Post-Noir (Modern Noir)


A loose term used to describe films made from the late ‘50s onward that tried to recapture the mood, styles and themes of the classical film noir of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Also known as neo-noir, many of these films (The Long Goodbye, Chinatown, and Night Moves) surfaced in America in the ‘70s within the hard-boiled detective formula and featured even bleaker variations on the nihilistic themes running through classical noir. Before this domestic resurgence, noir's influence was felt in France, particularly with the stylistic, pessimistic and near-mythical gangster films of Jean-Pierre Melville (Le Samourai, Bob le Flambeur). Like classical noir, both of these movements featured cynical leads trapped by fate, seedy underworld characters, and grim fatalistic views of humanity. Photography tends to be dark, camera angles skewed, the lighting shifts and casts shadows, and such motifs as rain and urban landscapes dominate this form. Like classical noir, American neo-noir sprung from disenchantment, instability and social corruption that plagued the country following Watergate, Vietnam and the turbulence of the ‘60s. During the ‘80s and ‘90s, post-noir continued to offer dark, skeptical visions of society in films like Blue Velvet, Blood Simple, The Underneath, House of Games, Red Rock West and The Last Seduction, a feminist version of the subgenre. Also popular during this period was a sub-type of neo-noir that detailed the fears, anxiety and obsession that arose from our increasingly technological society; termed tech-noir, examples include Blade Runner, Strange Days and Dark City.

Featured Films:
Max PayneThe Perfect SleepJust Another Love StoryThe CallerDark StreetsCassandra's Dream

RatingMPAAYearTitle
PG132008Max Payne
R2008The Perfect Sleep
NR2008Just Another Love Story
PG132008The Caller
R2008Dark Streets
PG132007Cassandra's Dream
R2006The Black Dahlia
R2006Lucky Number Slevin
R2005Edison Force
R2005Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
2005El Cortez
R2005Brick
R2005Sin City
R2005The Ice Harvest
NC172005Where the Truth Lies
2004Triple Cross
R2004Never Die Alone
2004Autumn
2004Zen Noir
NC172003Young Adam
R2003I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
2003Wicked Minds
2002Fine Mrtve Djevojke
R2002Purgatory Flats
R2002Insomnia
2002The Badge
R2002Happy Here and Now
R2002No Good Deed
R2002The Salton Sea
R2002City of Ghosts
2002Tattoo
R2001The Man Who Wasn't There
R2001Heist
R2001When Strangers Appear
2001Wrong Number
R2001Finder's Fee
R2001Love the Hard Way
2001The Follow
2000Tell Me Something
R2000Circus
R2000Slow Burn
R2000Memento
2000Second Skin
2000Lush
2000Six-Pack
2000Les marchands de sable
R2000Beautiful Creatures
2000The Art of Murder

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