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The walls were a foreboding grey brick, wet with condensation. They seemed to sweat it out, like they were counting off the years, one drip at a time. My reporter's card got me an interview in a bare room with a battered table, two hard chairs, and an iron ring in the floor. The guard brought him in and he sank slowly into the chair. The year or so since the crime had aged him hard. I said nothing as he weighed me up.

"Another news-hawk looking for a story, huh?" he said. "You know you're not the first reporter to come visit me in my new... surroundings."

I shrugged, reached into my pocket and slid a box of cigarettes across to him. He nodded once, opened the packet, and took a cigarette out. I leaned forward and snapped a match with my thumbnail. Twin lines of smoke drilled out of his nostrils.

"Well, maybe today's your lucky day, kid. Maybe you got a listener's face... or maybe I just feel like talking."

He leaned forward suddenly. The guard in the corner tensed but I waved him off.

"You want the truth, right pal, the real deal?"

"Sure", I said.

He leaned back again and seemed to relax.

"That stuff that was in the papers... that wasn't true; or not the whole truth anyway. It...," he paused, looking me in the eye intently, "it... well it was kind of like this..."

	To live and die in L.A. Fans of CSI's William L. Peterson (Grissom) may well be surprised by this 1985 movie, based on the novel by former Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich. Peterson plays Richard Chance an arrogant and cocky Secret Service agent on the trail of a ruthless counterfeiter (one of Willem Dafoe's best roles). When Peterson's mentor, a fellow agent about to retire, is killed by Dafoe he becomes obsessed with bringing down the clever counterfeiter - and will do anything to do it. Directed by William Friedkin (French Connection) this cynical, yet thoroughly entertaining movie blurs the line between the law enforcement officers and the criminals, as Peterson's character is prepared to do anything from manipulating his informant (Debra Feuer), corrupting his new rookie partner (John Pankow), stealing, and even murder to get the job done. Features one of the greatest car chases ever filmed - going the wrong way up a freeway in rush hour traffic - and a bleakly cynical ending.
	Wild things Can lurid trash ever be raised to an art form? If so this movie probably comes closer than anything else. Matt Dillon is high-school guidance-counsellor Sam Lombardo in humid Blue Bay, South Florida. When two students turn up to wash his car for a charity drive things take the first of many turns, when one of them (Denise Richards) accuses him of rape. Soon he's shunned by the town, fired from his job, sent packing by his rich fiance, and harassed by Kevin Bacon - the cop investigating the rape. Soon another girl (Neve Campbell) a white trash swamp dweller comes forward to say he raped her as well. Desperate he hires a shyster lawyer (a scene stealing Bill Murray) and the case heads to trial - where the twists start to begin in earnest. What follows is so convoluted that it's not even worth going into, suffice to say that it involves a series of twists that you really won't see coming. A weird cross between a soap-opera, and a 50s B-movie Film, it's filled with amazing over the top performances, catfights and cameos. Somewhat infamous for the three-way scene halfway through the movie it's actually so entertaining that even without it, it would be a classic. Don't miss the end credits, which include scenes that cleverly explain all that has gone before. A very guilty pleasure.
	Manhunter Another one for CSI fans, this 1986 Michael Mann movie was the first Hannibal Lecter movie filmed. CSI's William L. Peterson gives a brooding performance as Will Graham (the name of his CSI character, Gil Grissom, is a nod to this film) an FBI Agent who is coaxed out of semi-retirement to catch an elusive serial killer. Graham's reluctant first move is to seek the advice of Hannibal Lecter, a notorious serial killer that he helped catch, and the initial scene between them reveals the psychological torment that caused him to quit the FBI. Lecter is played by Brian Cox and his performance has a subtly and menace that was overshadowed by Anthony Hopkins' more showy performance 4 years later - and dovetails more with the book's (the movie is based on Thomas Harris' novel Red Dragon) depiction of Lecter's character. The movie then follows Graham as he joins forces with his old boss, and the FBI's methodical investigation to catch the 'Tooth Fairy Killer' before he strikes again. The movie also focuses on the killer himself, played with an outsider's edge by Tom Noonan. Mann was fresh off the success of the TV show Miami Vice when he made this, and its distinctly 80s feel in some parts may not suit all tastes as, always a fan of the pounding rock score, Mann incorporates Slayer's In a gadda di vida during the movie's final climatic scenes. Arguably as good, if not better, than the other famous Harris adaptation Silence of the Lambs, this was remade in 2002 with Edward Norton as Will Graham, Hopkins as Lecter, and Ralph Fiennes as the Tooth Fairy killer. And while the remake was more faithful to Harris' novel, Peterson's edgy performance gives this version the edge.
