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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67 new
Angels with Dirty Faces
1938, in 9 top lists Check -
11 new
The Maltese Falcon
1941, in 26 top lists Check -
48 new
Journey Into Fear
1943, in 2 top lists Check -
3 new
Double Indemnity
1944, in 37 top lists Check -
86 new
Gaslight
1944, in 12 top lists Check -
9 new
Laura
1944, in 21 top lists Check -
35 new
Murder, My Sweet
1944, in 5 top lists Check -
1 new
The Woman in the Window
1944, in 8 top lists Check -
73 new
Detour
1945, in 16 top lists Check -
27 new
Mildred Pierce
1945, in 17 top lists Check -
2 new
The Big Sleep
1946, in 22 top lists Check -
46 new
The Blue Dahlia
1946, in 3 top lists Check -
13 new
Gilda
1946, in 13 top lists Check -
19 new
The Killers
1946, in 15 top lists Check -
76 new
Lady in the Lake
1946, in 2 top lists Check -
26 new
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1946, in 9 top lists Check -
45 new
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946, in 4 top lists Check -
60 new
The Verdict
1946, in 2 top lists Check -
90 new
Kiss of Death
1947, in 5 top lists Check -
20 new
The Lady from Shanghai
1947, in 9 top lists Check -
36 new
Nightmare Alley
1947, in 8 top lists Check -
39 new
Odd Man Out
1947, in 15 top lists Check -
7 new
Out of the Past
1947, in 16 top lists Check -
66 new
T-Men
1947, in 4 top lists Check -
68 new
Force of Evil
1948, in 13 top lists Check -
71 new
Key Largo
1948, in 7 top lists Check -
93 new
The Naked City
1948, in 9 top lists Check -
17 new
Raw Deal
1948, in 5 top lists Check -
47 new
Sorry, Wrong Number
1948, in 2 top lists Check -
16 new
They Live by Night
1948, in 13 top lists Check -
21 new
Yoidore tenshi
1948 — a.k.a. Drunken Angel, in 7 top lists Check -
32 new
Criss Cross
1949, in 6 top lists Check -
74 new
D.O.A.
1949, in 5 top lists Check -
85 new
Obsession
1949 — a.k.a. The Hidden Room, in 2 top lists Check -
30 new
The Set-Up
1949, in 10 top lists Check -
83 new
Tension
1949, in 1 top list Check -
18 new
Thieves' Highway
1949, in 5 top lists Check -
6 new
The Third Man
1949, in 37 top lists Check -
41 new
White Heat
1949, in 15 top lists Check -
79 new
The Asphalt Jungle
1950, in 15 top lists Check -
58 new
Gun Crazy
1950, in 17 top lists Check -
22 new
In a Lonely Place
1950, in 19 top lists Check -
28 new
Night and the City
1950, in 12 top lists Check -
70 new
The Sound of Fury
1950, in 2 top lists Check -
10 new
Sunset Blvd.
1950 — a.k.a. Sunset Boulevard, in 35 top lists Check -
15 new
Ace in the Hole
1951, in 21 top lists Check -
77 new
The Prowler
1951, in 4 top lists Check -
95 new
Angel Face
1952, in 5 top lists Check -
56 new
Clash by Night
1952, in 4 top lists Check -
24 new
The Big Heat
1953, in 18 top lists Check
Last updated on Apr 28, 2021; source