Great post-classic noir.

[Packin' Heat]

The most famous is easily China Town. One of the less well-known, but still one of my favorites, is The Man Who Wasn't There.

But let's look at post-classic noir that isn't set in the Golden Era: Brick and especially The Grifters are the best I've seen. What other great films do you find manage to capture the noir feel without the period?

 

[Tomasso]

Neo-noir

 

[The Good]

I think it's worth mentioning my own avatar. Le Samourai, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, is one of my favorite French neo-noir/new wave film, and one of my favorites in general. Even my latest hat is loosely inspired by the one Alain Delon wore, although it is technically a homburg. Another film by the same director worth mentioning is Le Cercle Rouge, which again stars Alain Delon, and Gian Maria Volonte. This can fall under neo-noir as well. Both of these movies are set in contemporary times of when they were filmed (1967 and 1970), so they aren't Golden Era, but there's the iconic trench coats and fedoras in them, in addition to the noir attitude.

 

[Ed Bass]

The Two Mrs. Grenvilles
Claudette Colbert's final screen appearance.

Best,
Toots

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

One of my favorite Neo-Noir movies is the much underrated Bound, a movie that turns the genre on it's head.

Some of my other favories are:
Point Blank and it's less physiological and more action/comedy oriented remake Payback.
The Limey
Body Heat
and of course Miller's Crossing
I'm sure I will think of more and post them later.

 

[Atomic Age]

After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, Bruce Dern

Twilight (1998)
Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman

Harper (1966)
Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Janet Leigh

Memento (2000)
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

Blade Runner (1982)
Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young

Zodiac (2007)
Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards

Se7en (1995)
Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow

Taxi Driver (1976)
Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster

Blood Simple (1984)
John Getz, Frances McDormand

Klute (1971)
Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Roy Scheider

The Usual Suspects (1995)
Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne

Minority Report (2002)
Tom Cruise, Max von Sydow, Colin Farrell

Just a few off the top of my head.

Doug

 

[Widebrim]

^^Yeah, Taxi Driver rates high on the list, as does Blade Runner.

 

[W-D Forties]

Sin City

 

[Tommy]

L.A. Confidential

 

[conrad5157]

Decent but not great is Payback from 1999.

 

[Widebrim]

L.A. Confidential

Why didn't I mention that one?!:eusa_doh: I actually like it better than Chinatown.

 

[Papa Noir]

I really enjoyed The Machinist. Also feel that Memento was very well done. Dead Again from 1991 was excellent, and I also like Collateral. But hard to go against The Usual Suspects.

 

[Widebrim]

I really enjoyed The Machinist. Also feel that Memento was very well done. Dead Again from 1991 was excellent, and I also like Collateral. But hard to go against The Usual Suspects.

Papa Noir, is your avatar from Black Angel?

 

[Papa Noir]

Papa Noir, is your avatar from Black Angel?

Yes, it is!! Just a classic noir image, I think.

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

What's the consensus on when the "classic noir" period ended?

 

[Atomic Age]

What's the consensus on when the "classic noir" period ended?

Many people think that the classic noir period ends with Touch of Evil (1958). I'm not sure I agree with that.

Doug

 

[Widebrim]

What's the consensus on when the "classic noir" period ended?

As Atomic Age correctly stated, many cite Touch of Evil as being the last of its kind. At least one respected critic believes that the movie Psycho (1960), due to its graphic content, caused the death of Noir. For myself (for what it's worth), I don't think the period extends any later than about 1955, when The Big Combo, Kiss Me Deadly, and Night of the Hunter all came out. When movies chronologically got too far removed from the "angst" of immediate post-WWII America, and when neo-Expressionistic lighting and inventive camera angles were no longer novel, that which helps to define "Black Film" no longer existed in its vigorous expression. And even though I'll watch later Noirs, I tend to favor the ones made up to 1950, when the Korean War and McCarthyism added yet another dimension to Film Noir and the American way of life.