	A simple plan What would you do if you found an abandoned $4 million dollars and there was a good chance no one would ever come looking for it? That's the question posed in this dour movie, a faithful adaptation by Scott Smith of his own novel. Director Sam Rami (best known for his work on horror flicks like The Evil Dead) takes things at a slower pace here, his nuanced direction blending perfectly with the striking cinematography of stark wintered landscapes. Bill Paxton is a small town accountant for a local feed store, his brother (Billy Bob Thornton) a not too bright unemployed loser, and his friend (Brent Briscoe) the town drunk. When Briscoe stumbles across a downed plane in the woods, with a dead pilot and a duffel bag of hundred dollar bills, their initial vacillation gives way to a simple plan: hide the money for a year then keep it. But nothing works to plan in this story about the price of greed. Thornton is his usual reliable self, but it's Paxton who shines as the moral college graduate who really should know better, along with Bridget Fonda as his pregnant wife who soon steps in & takes charge. The resulting morality play takes on a darker (and occasionally bloodier) tone than is initially hinted at, and the ending is a suitably bleak take on the mythic Greek tragedies. Probably not a good watch if you're feeling depressed.
	The score Slow moving but satisfying crime caper, which somewhat feels like it plays out in real time, but is enjoyable nevertheless. Set in Montreal the movie stars Robert De Niro as a master safe cracker, drawn into one last score by his long term fence (a very large, wheezing and effete Marlon Brando) so he can retire and run his jazz club. The job is to retrieve a valuable French spectre, which had been impounded by the Montreal Customs House and is held in a seemingly impenetrable safe. The clincher is that Brando already has an inside man in place, a cocky young rookie-thief (Edward Norton) who has insinuated himself into the Customs House as a retarded janitor. The first half of the film concentrates on the complicated set up of the score, and the interplay between the three men. The three actors shine. De Niro is excellent even if his character seems a composite of roles he's already played, Norton mesmerizes in his dual role as the mentally challenged Brian and his real persona of an arrogant young thief, and Brando's performance is more than just a cameo. The set-up may be a little slow for some as it draws you into the many intricate details of planning the job, and drifts a bit in the middle as director Frank Oz lets the characters control the movie rather than the action, but the sequence where they pull the job is incredibly suspenseful. And just when you think you know what's going on, there's a nice little twist. Recommended if you don't mind a movie that develops at its own pace.
	Kiss, kiss, bang, bang Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a small time petty thief who literally stumbles into a Hollywood audition for a big budget Private Eye movie. Digging his 'authenticity', the producers fly him out to L.A for a screen test and foist him on consultant Perry Van Shrike (Val Kilmer) - a gay private eye who goes by the nickname 'Gay Perry'. At a party in L.A he meets high school crush Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan). Together they drag Kilmer into a convoluted mystery involving Perry's latest case, a murdered girl, a rich ex-B Movie actor, and Harmony's little sister - all the while inspired by their childhood hero Johnny Gossamer, a 50s paperback Private Eye. Written & directed by Shane Black who was one of the highest paid (and youngest) screenwriters in the late 80s and early 90s with films such as Lethal Weapon and The Last Boy Scout. Burnt out after the commercial failure of The Long Kiss Goodnight, Black spent most of the next 10 years as a semi-recluse before making this critically acclaimed comeback. Black delights in turning the tables on all the Hollywood 'buddy-movie' conventions that he helped create, sending up Hollywood while paying homage to the pulp fiction novels he was inspired by growing up. A great movie where it's all in the details: the way Kilmer's cellphone's ring tone is I will survive, the meta-narration where Harry rewinds the movie to explain bits he left out, and the great rat-a-tat dialogue. Stylish credits and chapter titles, outrageous scenes, and great chemistry between Kilmer and Downey make this one of the most original movies to come along in a long time. Great for DVD watching as you can rewind and catch all the bitchy, dead pan, dialogue between the leads.
