Film Noir
Hopefully you're good with logic because Film Noir follows a formula all of its own. A+B+C= D1 or A+Bover, a lot of fog, weaponry, trench coats and cool hats.
Classic Noir
This is where film noir began. This is the golden age from the 1940s to the 1950s. They were predominantly Bstricken delusion silent film beauty. In fact, many of the classic noirs were femme fatale driven hits, such as ''Gilda'' (Rita Hayworth) and ''The Killers'' (Ava Gardner), ''The Big Sleep'' (Lauren Bacall), and ''Laura'' (Gene Tierney). Of course, that's not to say that the popularity wasn't also generated by the leading man. Humphrey Bogart, for example, starred in ''The Maltese Falcon''. Robert Mitchum was a top billed actor for not only popular dramas like ''The Night of the Hunter'' but noir films like ''Out of The Past''.
Comedy Noir
Parodies are everywhere now. You can't turn your head without seeing another movie with an unoriginal name like ''Dance Flick'', ''Epic Movie'', ''Scary Movie'', and so on and so forth. Film noir is another genre that's been parodied because it stylistically unique. Some examples include ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' and ''The Man Who Knew Too Little''. However, film noir isn't just parodied, it can be the basis for a straight-forward comedy, such as Charlie Chaplin's ''Monsieur Verdoux'', ''Lady On A Train'', or ''My Favorite Brunette''. Each of these films spoof detective and noir genre film. They use the same plot points and character tropes but put them in ridiculous situations.
Foreign Noir
It sounds somewhat biased but foreign film noir is primarily French or Japanese. French noir was a dominant force in the genre. Big name directors Godard, Truffaut and Clouzot all made at least one noir film. Highlights include, ''A Bout de Souffle'', ''Alphaville'', ''Pierrot Le Fou'', ''Le Samourai'' and ''Diabolique''. Japanese noir is mostly modern- it started in the late 1950s and continued well into the 1960s. Akira Kurosawa has films like ''High and Low'', and ''Stray Dog''. Nomura did an homage to American noir with ''A Colt Is My Passport''. Suzuki focused on the Yakuza underground in ''Branded To Kill''. Of course, there are plenty of gems outside of these two countries. Lars von Trier of Denmark had a few brilliant thrillers that invoked noir traditions. They include his films ''Europa'' and ''The Element of Crime''. Likewise, Erik Skjoldbjærg from Norway had ''Insomnia'', another murder mystery/thriller that isn't exactly noir but definitely took inspiration from it.
Neo-Noir
Neonoir cult films, like Lynch's ''Blue Velvet'' which stars Dennis hopper in an unfortunately memorable but chilling performance, the Coen Brothers' ''Fargo'' and Tarantino's ''Pulp Fiction''. None of these films are inherently noir in the classic definition but they play with the genre.
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Related Guides
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Classic Film Noir
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Neo Noir Films
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Foreign Film Noir
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Science Fiction Noir Films
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Film Noir Parodies
