Fortunately for film noir fans, some of the greatest entries into the genre can be found on Prime Video fromChinatowntoSunset Boulevard. Although the film noir is a Hollywood staple, the genre can still be surprisingly hard to define. Broadly speaking, film noir movies are crime dramas characterized by their cynical outlook and dramatic black-and-white photography.
However, the genre has been through so many mutations and distinct eras that even these characteristics aren’t always relevant. There are neo-noirs, which can be sunny and colorful, sci-fi noirs, horror noirs, andhigh school noirs likeVeronica Marsor 2005’sBrick. Even some ofthe best film noir movies everare more interested in character drama than crime.
That said, the hallmarks of film noir still shape all the movies listed here. Some are dark melodramas, while others are direct adaptations of iconic hardboiled crime novels by authors like Mickey Spillane, Graham Greene, or Dashiell Hammett. What all of them have in common is a mean streak, a brooding, moody tone, and twisty mysteries with heartbreaking endings.
10The Third Man
This Graham Greene Adaptation Is A Classic Film Noir
Starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles,The Third Manis a classic film noir fromOliverdirector Carol Reed. Set in Vienna after World War II, the movie follows Cotten’s American author Holly, who arrives in the city to find out Harry Lime, the friend who invited him there, is dead.
Greene’s story is propulsive and cleverly plotted, while Holly’s work as a pulp writer makesThe Third Man’s unpredictable plot a clever meta spin on the film noir formula.
Welles’ Lime is nowhere to be found, but his beguiling girlfriend Anna is still around, and it is not long before Holly finds himself falling under her spell. Greene’s story is propulsive and cleverly plotted, while Holly’s work as a pulp writer makesThe Third Man’s unpredictable plot a clever meta spin on the film noir formula.
9The Big Sleep
This Influential Movie May Be Humphrey Bogart’s Finest Film Noir
1946’sThe Big Sleepadapted author Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel of the same nameto the screen. Director Howard Hawks cast Humphrey Bogart as Chandler’s private eye antihero Philip Marlowe, while Lauren Bacall playsThe Big Sleep’s femme fatale, Vivian Rutledge. Notable for its absurdly complex plot,The Big Sleepwas a hit upon release.
Interestingly, even Hawks himself admitted that he could never quite follow the plot of the adaptation, and viewers are unlikely to come toThe Big Sleepin search of a straightforward story. However, Bogart and Bacall’s chemistry is phenomenal and the movie’s take on Chandler’s most famous antihero proves2022’s flopMarlowecould never have recaptured Hawks’ effortless mastery of the genre.
8Night of the Hunter
Charles Laughton’s Chilling Film Noir Will Haunt Viewers
Released in 1955, director Charles Laughton’sNight of the Hunteris a haunting, singular movie based on David Grubb’s novel of the same name. Robert Mitchum plays the deeply creepy Preacher Powell, a killer who hunts down a pair of children after their late father robs $10,000 from him. A uniquely unsettling movie,Night of the Huntershowcases film noir’s diversity.
There is no major mystery at the core of the movie’s story, with viewers immediately knowing who the heroes and villains are and what is at stake. Perhaps because of its unusual blend of character drama, religious horror, and film noir tropes,Night of the Hunterwasn’t a success upon its initial release.
Night of the Hunteris necessary viewing for anyone who wants to understand the film noir genre as a whole.
Fortunately, the unforgettable thriller has since been reappraised after high-profile directors like Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee named Laughton’s movie an all-time favorite. An endlessly influential cult classic,Night of the Hunteris necessary viewing for anyone who wants to understand the film noir genre as a whole.
7Se7en
David Fincher’s Gritty Neo Noir Is Unmissable
AlthoughSe7enis a much more recent release than most of the movies on this list, no rundown of iconic noir movies would be complete without director David Fincher’s serial killer thriller. A brutally downbeat masterpiece,Se7enhas one ofthe darkest thriller endingsof all time. The movie’s entire story takes an axe to the usual serial killer thriller formula.
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are at their best as the two detectives tasked with hunting down a serial killer basing their murders on the seven deadly sins, andthis twisty mystery’s horrifying deaths take the film noir formula as far into horror as it has ever gone. However, it is the unforgettable ending that earns Fincher’s uncompromisingSe7ena spot on this list.
6Cape Fear (1962/ 1991)
Both Versions of Cape Fear Are Essential Film Noir Viewing
When a lawyer and family man gets a violent psychopath sent to prison for his crimes, he never imagines that this will eventually result in the criminal stalking him and his family in search of revenge years later. The plots of director J Lee Thompson’s originalCape Fearand Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of the same name are almost identical.
Both versions of Cape Fear are adapted from John D. MacDonald’s novelThe Executioners.
