Neo-Noir is like the modern cousin of the film noir genre. However, unlike its predecessor from the 50s and 60s, neo-noir is much more generic with far fewer restrictions on visuals; viewers are still treated to all all the nitty gritty storylines and visual cues of the past but in colour and with a lot more violence, cynicism and eroticism.
There are countless neo-noir movies that are worth a watch, it’s a truly underrated genre, but for this post I’ve decided to keep it short and sweet. So, without further ado, kick back in your spare time and enjoy some of these classic movies:
BLADE RUNNER
Ridley Scott’s classic sci-fi flick from the early 80’s saw Harrison Ford land himself in a dystopian future working as a Blade Runner, someone responsible for hunting down bioengineered replicants. Despite its unusual futuristic setting, Blade Runner is a movie full of neo-noir influence that marries together enough interesting characterisation, themes, and an impressive urbanised visual style, which is all mixed together with classic sci-fi staples such as special effects and visionary set pieces to create a cinematic epic.
‘Blade Runner’ is based on a novel by author Philip K. Dick who also penned the short story that Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Total Recall’ was based upon. Dick’s influence doesn’t stop there and his works have inspired many more recent sci-fi hits.
MEMENTO
Mystery thriller ‘Memento’ is widely credited as the Launchpad for ‘Inception’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ director Christopher Nolan’s career. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard who spends the movie trying to discover his identity thanks to his anterograde amnesia which means he is unable to recall recent memories. The film itself is notable for its unusual structure; two different timelines are interspersed throughout the movie to great effect. Black and white scenes are shown in normal chronological order whilst a series of colour scenes are shown in reverse order to reflect how Leonard views events unfolding. Both timelines eventually meet at the end of the movie, tying everything together.
CROUPIER
Director Mike Hodges’ 1998 British neo-noir drama ‘Croupier’ is famed for its accuracy when it comes to the inner workings of a casino with brilliant shots of edgy characters playing free roulette and card games with aplomb. For a modern noir outing there is typically a great deal of characterisation on show here and the backdrop of a casino is employed to help mirror some of the more relationship- based aspects of the characters. Clive Owen is immaculate in his depiction of aspiring writer Jack Manfred who takes a job as a croupier to make ends meet.
BRICK
Before writer/director Rian Johnson signed up to direct forthcoming sci-fi sequel ‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ he impressed us with his directorial efforts in time-travelling thriller ‘Looper’ before he made his feature debut with the excellent neo-noir thriller ‘Brick’. Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Brendan in this incredibly memorable film that uses high school students to tell its detective-styled yarn. Heavily influenced from the likes of American detective story writer Dashiell Hammett, the movie was a well- received homage to the classic noir movies of yesteryear and is well worth a watch.
WRITTEN BY David
David’s Current Obsessions: David Docherty is a movie and entertainment fanatic who has been blogging about action, horror and comedy films for more than a decade. Away from the keyboard, David enjoys Dubstep and has a pet rottweiler named Bruce.