	Heat Written and directed by Michael Mann this is arguably his finest work: an engrossing character study truly epic in its construction, wrapped up in a seemingly simple cops vs. robbers guise. Also this was the first time legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino appeared on screen together (they play father and son in The Godfather Part 2). Based on Mann's 1989 TV movie A Takedown (which he envisioned as the prospective pilot for a series, and which is regarded as well filmed and written but poorly acted) De Niro is Neil McCauley, a master thief with a loyal and expert crew (including Val Kilmer and Tom Sizemore). The latest job he is planning catches the attention of obsessive cop Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and the famous scene halfway through the movie sees the two characters meet at a coffee house and size each other up. An intricate story, Heat has many sub-plots involving the personal lives of the main characters and clocks in at nearly 3 hours - but it's such a tour de force of storytelling that it never really drags. Essentially Heat is a story about the people who commit crimes and those who investigate them, rather than the crimes themselves (though a spectacular bank heist/siege/gunfight sequence centres the movie). It is all about the duality of the two main characters. De Niro is the professionals professional, a man whose visceral love of planning and executing crimes distances him from experiencing anything else, until he meets a woman in a bookstore (Amy Brenneman). Pacino has an even worse personal life, onto his third failing marriage, his obsessive devotion to his job distancing him from his wife (Dianne Venora) and troubled step-daughter (Natalie Portman) until it all implodes. In the scene where the two characters meet, each sees a reflection of himself in the other and the price they pay for living the way they do, and the rest of the movie plays out as a prelude to the climatic end where the two characters meet once again.
	Wonderland On July 1st 1981, Los Angeles Police responded to a distress call at 8763 Wonderland Avenue in Laurel Canyon. What they found were four bodies beaten to death with a pipe, in a grisly quadruple homicide that became known as the Four-on-the floor murders. The police investigation turned up a seedy ex-con biker named David Lind who told the police a strange story involving fallen porn legend John Holmes, and criminally connected nightclub owner Eddie Nash. He told them that the drug-addicted Holmes set up a robbery of Nash's house, where huge amounts of cocaine, heroin, jewellery and money were taken, and that the Wonderland Avenue killings were Nash's reprisal for this. Wonderland is the Rashomon-like tale of the events surrounding this crime, and is told from the perspective of Lind (an unrecognisable Dylan McDermott), John Holmes (Val Kilmer), the police, Nash (Eric Bogosian), and the recollections of Holmes' wife Sharon (Lisa Kudrow) and girlfriend Dawn (Kate Bosworth). This realistically fragmented approach is not for everyone, with its graphic re-enactment of events, and the general repellent sleaziness of nearly every character. The source material for the film is a famous Rolling Stone article on Holmes that was also the inspiration for Paul Anderson's Boogie Nights,a looser, fictional version of the life of John Holmes. This result is pretty unsavoury, but fascinating nonetheless. Love him or hate him, Kilmer is great as the sleazy and manipulative Holmes, and in an unflattering role Kudrow comes across as the most sympathetic character, as his long suffering wife. Definitely not for everyone, as you kind of feel you need to take a shower after watching it, but if you like grisly true-crime this is for you.
	The sting Winner of 7 Academy Awards (including best Director, Picture and Screenplay) this 1973 film reunited Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid stars Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Set in late 1930s Chicago, Redford plays Johnny Hooker a young con artist, or 'grifter'. When he and his partner/mentor grift someone who works for vicious local mobster Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), Lonnegan's reaction is to have his partner killed. Eager for revenge, and with the corrupt police in Lonnegan's pocket, Redford teams up with aging con-man Harry Gondorff (Paul Newman) to pull the ultimate sting on Lonnegan. Heavily stylised (the film is divided into chapter headings like The Hook & The Line) with great cinematography and rich period detail and dialogue. The film's tone is never dark like Film Noirs, which may be expected given the plot, but rather light and amusing with a series of ingenious scenes - and you're never quite sure what is real and what is part of the con right until the very end. Clever and entertaining, it's the kind of old-fashioned movie making that is attempted today (Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven remake) but never equalled. Watch out for the classic scene where Newman pretends to be drunk while playing poker with Shaw. Features a litany of great supporting roles, and an engaging score that led to a resurgence of interest in the rag-time music of Scott Joplin.
