Film-Noir: 51

The film noir The Asphalt Jungle (1950), directed and co-written by John Huston, follows the story of criminal mastermind Erwin ‘Doc’ Riedenschneider. Upon his release from a seven-year prison sentence, Doc seeks out the help of bookie Cobby in an unknown city located near a Midwestern river. In need of $50,000 to complete a major jewel theft, Doc requests the assistance of three individuals: a safecracker, a driver, and a hooligan. With Cobby’s connections, he sets up a meeting with high-class lawyer and fixer Alonzo Emmerich. During the meeting, Doc mentions that the stolen jewels could potentially ...

Richard Fleischer’s Armored Car Robbery (1950) is a thrilling heist film about a meticulously planned robbery of an armored car during its stop at a sports stadium. However, things go wrong and a determined Los Angeles cop takes up the chase. Meanwhile, criminal mastermind Dave Purvis hatches a plot to rob the final pickup of the day. In his quest for accomplices, he enlists struggling Benny McBride, who calls upon low-level criminals Al Mapes and Ace Foster to join the gang. Benny’s motivation is to win back his estranged wife Yvonne, but little does he know that she is now seeing someone else – ...

The American film noir crime drama, Key Largo (1948), was directed by John Huston and starred Humphrey Bogart. Frank McCloud, an army veteran, arrives at the Hotel Largo in Key Largo, Florida to visit the family of his late comrade George Temple, who served under him during the Italian campaign. At the hotel owned by George’s father James, Frank meets with George’s widow Nora and comes to know that due to the end of the winter vacation season and an approaching hurricane, there are only six guests staying at the hotel: Toots who is suave, Curly who is rude, ...

Nightmare Alley (1947) is an American film noir directed by Edmund Goulding from a screenplay by Jules Furthman, based on William Lindsay Gresham’s novel of the same name. Set in a seedy traveling carnival, the story follows Stanton ‘Stan’ Carlisle, a barker who is captivated by all that he sees, including a grotesque geek. Upon witnessing this unusual character, Stanton remarks that he can’t fathom how someone could sink so low. At the carnival, Stanton teams up with ‘Mademoiselle Zeena’ ...

Notorious (1946) is an American spy film noir directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring an all-star cast including Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains. In April 1946, Alicia Huberman is recruited by government agent T.R. Devlin to infiltrate a group of escaped Nazis in Brazil. Despite initial resistance from Alicia, Devlin persuades her to help by revealing recordings of her heated arguments with her father and professing her love for America. The two ...

Mildred Pierce (1945), an American melodrama/film noir by Michael Curtiz, follows the story of Mildred’s troubled marriage to Monte Beragon. After we witness Monte’s murder, the police inform Mildred that her first husband, Bert Pierce, is the culprit. They base this accusation on the fact that he owned the murder weapon, had a motive, and does not deny his involvement in the crime. However, Mildred strongly protests these allegations and shares her side of the story with the officer through a flashback. In it, we see that Mildred and Bert were not happily married. As Wally Fay ends their partnership in ...

To Have and Have Not (1944) is a romantic war adventure film directed by Howard Hawks, loosely based on Ernest Hemingway’s 1937 novel of the same name. The story follows Harry Morgan, a world-weary man operating a sport-fishing boat called the Queen Conch in Fort-de-France, Martinique during the summer of 1940. The island is now under the control of pro-German Vichy France after the fall of France. Despite this, Harry continues to make a decent living by chartering his boat to tourists with the help of his friend Eddie, who has fallen into alcoholism. However, ...

Double Indemnity (1944) is a classic American crime thriller film noir helmed by the talented duo of director Billy Wilder and co-writer Raymond Chandler. Injured from a gunshot wound, insurance agent Walter Neff makes his way back to his office in Los Angeles. There, he leaves a recorded confession for claims manager Barton Keyes about an incident that occurred a year prior. During a routine house call regarding her husband’s car insurance, Neff flirts with Phyllis Dietrichson. She then reveals her desire to take out a secret policy on her husband’s life ...

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) is an American psychological thriller film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten. Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Newton, a restless teenage girl from Santa Rosa, California, receives exciting news: her mother’s younger brother (her namesake), Charles Oakley, will be visiting. Charlie is thrilled upon his arrival, especially when he presents her with an emerald ring as a token of their affection. However, she soon discovers that the ring has someone ...

The American film noir, The Maltese Falcon (1941), follows a San Francisco private detective as he navigates the schemes of three immoral adventurers who are all vying for possession of a valuable falcon statuette. Directed and written by John Huston in his debut as a director, the movie is based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel of the same name. At the start of the film, Spade and Archer take on a new case when Ruth Wonderly arrives seeking assistance in finding her sister, who has supposedly run off to San Francisco with a man named Floyd Thursby. After ...

Johnny Apollo (1940) is an American crime film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Tyrone Power and Dorothy Lamour. Bob Cain, Jr.’s father, known as ‘Pop’ Cain, is sent to prison for embezzlement. Despite their previous close relationship, Bob becomes estranged from his father and drops out of college in search of employment. However, his efforts are unsuccessful due to his father’s infamous reputation. Bob eventually finds work under an alias but is terminated upon the discovery of his true ...