Among the most enduring and long-influential genres of film,noiris one of the most important film sub-categories in the history of the medium. While the genre’s heyday has long passed, its influence over the development of the artistic medium and repeated resurgence over the course of time has made it one of those styles that any self-respecting film fan should be familiar with. Its influence can be felt in big-budget spectacles likeBlade Runner 2049andThe Batman.
Update June 01, 2025: This article has been updated to include even more must-see film noirs.
The staples of the genre are familiar —the femme fatale, low-key lighting, heavy shadows, brooding lead actor, etc. — but the films might not be. In that vein, the goal of providing the masses with a list of the most necessary, most enduring films of the genre is one that should be completed. So, without further ado, this is a list of the quintessential films of the film noir genre that will help you get into the style.
20The Big Sleep
Based on an unsentimental crime novel written by Raymond Chandler,The Big Sleepis a classic detective tale set in the 1940s sun-drenched Los Angeles. Philip Marlowe is a tired, cynical detective who is hired by a wealthy general to investigate blackmail against his young daughter. But when the blackmailer in question, Arthur Geiger, is found dead, Philip finds himself in the middle of a bigger conspiracy. The story unravels like a puzzle, with every new clue revealing another layer of mystery, deceit, and suspense.
FromHumphrey Bogard and Laurel Bacall’s incredible chemistryto the depiction of a corrupt and gritty scene of the city’s seedy underbelly, the film has many elements that work fantastically. Fans of Chandler’s stylish prose and Bogart’s witty persona will get why this is a quintessential entry point into the genre.
19Sweet Smell of Success
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick,Sweet Smell of Successis a sneering satire of the 1950s New York high society and the aristocrats embroiled in the scenario. J.J. Hunsecker is a powerful press columnist, and Sidney Falco is his right-hand man, a ruthless press agent who fixes problems for the rich and famous – for a hefty price. When Hunsecker tasks Falco with a mission to sabotage the budding romance between his sister and an upstart jazz musician, his methods set in motion a chain of cruel scheming and manipulation, and gossip involving some of the most influential people.
The movie, with grace and poise, depicts a world where integrity only lands in the lap of the highest bidder. Burt Lancaster andTony Curtis’s gripping performancesshowcase the best of film noir’s dark vision against the backdrop of a city ruled by greed and hungry ambition.
Sweeping you back into a fabulous time of high collars, jazz bars, and shadowy streets is this beguiling adaptation of author Vera Caspary’s novel of the same name.Lauratells a tale of a murdered woman and the three men embroiled in and drawn to her memory. When the police detective Mark McPherson first sets his gaze upon Laura Hunt’s portrait, painted before her death, he becomes obsessed with the enchanting look in her eyes.
Whileinvestigating the murderof the Madison Avenue executive, he encounters Waldo Lydecker, a gossip columnist and Laura’s best friend, and Shelby Carpenter, her fiancé. The further he delivers into her world of late-night parties, secrets, and lies, the more questions arise about her true identity. The movie has some of the most jarring plot twists that propel us through a dazzling film noir world, only to yank us back wanting more.
17Mildred Pierce
Film noir isn’t a genre that specifically portrays women as a whole person – complex and flawed. ButMildred Pierceis one of those rare films that does exactly that. Mildred’s story told through the impeccable direction of Michael Curtiz, explores themes of greed, betrayal, and murder in signature 1940s fashion. Teetering on the edge of poverty during the Great Depression, Mildred is forced to begin a new career and raise her two daughters after her husband leaves her for another woman.
Her success in the restaurant business does warrant a respectable social status, but it starts to fracture her relationship with her spoiled, narcissistic older daughter Veda. As Mildred embarks on a new romance with Monte, Veda’s manipulations and demands grow more excessive and sinister.Joan Crawford is outstanding as Mildredin showing how, when pushed far enough, even a devoted mother is capable of ruthless revenge.
16The Big Heat
Bringing to life a suspenseful and thrilling story written by William P. McGivern, this violent film noir follows Dave Bannion, a cold-hearted homicide detective tasked with the investigation of a suicide. As Bannion starts to dig deeper, his relentless crusade earns him animosity from his colleagues and puts his own family in danger. Directed by Fritz Lang,The Big Heatlays in front of us a gritty urban landscape with stark contrasts of light and shadow.