	The French connection One of the greatest crime movies of the 70s (which means it's one of the best ever) this also won a handful of Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Gene Hackman). Based on real events, The French Connection is about two New York Police Detectives played Hackman and Roy Scheider, and their investigation into the heroin pipeline flooding New York from the French port of Marseilles which, at the time, resulted in the biggest drug seizure in Police history. Hackman is 'Popeye' Doyle, an unapologetic, arrogant, rule breaking cop who sees the job, and the fight against drug-pushers, as nothing short of a war - and one in which he'll put innocent lives in danger to win. Hackman and Scheider play a cat and mouse game as they struggle to bring down French drug kingpin Alain Charnier, the titular French Connection. Everything in the film looks dirty - the streets, the people, the leads, the city itself - giving the movie a grainy edgy feel. Directed by William Friedkin, with a screenplay by Ernest Tidyman (creator of the Shaft novels/movies) the movie is fast paced and suspenseful, and there are a few out and out action scenes in it, including the famous car chase where Hackman pursues a train under the elevated subway tracks, which still ranks as the best car chase ever filmed. And the gritty inconclusive ending, filmed in a decrepit building still jolts.
	Fargo This classic Coen brothers farce succeeds on all levels, as a bumbling kidnap heist/caper and a salute to the good old fashioned middle-American work ethos. Due to some 'creative' book-keeping fumbling car salesman Jerry (a brilliant William H. Macey) has the bank breathing down his neck and needs a quick cash infusion - so he sets up a scheme to have his wife kidnapped and his wealthy father-in-law tapped for the ransom. The two crooks, a snide Steve Buscemi and the man of few words - but much violence - Peter Stormare (recently seen as Abruzzi in Prison Break). Things, of course, don't go as planned as the behaviour of the incompetent criminals gets out of control and the helpless Jerry is left to squirm as Margie Gunderson, the seven months pregnant Sheriff of Brainerd, Minnesota (Frances McDormand in an Oscar winning performance) makes an appearance. Slow and steady she seems (especially to Jerry) a minor impediment to his plan, a small town officer in over her head. However her homespun aphorisms, extremely broad Minnesota vowels (Yah) and gentle recriminations ("I'm not sure I agree with you a hundred percent on your police work, there, Lou") hide an astute mind and a dogged determination to unravel the case. Worth watching just for the local-yokel accents delivering deadpan lines like "And I guess that was your accomplice in the woodchipper", "You're darn tootin!", and "So, uh, you married old Norm son-of-a-Gunderson?", and also if you like watching people do bad things with woodchippers.
	Se7en Viewed by some as just another horror flick, or a high end serial killer movie, Seven is one of the few movies of its subject nature that can be interpreted on several levels (it garners comparison to The Silence of the Lambs quite often, but that is essentially a film that exists on one level only, a series of plot driven reactions and interactions). Directed by David Fincher Seven is firstly unique because of its print process, as Fincher's approved theatrical release print used the process of silver nitrate retention - a method of film development in which the silver of the film is retained rather than discarded, giving the bright moments of the film a edgy luminescence. While the 2002 2-disc DVD edition is a new visual version, reframed and re-coloured, this 2004 version seems to be a re-release of the original DVD - which was sourced from the theatrical silver print, or as close to it as was technologically possible. Whatever the case the film's backgrounds are so grainy and dark that it has to be watched without any ambient light present to reveal the film's real textures. Set in an unnamed decaying urban city where it seems to be always raining and dark, Seven follows an aging, weary (and about to retire) Police Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and his new partner Mills (Brad Pitt) as they become involved in the hunt for a sadistic serial-killer 'John Doe' (an un-credited Kevin Spacey) - who has set out to teach society a moral lesson, by re-enacting the Seven Deadly Sins in a series of gruesome murders. Somerset recognises this after the second killing and wants little to do with the investigation or with his impulsive, cocky, new partner, but gets drawn in despite his reservations. What follows isn't really a police procedural type investigation as they never come anywhere close to catching the killer (until he turns himself in to enact his final lesson) but rather a prolonged philosophical debate between the two men, opposites in manner and thought, and later between Somerset and the killer John Doe, characters deliberately written to be similar in their viewpoints. Full of gorily posed deaths Seven isn't about solving/changing any thing, but recognising the world and surviving it with your self intact. "What are we doing if we're not investigating" asks Pitts character at one point, to which Freeman's character replies "Picking up the pieces" - and this is the dichotomy that drives the movie towards its grim conclusion.
