Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (US-UK, 2007)

Neo-noir’s appear to have been thin on the ground recently, but this is a satisfactory addition to the most cynical of genres. It has an A-list cast, with both Hawke and Hoffmann (above) excelling but Albert Finney tops them with an old man’s grief, and fury, at… well, no spoilers. Scriptwriter Kelly Masterson judiciously uses [...]

Memento (US, 2000)

Christopher Nolan’s second feature was a sleeper hit on the independent circuit and brilliantly presents a decentred identity. Leonard Selby (Guy Pearce), has no long term memory and so has too he literally has to inscribe what he knows onto his body. Using the convoluted narrative of noir the film grips from its uncanny opening, [...]

The Killer Inside Me (US-UK-Sweden, 2010)

A faithful adaptation of a Jim Thompson novel, well shot with great performances; what’s not to like? I’m not sure but I didn’t like the film though it should be seen. To an extent I guess it’s ennui, having seen so many noir, however this movie does raise the stakes with its representation of violence. [...]

Watchmen (US, 2009)

I’ll ignore the question as to whether the film’s as good as the graphic novel and deal with it in isolation. It’s not a typical Hollywood action movie, though the shadow of The Matrix (1999) is still looming for the fight sequences, as it is infused with melancholy and the emotional punch is garnered through [...]

Just Another Love Story (Kærlighed på film, Denmark, 2007)

This is a brilliant neo-noir telling the tale of a frustrated dad who wants more adventure in his life and when he gets it… Well, go and watch the film. Ole Bornedal is a director new to me (he did the English-language Nightwatch (1997), but as writer-director of Just Another Love Story he is clearly [...]

The Good German (US, 2006)

Blanchett, Clooney, film noir and Soderbergh: should have been good; but it wasn’t. This is a pastiche of Hollywood noir, obvious from the title credits, and Clooney’s Jake Geismer gets battered as much as his namesake in Chinatown (1974) – also a pastiche. Similarly Berlin just after the end of World War II is a [...]

Touch of Evil (US, 1958)

As director of Sight & Sound’s perennial ‘greatest movie of all time’, Citizen Kane, Welles is guaranteed a place in the pantheon of great directors. That film was to prove a millstone around his neck and he may never have fulfilled his promise. However, despite this, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest directors. Kane [...]