The Best American Neo-Noir Films!
Swapnil Dhruv Bose put together a list of 10 Essential Films from the American Neo-Noir Movement. The list is a good one. Here are my thoughts on each of the films and a few others that would have made my list…
Point Blank (John Boorman – 1967): I’m a Lee Marvin fan and I’ve liked Point Blank more with each viewing.
The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman – 1973): While I’m a Raymond Chandler fan, I didn’t like this adaption of his novel. Part of the problem was that I didn’t think Elliot Gould was a good choice to play Chandler.
Chinatown (Roman Polanski – 1974): Chinatown is a classic.
The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola – I’ve never watched The Conversation which is a surprise even to me because it is held in such high regard and I’m a Coppola fan. Perhaps this will be the year I watch it.
Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese – 1976): I like Scorsese. I like Deniro. I didn’t like Taxi Driver. I thought it was slow and excessively violent. Perhaps another viewing is in order.
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott – 1982): I’ve enjoyed every version of Blade Runner. (Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the sequel.)
Blue Velvet (David Lynch – 1986): I didn’t care for Blue Velvet.
Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino – 1994): I loved Pulp Fiction. It remains one of Tarantino’s best films.
L.A. Confidential (Curtis Hanson – 1997): L.A. Confidential is perhaps the best film on this list. I love it.
The Big Lebowski (Coen Brothers – 1998): I’ve never seen it. I know, I know. I need to fix that.
Films that would have made my neo-noir list:
The Killers (1964 – Don Siegel)
Sin City (2005 – Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller)
Blood Simple (1984 – Cohen Brothers)
Seven (1995 – David Fincher)
John Wick (2014 – Chad Stahelski, David Leitch)
Heat (1995 – Michael Mann)
Thief (1981 – Michael Mann)