Angels, Demons & Fireflies - Joss Whedon
"I definitely think that a woman kicking ass is extraordinarily sexy. If I wasn't compelled on a very base level by that archetype, I wouldn't have created that character. I mean, yes, I have a feminist agenda, but it's not like I made a chart." (Rolling Stone, April 2000) Whedon left his job as scriptwriter for the sitcom Roseanne when he sold his first script. However, the resulting movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), over which Whedon had no artistic control, was a critical and commercial failure. He worked on other projects such as Toy Story, Alien Resurrection and Speed, before reviving the Buffy concept as a television series. Set in the fictional California town of Sunnydale whose High School rests on the site of a 'Hellmouth', a gateway between our world and the realm of demons, The series follows Buffy Summers, a teenage girl chosen by fate to battle vampires, demons, and other supernatural foes, with the help of her Watcher and a group of misfit friends. The blending of genres, including horror, martial arts, romance, melodrama, farce, comic banter and even a musicals, underscored the strong emotional underpinning of the show and led it to become a critical and cult hit. Its characters became so popular that a spin-off series, Angel, was launched in 1999. A vampire who had his human soul restored to him as a punishment after more than a century of murder and torture of innocents, Angel left Sunnydale and opened a detective agency in Los Angeles, where he and a variety of associates worked to "help the helpless". A clever update of the classic noir detective story, the shows darker format gradually changed to large scale story arcs, before it was sadly cancelled in its 5th season. Whedon's third TV series, the science fiction-Western Firefly debuted in 2002. The Alliance wishes to Unify all colonized planets under one rule. In the year 2517, after fighting on the losing side against the Alliance, Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds and his crew buy the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity and scrape together a life making cargo runs and performing other tasks, legal or otherwise. The show was cancelled by Fox after only 11 episodes had been shown. Fortunately the DVD boxed set was very successful, allowing the movie Serenity to be made. Here are some of the most memorable episodes of Joss Whedon's shows. (contains spoilers) Buffy season 2, volume 6, Becoming One of the darkest double episodes closes out the second season. If the end of Season one was about dying in the literal sense, the end of season two is about dying in a metaphysical sense. After the 'curse' of his human soul is removed, 'Angelus' returns to torment Buffy, killing & kidnapping her friends. The first part reveals in flashbacks how he became a vampire & how he regained his soul, setting up a showdown to end the season, where Angelus plans to awaken a demon from its stone coma so it can swallow the world into a hell dimension. A complex and moving story that undermines & revises the expected premise of such a series, in a way few other shows ever do. (Mark) Buffy season 6, volume 2, Once more with feeling From hilarious heavy metal digressions on evil bunnies to Xander and demon girlfriend Anya's Ginger and Fred number, the musical episode Once more, with feeling shows the range of Joss' genius. Somehow, amidst the dancing vampires and other giggles, the main plot-lines of the season all come together and the secrets are revealed. Plus, the music is darn catchy. Angel season 5, volume 6, Not Fade Away In a show that combined action, adventure, horror, thriller, (black) comedy, drama, & fantasy, winding up a five season run after sudden cancellation is no mean feat. Nonetheless the show went out exactly as the title implies. After 'winning' the evil law firm Wolfram & Hart at the end of the previous season Angel's friends believe he has finally crossed over to the other side by becoming a member of a sinister organization 'The Circle of the Black Thorn', until he reveals that he has merely infiltrated their ranks in order to destroy them. However this can only be achieved in a series of separate attacks over the course of a single night, and even if they survive they will surely be killed in retaliation. A truly great ending pays tribute to one of the most original shows to screen on television. (Mark) Angel season 5, volume 4, Smile time Not always about brooding people wearing black, epic fights, and bleak digressions on redemption, 'Angel' also had some truly hilarious episodes and this one has to take the top award. 