However,Scorsese’s take onCape Fearis darker and edgier, while Thompson’s movie centers on the cat-and-mouse game between Gregory Peck’s genial Sam Bowden and Robert Mitchum’s chilling Max Cady.Both versions ofCape Fearare classic film noir movies, and both are also available to view on Prime Video.
Thus, viewers can get a lesson in the changing face of the genre by pairing the two movies in a double bill. While Scorsese’s movie incorporates elements of psychological horror, particularly in its final act, Thompson’s original adaptation is more concerned with mounting dread and suspense.
5The Maltese Falcon
This Dashiell Hammett Movie Is A Remake of 1930’s Earlier Adaptation
Based on Dashiell Hammett’s novel,1951’sThe Maltese Falconis the second movie version of Hammett’s novelafter 1931’s original of the same name. As the title implies,The Maltese Falconfollows the theft of a jewel-studded Golden Falcon and the many double crosses that follow. LikeThe Big Sleep,The Maltese Falconstars film noir legend Humphrey Bogart.
Spade makes his way through a rogue’s gallery of villains and femme fatales as he searches for the missing falcon, a missing woman, and a whole host of clues.
Bogart plays Sam Spade, another iconic antihero from the murky underworld of hardboiled crime novels. Spade makes his way through a rogue’s gallery of villains and femme fatales as he searches for the missing falcon, a missing woman, and a whole host of clues that eventually explain the entire mess he’s gotten himself into.
4Chinatown
Roman Polanski’s 1974 Neo-Noir Is Uniquely Upsetting
While director Roman Polanski’sChinatownis technically a neo-noir, thanks to its sunny California setting, this classic remains one of the genre’s best outings regardless of its era. When Jack Nicholson’s private investigator Jake is hired to look into a potential case of infidelity, he has no idea he is a pawn in a far larger conspiracy to steal the water rights to the city of Los Angeles.
This may sound like a dull storyline for a film noir, butChinatownis one of the most gripping mysteries ever written. Polanski’s movie takes Nicholson’s grizzled antihero to some nightmarishly bleak places, usingChinatown’s real-life inspirationto weave a knotty web of intrigue that offers acerbic commentary on capitalism, corruption, and environmental collapse.
WhileChinatown’s ingenious plotting and the superb central turn from Fay Dunaway had already elevated the movie to classic status, it is its unforgettable ending that marks this out as a must-watch. A disquieting, uniquely disturbing tale,Chinatownis one movie every film noir fan needs to see.
3The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946/ 1981)
This Film Noir And Its Remake Are Both Classics
LikeCape Fear,The Postman Always Rings Twiceand its remake are both available on Amazon Primeand both movies are essential viewing for genre completists. LikeDouble Indemnity, which would have made it onto this list if it weren’t in the public domain and therefore free to view elsewhere online,The Postman Always Rings Twicehas an atypically straightforward story.
The film noir, adapted from James M. Cain’s novel of the same name, tells the story of a married woman who falls for a drifter and convinces him the pair can be together if they kill her husband. What follows is a grim, twisty tale that boasts superb chemistry from its stars in both screen incarnations.
2Kiss Me Deadly
Robert Aldrich’s Movie Takes Mickey Spillane’s Novel Somewhere Even Darker
Based on Mickey Spillane’s novel of the same name,Kiss Me Deadlyis an Atomic age film noir with a wild twist endingthat even the savviest viewers won’t see coming. Althoughmany film noir movies have dark endings,Kiss Me Deadlyis uniquely infamous for featuring one of the most daring twists in the genre’s history.
Director Robert Aldrich imbues the story of Mike Hammer’s doomed search for the truth with a nightmarish level of darkness.
The plot, a byzantine knot of double-crosses and deceptions, follows a stolen suitcase. Director Robert Aldrich imbues the story of Mike Hammer’s doomed search for the truth with a nightmarish level of darkness, revealing the same edge that made his later horrorWhat Ever Happened to Baby Jane?a cult classic.
1Sunset Boulevard
Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard Is An Unmissable Film Noir Classic
While many of the movies on this list have complicated plots and twisty mysteries at their core, this is not a necessary ingredient for a successful film noir. On the contrary, director Billy Wilder’sSunset Boulevardis an all-time great entry into the genre and its storyline is surprisingly straightforward.
In this classic, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter becomes embroiled in an unhinged aging screen star’s delusions. As Norma Desmond,Gloria Swanson offers an unforgettable performance that grounds the story ofSunset Boulevard, even as the conspiracy that unfolds around the star grows darker and darker.
Although Wilder also directed the superbDouble Indemnity,Sunset Boulevardis the single strongest film noir in his screen career. Grim, twisted, but darkly funny,Sunset Boulevardis a must-watch for fans of the genre and an influence on everything fromChinatownto contemporary crime dramas.
