Favorite film noir

[general gruesome]

what's some of your guys favorite film noir films? I really like the 30s, 40s, and 50s film noir detective films a lot

[Flower]

The Thin Man (entire series)
Satan Met a Lady
Algiers
Dead End
The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Laura
Fallen Angel
Mildred Pierce
Scarlet Street
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Killers
The Killing
Dark Passage
The Two Mrs Carrolls
Key Largo
Sorry Wrong Number
Strangers on a Train ...

And many more that I can't think of right now

[Dr. Blasko]

The Thin Man (entire series)
Satan Met a Lady
Algiers
Dead End
The Maltese Falcon
Double Indemnity
Laura
Fallen Angel
Mildred Pierce
Scarlet Street
The Big Sleep
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Killers
The Killing
Dark Passage
The Two Mrs Carrolls
Key Largo
Sorry Wrong Number
Strangers on a Train ...

And many more that I can't think of right now

Pretty much this lol

I also like The Third Man

[Scary Terry]

Kiss Me Deadly
The Big Heat
Detour
Gun Crazy
The Big Clock
Out of the Past
Double Indemnity
Postman Always Rings Twice
White Heat
Nightmare Alley
Pickup on South Street
Maltese Falcon
Chinatown
Murder My Sweet

[Flower]

To Have and to Have Not

[Sly Wolf]

I know there is some older film noir that I liked, but can't remember it...

Chinatown is my favorite, I'm petty sure of it. Blade Runner is very much like a film noir set in the future era, I should say it's my second favorite film noir as well. And than Vertigo is my 3rd favorite film noir.

I'm not sure that Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a film noir or not. Same thing with Dirty Harry movies. Those are more like action film, not film noir unless I'm mistaken.

[Fester]

As much as I love the William Powell and Myrna Loy Thin Man series, I really don't consider them Film Noir.  Brilliant comedy detective mysteries, yes. Film Noir? Not so much.  The external trappings are there--black and white film with a detective; some complex mystery and Dashiel Hammett wrote the book.

However, it seems to me, Film Noir reflects a certain cynicism.  The hero is often ambiguously amoral.  He might take some action because it is the right thing to do--but then he may not.  Money talks almost as loudly as moral suasion.  Film Noir is often, but not necessarily a black and white movie--however, it does have a sort of expressionist style.  The imagery is usually moody and dark, often with high contrast light sources which accentuate the darkness.  Sex and/or seduction also seem to play a major role in Noir.  It can be a lure or a weapon.

That said, here are some of my favorites.
Little Caesar
The Maltese Falcon
The Florentine Dagger
The Glass Key
The Petrified Forest
They Drive by Night
Double Indemnity
Murder, My Sweet
The Big Sleep
The Blue Dahlia
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Lady in the Lake
Key Largo
The Naked City
The Third Man
White Heat
D.O.A.
Ace in the Hole
The Night of the Hunter
Dial M for Murder
Bad Day at Black Rock
Vertigo
The Killers
Marlowe
Get Carter
A Clockwork Orange
Charley Varrick (1973)
The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
The Long Goodbye
Farewell, My Lovely
Chinatown
Blade Runner
Blood Simple
Blue Velvet
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Falls
Poodle Springs
Mystic River

[Street Worm]

tried making of top ten list of mine.............
couldn't do it so I went with ten from the '40s and ten from the '50s-
even then I had to leave out a bunch-


1- The Fallen Sparrow (1943)
2- Double Indemnity (1944)
3- Ministry Of Fear (1944)
4- Murder My Sweet/ Farewell My Lovely (1944)
5- House On 92nd Street (1945)
6- The Big Sleep (1946)
7- The Stranger (1946)
8- Dark Passage (1947)
9- The Big Clock (1948)
0- He Walked By Night (1948)

HMs- Stranger On the Third Floor (1940)
The Seventh Victim (1943) (Horror/Noir)
Out of the Past  (1947)

1- DOA (1950)
2- Mystery Street (1950)
3- Road Block (1951)
4- The Narrow Margin (1952)
5- Pickup On South Street (1953)
6- Private Hell 36 (1954)
7- Down Three Dark Streets (1954)
8- Human Desire - (1954)
9- The Big Combo (1955)
0- Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

& a few (not very noiry) HM's-
The Night Holds Terror (1955) (pretty cheesy but I like it)
Inside the Mafia (1959) (") &
City Of Fear (1959)

Color Film Noir-
Niagara (1953)
A Kiss Before Dying (1956) &
Vertigo (1958)

[Unknown Primate]

The first one that came to mind is NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950) with Richard Widmark & Gene Tierney.  Also, KISS OF DEATH (1947), starring Victor Mature and again with Richard Widmark as one of the greatest bad guys of all time.

I initially thought of THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, but according to a site I checked out, it claims it's not considered film noir!

[general gruesome]

everyone has really good lists, all great film noir

[MDG]

A couple favorites I haven't seen listed here are Road House ('48) and Criss Cross ('49)

[Fester]

The first one that came to mind is NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950) with Richard Widmark & Gene Tierney.  Also, KISS OF DEATH (1947), starring Victor Mature and again with Richard Widmark as one of the greatest bad guys of all time.

I initially thought of THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, but according to a site I checked out, it claims it's not considered film noir!

Sez who?  Expressionist film style: Check; thoroughly amoral (if not downright evil) main character: Check; moral ambiguity and cynicism: Check.  Seems pretty Noir-ish to me.  IMDB calls it Film Noir.

Maybe they were referring to the lame 1991 TV-movie remake with Richard Chamberlain?

[Flower]

Seeing Richard Widmark's name has made me think of "Panic in the Streets' ... 

[Flower]

I just stumbled across this website on Film Noir .. http://www.noiroftheweek.com/

[Unknown Primate]

Here is one of the "it's not film noir" dudes.  BTW, to me, it fits in fine as noir - that was one of the first movies I thought of!

http://boscutti.com/2012/06/16/john-harper-why-the-night-of-the-hunter-is-not-film-noir/