'Smile Time' is a popular children's T.V show that's a little different - when the camera is off, the smiling & singing stops & these foul-mouthed cigarette smoking puppets have their hands stuck up the backs of their human 'controllers' in a bid to suck out the souls of children through the T.V. Angel stumbles onto their operation (literally) and is turned into a puppet (think Bert from 'Sesame Street' only wearing black and even grumpier). The rest of the gang soon find out and, after playing with his detachable nose, they set out to restore him to his body and 'kick some puppet-ass'. Hilarious funny but also disturbingly creepy at the same time. (Mark) Firefly, Out of Gas Taking place in multiple time frames the episode begins with the Captain 'Mal' collapsing alone on 'Serenity'. Interspersing flashbacks as to how the Life Support functions became damaged and his decision to send everyone off the ship in escape pods, with forward cuts to a delirious oxygen deprived Mal trying to fix the ship (while he has flashbacks as to how he came to own 'Serenity' and assemble its crew) 'Out of gas' shows just how original the series could be, making a tense episode out of a simple concept most other Sci-Fi shows ignore. Perfectly paced the back story (in the 9th episode of the show) adds a depth to what has come before. (Mark) Serenity It's not perfect, but if you were fond of the TV series, you'll need to see Serenity. And watch all the extras. The movie follows easily digestible SF/action movie conventions, so it is also accessible to non-Firefly followers. The large, compelling cast is badly serviced by the movie format - forced to concentrate on a few individuals (captain Mal, traumatised genius River), the movie is cruelly cursory in its treatment of others. Nonetheless, Serenity confirms that the characters (with their humour and sometimes warm, sometimes bristling interactions) are better developed than most of their big screen counterparts, and that its sci-fi/Western vision of the future had potential for years of more episodes. Plus, the explosions are bigger than Firefly and Whedon gives us another interesting female warrior. (Karen) Fray Joss does graphic novels too. "Tough but reluctant vampire-fighter Fray lives in the bad part of town and makes a living doing heists for Gunther, a blue and scaly criminal operator who directs operations while submerged in a living-room-sized tank. So when an enormous, goat-hoofed demon shows up at Fray's apartment, she's not terribly fazed, but she certainly isn't ready for his message: she, Melaka Fray, is destined to kill vampires... Whedon's trademark nail-biting plot reversals, tossed-off jokes and surprisingly complex relationships characterize the book, and Moline and Owens' art brings a wholly absorbing gut-level edge to Fray's world." (Publishers Weekly, Amazon) Also check out Whedon's Astonishing X-Men : gifted. Some useful links: Our collection of Buffy fiction. A recent Joss Whedon posting on some upcoming Buffy/Angel/Spike projects. A link to all things Buffy. Serenity - The New York Times review.
Film Noir
Following the end of WWII, French publishing house Gallimard started publishing translations of American crime novels by authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M Cain & David Goodis in its Serrie Noire imprint. The following year French critic Nino Frank wrote the earliest essay identifying a new departure in American film making, the 'Film Noir' (though the term itself did not come into 'official' use until the publication of Raymond Borde & Etienne Chaumeton's study 'panarama du film noir americain' in 1955, and wasn't widely adopted in America until the 1970's). According to Borde & Chaumeton, the 'Noir' cycle officially begins with John Houston's The Maltese Falcon (1941) and ends with Robert Aldrich's Kiss Me Deadly (1955), though the style can be traced back as far as Fritz Lang's M (1931), and forward to films like Memento (2000). Characterised by fear, mistrust, bleakness, paranoia, fatalisim, disillusionment, existential plots and confessional voiceovers, they provided a distinctly pessimistic view of post-war America. However while the view was American, the 'feel' was distinctly European with shadowy expressionistic lighting, stark & skewered camera angles, jarring editing, and deep shadows - the reason the best Noirs are in Black and White - and with key European directors such as Fritz Lang, Robert Siodmak, and Jacques Tourneur. Noir protagonists were typically anti-heroes: crooked cops, down and out Private Eyes, war veterans, petty criminals, gamblers and killers; while the women were often unloving, mysterious, duplicitous and manipulative - but always gorgeous. While the style dropped out of favour after the late 1950's, its elements were present in several standout films of the 1960's from The Manchurian Candidate (1962) to Point Blank (1967) and it made a resurgence in the 1970's, and an even stronger one in the 1990's. Films from this period on are referred to as 'Neo-Noir', and while some are merely an affected stylism, enough original 'Noir' runs through them to satisfy purists. The Maltese Falcon (1941) John Huston's classic adaptation of Dasheill Hammett's hard-boiled novel (using large chunks of the novels dialogue) with Bogart as Hammett's definitive private eye, the cynical Sam Spade. When Bogart's partner is murdered while tailing someone at the request of a beautiful client, he sets out to find the killer, even though he was sleeping with his partner's wife. His investigations drag him into a byzantine plot that sees him pitted against a sinister fat man (Sydney Greenstreet), an effete European (Peter Lorre), a doped up gunman (Elisha