It features powerful performances from Glenn Ford as Bannion and Gloria Grahame as Debby Marsh, the femme fatale who helps fuel his obsession for justice and need for uncovering the dirty politics brewing within the police force. Overall, it undoubtedly delivers high-stakes film noir drama at its finest.
15Le Samourai
Jean-Pierre Melville’s classic crime thriller,Le Samourai, is an example of what can be accomplished in an established genre by someone who is seemingly an outsider. Noir is often seen as an American genre style, but Melville proved that the French can do it just as good.Le Samouraifollows the exploits of a professional hitman (played by Alain Delon) as he attempts to figure out who hired him for a job and then attempted to take his life, while a Parisian policeman gives him chase.
Melville’s atmospheric, breathy direction gives the film a certain type of languid coolness that is not often found in the progenitors of the genre, but the film still maintains the moody, dark tone that is a staple in noir.Le Samourai’s spare aesthetics give the film a coldness that evokes thenoirs of the 1940s, but also demonstrates a certain strict construction that helps the film hold up under scrutiny. While this shouldn’t be your “first” film noir, it’ll be a great middle-of-the-way watch as you start to familiarize yourself with the genre.
14Night Moves
Arthur Penn’s neo-noirNight Moveslanded with a thud when it was released in 1975, but has gone on to be one of the most intriguing members of its class upon reflection. Boasting a fantastic leadperformance by Gene Hackmanand stellar support from Melanie Griffith and James Woods,Night Movesis the sleazy, uncomfortable evolution of the film noir genre that was inevitable as the genre entered its nascent years.
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The neo-noir moniker often relates to film noirs made after the initial boom of the genre in the 40s and 50s, butNight Movesuses that term to demarcate itself as a new thing entirely.Night Movesfollows a Los Angeles private investigator who uncovers a series of sinister events while searching for the missing teenage daughter of a former movie actress, finding the underbelly of LA to be more horrific than ever thought of possible.
13The Naked City
Jules Dassin’s reputation in Hollywood is that of an uneven auteur. A victim of the Hollywood blacklist and later exiled to France, Dassin’s filmography is one of the more varied and interesting of those of his ilk. Case and point, his 1948 noir masterpieceThe Naked Citymakes an argument for Dassin to be recognized among the greats of not only the genre, but of his era.
The Naked Cityis a noir through and through in terms of style, but elevates the entire thing through the realism of his direction and set direction. The whole film was shot on location inNew York City, lending the crime thriller at its core a real sense of authenticity and naturalism. As the film follows the ins and outs of a police investigation into the murder of a young model, it also takes moments to break off from the main path and show us the day-to-day life of the people inhabiting its setting: New York City; The Naked City.
12They Live by Night
Based on Edward Anderson’s novelThieves Like Us, Nicholas Ray’s debut featureThey Live By Nightis one of the most intriguing films put on this list. Not only is it a stellar film noir that subverts and retools facets of the already established genre, but it is also viewed as the prototypical version of the “couple on the run” films of later decades likeBonnie and ClydeorBadlands.
They Live By Nightfollows a young convict who recently escaped from prison and goes on the run with a young woman he suddenly meets and decides he wants to make a life with. It’s a film that feels ultimately familiar but is created and directed in a manner that makes an elevated genre picture out of its rickety bones.
11In A Lonely Place
Another Nicholas Ray masterpiece,In A Lonely Placefeatures one of the best performances from legendary screenactor Humphrey Bogartin the lead role. Whereas Bogart would normally function as the charming, confident lead in his screen performances,In A Lonely Placeputs him in an interesting position as a sadsack, down-on-his-luck screenwriter who is under suspicion of murder and under pursuit by a dangerous femme fatale.
Ray directs this film with a certain sense of melancholy, coating each and every shot of Bogart’s wandering gaze with a reflective uncertainty. You’re never quite sure where the film is going with its plotting and characterization until its final turn has already taken place, but it’s really Bogart’s against type performance that elevates the film into something truly special.
