Dark Movies: The Essential Film Noir

SECOND EDITION posted March of 2015.

Film noir: It makes just about everything that’s bad look good. Whether it’s chain-smoking unfiltered cigarettes and washing them down with whiskey, wisecracking mobsters while they’re pointing a revolver at your chest or getting involved in the most complex criminal schemes, film noir lets us all get in on the action, even if we know it’s just so wrong. Film noir really came into its own after the Second World War and it shocked international audiences who had thought that Americans were an optimistic, can-do sort of people but who found something entirely different on screen. Dark alleys, long shadows, truly ruthless villains and heroes who are really every bit as dangerous as the bad people they’re after make film noir one of the most engaging dramas. From Touch of Evil to Chinatown to LA Confidential, this genre has kept on giving us some of the best stories around for decades, and keeps on giving. Meet the hard men, seductive femme fatales and the hapless victims that live—and oftentimes die—in these stories. Get ready for a thrilling ride, because this is one genre that never makes anything easy and, when it all comes to a head at the end, you still might not know who the bad guys and good guys really are, and that’s part of the fun. This book concentrates on the stories and why they work so well.