Cook Jr.), and his client (Mary Astor) a treacherous women whose loyalties turn on a dime - all of whom are after a mysterious black statuette in the shape of a bird, and rumoured to be encrusted with gold and jewels... Double Indemnity (1944) Director Billy Wilder and writer Raymond Chandler adapted James M. Cain's novel into one of the best early Noirs. Smooth insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) meets femme-fatale Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) when he calls to renew her husband's automobile insurance. Sparks fly and together they scheme to murder her husband and collect a large insurance payoff using the 'double indemnity' clause in his life insurance. Narrated by MacMurray to his Claims Investigator boss Barton Keyes (Edward G Robinson) in a flashback, the story is still holds tension right until the last reel, and is full of Chandler's snappy dialogue. Gilda (1946) One of the most cynical Noirs, Charles Vidor's Gilda stars Glenn Ford as Johnny Farrell, a down on his luck gambler in wartime Buenos Aires. Rescued from a fight by mysterious casino owner Ballin Mundson (George Macready), he is recruited to work in his illegal casino where he soon rises to be Mundson's 'right hand man'. All is well until Mundson goes on a business trip and returns with beautiful new bride Gilda (Rita Hayworth), a woman from Johnny's past. Unaware of their previous relationship he assigns Johnny to keep an eye on Gilda, and their mutual dislike produces some of the most scathing dialogue committed to film. Factor in the bizarre romantic triangle that ensues, the mysterious Tungsten (a rare metal) cartel Mundson heads, the Germans who want to control it, the evocative setting, and Hayworth's famous 'striptease' to 'Put the blame on Mame' and you have a classic piece of Noir. Out of the Past (1947) Robert Mitchum is Jeff Bailey, the owner of a small garage who's living an idyllic life in small town California... until his past catches up with him in the form of ruthless gangster Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) and his girlfriend Kathie Moffat (Jane Greer). Jacques Tourneur's brilliantly realised Noir is one of the best examples of the genre. Flashbacks within flashbacks reveal Mitchum's past as Private Eye Jeff Markham hired by Douglas to retrieve his wayward girlfriend Grier, and the $40,000 of his money she ran off with. He manages to track her to Mexico, but that's just the beginning of his ensnarement with the nasty pair. Mitchum is at his laconic best as Markham, conveying the characters desperation with the most economic of gestures, and the beautiful Greer is nothing short of brilliant as the remorseless femme fatale. Tourneur's camerawork and use of light and shadow convey an inky darkness to even the most sunlit scene. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) The ultimate caper movie, often imitated but never equalled. John Huston directs an ensemble cast headed by Sterling Haden as the 'muscle' Dix and Sam Jaffe as criminal mastermind 'Doc', as they plan the perfect jewel robbery. A movie that depicts the layers of criminality involved in a 'job', from the gang that does the dirty work to the morally bankrupt lawyer Emmerich (Louis Calhern) who sets it up. A gritty and atmospheric movie full of strong characterizations that show the corrupt underbelly of the 'big city' as the perfect plan starts to fall apart... Kiss Me Deadly (1955) A hugely influential film years ahead of its time, Robert Aldrich's Kiss me Deadly is regarded as the ultimate film noir. Private Eye Mike Hammer (Ralph Meeker) picks up a half naked girl by the side of the road, and minutes later they are forced off a cliff by the men after her. The woman is killed but Hammer survives and sets out to find her killers. The script by A.I Bezzerides reworks Mickey Spillane's novel, recasting Hammer as a ruthless egotist who isn't above pimping out his beautiful secretary Velda (Maxine Cooper), or slamming someone's fingers in a drawer to get what he wants. Tracking down the girl's killers not because he cares but because he smells something big, he becomes involved in the search for 'The Great Whatsit', a mysterious suitcase that everybody is after. Full of great cinematography, weird and surreal images, crazy camera angles, and a fantastic apocalyptic ending. The Long Goodbye (1973) Robert Altman's take on Raymond Chandler's novel was scripted by Leigh Brackett, one of the co-writers of the classic Bogart/Bacall version of Chandler's The Big Sleep in 1946. Chandler's convoluted plot is given a surreal cast that verges at times on parody, as Altman and Brackett recast Chandler's famous detective Philip Marlowe as an affectless, glib, hip, L.A habitue who lives next door to hippies who practice nude yoga, and spends a lot of time talking through a cigarette to himself or his cat. When he helps his friend Terry Lenox cross the border to Mexico he learns he may have been involved in his wife's murder, and when his friend kills himself Marlowe is arrested. The resulting publicity gets him hired by a beautiful friend of Lennox's to find her alcoholic husband (Sterling Haden), a washed up