Top Ten Favorite FILM NOIR Movies
Below is a list of my current top ten favorite film noir movies:
TOP TEN FAVORITE FILM NOIR MOVIES
1. "L.A. Confidential" (1997) - Two Academy Awards went to this outstanding adaptation of James Ellroy's 1990 novel about three Los Angeles Police Department detectives who become caught up in a case involving police and political corruption. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the movie starred Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.
2. "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) - Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett's caustic and brilliant tale about a one-sided love affair between a Hollywood has been and a struggling screenwriter ending in tragedy, won three Academy Awards. Directed by Wilder, the movie starred William Holden and Gloria Swanson.
3. "Chinatown" (1974) - Inspired by the California Water Wars, this dark tale about a L.A. private detective caught up in the murder of a Department of Water and Power engineer won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Written by Robert Towne and directed by Roman Polanski, the movie starred Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
4. "Double Indemnity" (1944) - Billy Wilder directed and co-wrote this superb 1944 adaptation of James M. Cain's 1943 novella about an insurance salesman drawn into a murder scheme with a provocative housewife. Co-written by Raymond Chandler, the movie starred Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson.
5. "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995) - Denzel Washington starred in this adaptation of Walter Mosley's 1990 novel about a World War II veteran and laid off worker who becomes mixed up in a murderous political scandal, when he is hired to find a missing woman. Directed by Carl Franklin, the movie co-starred Tom Siezmore, Jennifer Beals and Don Cheadle.
6. "Laura" (1944) - Otto Preminger directed this excellent and tight adaptation of Vera Caspary's 1943 novel about a New York police detective who falls in love with a woman, whose murder he is investigating. The movie starred Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney and Clifton Webb.
7. "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) - John Huston wrote and directed this third adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel about a San Francisco detective being caught up in the hunt for an elusive artifact. The movie starred Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor.
8. "The Big Heat" (1953) - Fritz Lang directed this violent and energetic adaptation of William P. McGivern's 1952 novel about a police detective's battle against the syndicate responsible for his wife's death. Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin starred.
9. "The Black Dahlia" (2006)- Brian De Palma directed this surprisingly entertaining adaptation of James Ellroy's 1987 novel about the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short. The movie starred Josh Harnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank.
10. "The Usual Suspects" (1995) - This Oscar winning movie followed a tale of a petty con artist who recounts to Federal authorities how a theft committed by him and four colleagues led to a violent gun battle on the L.A. docks. The movie was directed by Bryan Singer.