Film Canon | Best Neo-Noir Films
In Order of Excellence
1. Chinatown - Roman Polanski (1974)
A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.
2. L.A. Confidential - Curtis Hanson (1997)
As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen - the straight-laced, the brutal, and the sleazy -
investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
3. Blue Velvet - David Lynch (1986)
The gruesome discovery of a severed human ear he found in a field leads a young man on a dark and dangerous journey
into a dark and sinister underworld that exists in his hometown.
into a dark and sinister underworld that exists in his hometown.
4. Blade Runner - Ridley Scott (1982)
Deckard, a blade runner, has to track down and terminate 4 replicants who hijacked a ship in space
and have returned to earth seeking their maker.
and have returned to earth seeking their maker.
5. Taxi Driver - Martin Scorsese (1976)
A mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City
where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process.
where the perceived decadence and sleaze feeds his urge to violently lash out, attempting to save a teenage prostitute in the process.
6. Drive - Nicolas Refn (2011)
A mysterious Hollywood stuntman, mechanic and getaway driver lands himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbour.
7. The American - Anton Corbijn (2010)
An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment.
8. Le Cercle Rouge - Jean-Pierre Melville (1970)
Corey is a cool, aristocratic thief, released from prison on the same day that Vogel, a murderer,
escapes from the custody of the patient Mattei, a cat-loving police superintendent.
escapes from the custody of the patient Mattei, a cat-loving police superintendent.
9. Collateral - Michael Mann (2004)
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA.
10. In Bruges - Martin McDonagh (2008)
Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium,
the last place in the world Ray wants to be.
the last place in the world Ray wants to be.