The BEST Detective/Crime films of the Film Noir era?

[Matt Crunk]

People (the general public at least) often think of film noir and detective/crime films of the noir era as one in the same. While we know that's not necessarily true, what would you say are the best DETECTIVE (as in private eye) films of the era, noir or not?

The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep
Murder My Sweet

These are all givens, but there are bound to be more . . . I'm kinda partial to The Dark Corner too.

 

[I Adore Film Noir]

The Thin Man series.

 

[skyvue]

Out of the Past.

 

[Atomic Age]

Beyond the classic noir films, I also enjoy the comedy/mystery films of the era. The Thin Man films were mentioned. Also there are the Michael Shayne films with Lloyd Nolan, The "Whistling" films with Red Skelton, the "Falcon" films with George Sanders. Almost every studio made a series of comedy/mystery films, and they are almost always fun.

Doug

 

[Mark B.]

Can't forget The Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard.

 

[Shangas]

Not exactly a P.I. series, but I'm rather fond of the 1940s Dick Tracy movies.

 

[McMurdo]

Double Indemnity comes to mind definitely noir and definitely a crime film, though it is a bit different in that it deals with insurance and not police.

 

[m0nk]

The Maltese Falcon
The Big Sleep

+1

 

[Shangas]

I quite liked the Maltese Falcon. For the clothes, if for nothing else. But it's a great story in its own right.

 

[Benzadmiral]

The Thin Man series.

The second in the "Thin Man" series, 1936's "After the Thin Man," is top-notch stuff. It has a good solid mystery, with some Ellery Queen-like analysis* by Nick Charles at the climax, a well-concealed and surprising murderer, and grand early roles for James Stewart and Sam Levene.

*Seems to me I read somewhere that the Ellery Queen authors, cousins Fred Dannay and Manfred Lee, contributed some dialog to this film, though they're not credited on screen or on IMDb.

 

[m0nk]

I saw one recently called "Fast Company" from 1938. It had a very "Thin Man" feel to it. There was also the book-dealing aspect that drew me in, as I was a dealer myself many years back.

 

[Blackthorn]

+1

Me too. I'd also say that Chinatown fits the Noir era, even though it was made in the seventies. In all respects, it's right in there with Falcon and Sleep.

 

[Widebrim]

The Dark Corner is definitely one of them. The Big Sleep, The Big Heat, The Asphalt Jungle, Murder, My Sweet, I Love Trouble (although rather tongue in cheek) all come to mind.

 

[filfoster]

No reason not to proffer my stock contribution: The Third Man, (not The Thin Man, as Mr. Wells never was), the finest film of all time.

 

[decojoe67]

Another great, not often seen, noir crime movie is "Armored Car Robbery" from 1950. If you like caper films, this one will keep you on edge right to the end.

 

[Widebrim]

^^Yeah, that was a good one...

 

[Naphtali]

Among films not having been named yet -

"Narrow Margin" (the original version)

"The Enforcer" - Bogart

"The Mask of Dimitrios"

"The Verdict" - Don Siegel's first director credit

"Shack Out on 101"

"The Blue Dahlia"

 

[Gregg Axley]

In A Lonely Place-Bogart.
Great film IMHO.
Gloria Grahame isn't bad to look at either.

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

I watched a couple of 1940's era Boston Blackie movies.

"Boston Blackie, the suave crook-turned-detective created by pulp writer Jack Boyle, had been popping up sporadically in films for nearly two decades by the time Columbia launched its "Boston Blackie" series in 1941. Chester Morris stars as the title character, Horatio "Boston Blackie" Black, as a former professional thief now working as a sort of freelance adventurer/detective. Blackie, just barely on the right side of the law, preferred not to get too involved with the police. "Meet Boston Blackie" is the first of fourteen Boston Blackie films that began the new adventures of Boston Blackie. The series evolves Blackie from a thief and underworld criminal into a new character that turns out to be very interesting and entertaining. Richard Lane, who plays Boston's long-suffering Inspector Farraday, was the only other character in all fourteen of the Boston Blackie movies. George E. Stone, playing Blackie's sidekick, his dim-witted cronie The Runt, was not in the first or last film but was in all the others. Charles Wagenheim played The Runt in the first film and Sid Tomack in the last. Another of the reoccuring fun characters is the irrepresible Arthur Manleder, the adventurous millionaire played by Lloyd Corrigan in some of the films. Boston Blackie was one of Columbia's most profitable film series."

Copied that from http://bostonblackie.com/movies/movielist.html

They weren't Bogie and Bacall, but then who is. I haven't worked out which two I saw, but every time anybody's jewels bet stolen, the police come by and see Boston Blackie and he has to find them to get out of trouble. I never worked out how he made money??

Later

 

[C44Antelope]

All good choices. I like those Falcon movies, too. I watched "The Glass Key" the other night. I wasn't too happy with the ending, the whole "You two got it bad." bit from Donlevey was a little lame. But it was definately Film Noir.