, in 4 top lists Check -
91 new
Devil in a Blue Dress
1995, in 4 top lists Check -
65 new
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
2005, in 4 top lists Check -
62 new
The Limey
1999, in 4 top lists Check -
77 new
The Prowler
1951, in 4 top lists Check -
45 new
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946, in 4 top lists Check -
66 new
T-Men
1947, in 4 top lists Check -
95 new
Angel Face
1952, in 5 top lists Check -
74 new
D.O.A.
1949, in 5 top lists Check -
90 new
Kiss of Death
1947, in 5 top lists Check -
35 new
Murder, My Sweet
1944, in 5 top lists Check -
17 new
Raw Deal
1948, in 5 top lists Check -
18 new
Thieves' Highway
1949, in 5 top lists Check -
80 new
Bound
1996, in 6 top lists Check -
32 new
Criss Cross
1949, in 6 top lists Check -
87 new
Dark City
1998, in 6 top lists Check -
34 new
Night Moves
1975, in 6 top lists Check -
44 new
Body Heat
1981, in 7 top lists Check -
42 new
The Hitch-Hiker
1953, in 7 top lists Check -
71 new
Key Largo
1948, in 7 top lists Check -
21 new
Yoidore tenshi
1948 — a.k.a. Drunken Angel, in 7 top lists Check -
69 new
Brick
2005, in 8 top lists Check -
78 new
Drive
2011, in 8 top lists Check -
94 new
The Grifters
1990, in 8 top lists Check -
82 new
King of New York
1990, in 8 top lists Check -
36 new
Nightmare Alley
1947, in 8 top lists Check -
49 new
One False Move
1991, in 8 top lists Check -
57 new
Sexy Beast
2000, in 8 top lists Check -
1 new
The Woman in the Window
1944, in 8 top lists Check -
25 new
The Wrong Man
1956, in 8 top lists Check -
67 new
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938, in 9 top lists Check -
20 new
The Lady from Shanghai
1947, in 9 top lists Check -
93 new
The Naked City
1948, in 9 top lists Check
Last updated on Apr 28, 2021; source