writer, and both 'cases' begin to merge into one. Gould is brilliant as Marlowe; his glib 'It's O.K with me' catchphrase seems to reflect the ultimate disinterest in everything, but the gestalt of Altman's serious 'Noir' ending recasts the character, and the movie, in an entirely different light. Chinatown (1974) Roman Polanski's finest film is this brooding 1930's Noir, one of the greatest Hollywood movies ever made. Jack Nicholson plays private eye Jake Gittes who is hired by Evelyn Mulwray to capture her husband's infidelity on film - only to find he has been set up and the real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) is someone entirely different. Robert Towne's Oscar winning screenplay remains one of the best ever written, influenced by the novels of Raymond Chandler yet far from just a copy. Based on historical figure William Mulholland (head of the Los Angeles Water Department) and the construction of a viaduct to provide Los Angeles with a steady supply of drinking water, Towne's story fictionalizes Mulholland as two characters: Hollis Mulwray who wants to give the water to the people; and Noah Cross (John Huston) Evelyn's father, a corrupt and ruthless tycoon who will do whatever it takes to control the access to the water, and the wealth it provides. Gittes investigation into who set him up entangle him with Evelyn and her father, as the story's layers are peeled away to reveal a rotten core of incest, political bribery, corruption, the true nature of evil, and one of the best (and bleakest) endings ever, that still packs a punch even after 30 years. No Way Out (1987) Roger Donaldson's remake of the 1948 noir The Big Clock sees Kevin Costner give his best performance. As naval officer Tom Farrell he is assigned to the Pentagon to work for Secretary of Defence David Brice (Gene Hackman), where he begins an affair with Susan Atwell Brice's mistress (Sean Young). But when Brice becomes suspicious she is seeing someone else, he accidentally kills her during an argument. Turning to his crooked aide Pritchard (Will Paton) for help, they decide to frame her unknown lover for the crime, and to speed his capture claim he was a KGB agent who seduced Atwell to gain information on Brice. Brice puts Farrell in charge of the investigation to find himself, leading to a race against the clock where he has to expose the real killer before a Polaroid negative is developed revealing his image and framing him as a spy... The Hot Spot (1990) Dennis Hopper directs the underrated Don Johnson in this faithful adaptation of the Charles Williams pulp novel 'Hell hath no fury'. Johnson plays Maddox, an aimless drifter who rolls into a small Texas town where there are only 'two things to do' (the other is watch T.V). Insinuating himself into a job selling used cars, he begins to romance the innocent young girl (Jennifer Connelly) who works in the office, but can't resist the 'charms' of his boss' trashy wife (Virginia Madsen) or, more importantly, the small town bank that's just begging to be knocked off... The Usual Suspects (1995) Bryan Singer's 1995 film won Oscars for Christopher McQuarrie's twisted screenplay and Kevin Spacey's incredibly nuanced performance as club footed small time conman 'Verbal' Kint. Spacey leads an ensemble cast (including Stephen Baldwin, Benicio del Toro, Gabriel Byrne, and Pete Postlethwaite), and tells his story in flashback to police detective (Chaz Palmintieri). It begins with a coincidental gathering of a group of career criminals, and leads up to them being propositioned by the lawyer of mysterious 'master criminal' Keyser Soze to hijack a shipment of cocaine from a docked ship. The flashback is interspersed with events in real time, and the complex, labyrinthine plot keeps the twists coming up to the now famous denouncement. Arguably an exercise is style over substance, the films lasting appeal lies in the subtleties that go unnoticed on the first viewing, especially those in the performance Spacey. L.A Confidential (1997) While a legion of other movies lay claim to being Noir, every so often one will come along that leaves no doubt as to its credentials. Curtis Hansen directed and co-scripted this adaptation of James Ellroy's labyrinthine novel, which won an Oscar for the screenplay as did Kim Basinger for Best Supporting Actress. Bud (Russell Crowe) is on the job for revenge, Ed (Guy Pearce) is in it for the glory, and Jack (Kevin Spacey) sells scandal on the side. A bloody multiple murder at the late night 'Night Owl' cafe provides the central plot that draws the three men together for a twisted journey through the dark underbelly that lies beneath the surface of glitz and sunshine of 1950s Los Angeles. The trail leads to a mysterious high-class pimp (David Strathairn), a beautiful call girl (Kim Basinger), and corruption that leads straight to the top of the LAPD. A masterpiece of acting, direction, and writing, and the only film to rate comparison with the greatest of Technicolor noir, Chinatown. Art of Noir and Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style are a couple of the best books on Film Noir Any comments on, or ideas for this page? Contact us (mark le sueur).