The Neo-Noir Genre in Movies | Video Essay

In our first Film Club theme we take a look at the expansive, mysterious and crime-ridden genre of Neo-Noir. It is a great genre with a lot of good movies from top tier directors. Today we will take a look at the recurring patterns of the genre and what it's all about!

Make sure to give us your Neo-Noir movie recommendations down in the comments.

Video made by Moises & Sergio Velasquez

■ Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:57 - Antihero
5:03 - The Maze
9:41 - Ad
10:56 - Truth
14:00 - Outro

■ Books:

■ Gear:

■ T-shirts:

■ Socials:

■ Sources:
1-2 - The Philosophy of Neo-Noir - edited by Mark T. Conard
- Neo-Noir - edited by Mark Bould, Kathrina Glitre and Greg Tuck

■ Music:
By Eduardo Gonzalez

■ Movies Clips in the Video Essay:
A History of Violence
Blade Runner
Blade Runner 2049
Blue Velvet
Body Heat
Bonnie and Clyde
Brick
Chinatown
Collateral
Dog Day Afternoon
Double Indemnity
Drive
Fargo
Fight Club
Gone Girl
Hell or High Water
In Bruges
Inception
Insomnia
John Wick
L.A. Confidential
Léon: The Professional
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Memento
Minority Report
Mulholland Drive
Nightcrawler
No Country for Old Men
Nocturnal Animals
Oldboy
Point Blank
Prisoners
Prisoners
Pulp Fiction
Reservoir Dogs
Se7en
Taxi Driver
The Big Sleep
The Dark Knight
The Killers
The Long Goodbye
The Maltese Falcon
The Third Man
The Usual Suspects
Touch of Evil
You Were Never Really Here
Zodiac
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#Movies #Neonoir

[Screened]

What are your favourite Neo-Noir movies?

[EarthtoAdam]

My all time favourite genre of film. They’re real, gritty, and don’t play it safe or guarantee a happy ending.

[rhythmoriented]

So many neo-noir films have aged well. Just from the past decade Nocturnal Animals, Drive, Nightcrawler and You Were Never Really Here got better on second watch and subsequently.

[sifatshams]

One of the most unique and underrated subgenres is the dark comedy. Not just films with cheeky violence (Deadpool, Pulp Fiction) or goofy gore (Shaun of the Dead, Ready or Not), but films that hint at the true darkness of human beings beneath thick layers of satire and/or a deceptively light tone. Films such as:

The King of Comedy
Kind Hearts and Coronets
In The Company of Men
Election
Citizen Ruth
Crimes and Misdemenours
The Heartbreak Kid (original)
Flirting With Disaster
Monsieur Verdoux
Divorce, Italian Style
Buffalo 66
Wag The Dog
A New Leaf
The Living Trilogy
Unfaithfully Yours
Ruby Sparks
Under The Silver Lake
Nurse Betty
Your Friends and Neighbours

[davidmitchell-baker]

Memories of Murder is one my favourite neo-noirs of all time: three perfectly written detective characters who exists on a spectrum from good cop to bad cop, but as the psychological toll of the murders takes its effect on them, they all move across this spectrum and their behaviour and livelihoods are forever changed, especially as they all lose something along the way. It's shot and scored in such a classical, evocative fashion that reminds me of the great neo-noirs of the past, and it's damn hilarious too. An all time great.

[ryllharu]

Brick (2005) is a really interesting entry into the genre. It does nothing to hide the fact that it is neo-noir, from the deliberately dated vocabulary and style of dialogue, to the character archetypes, and general framework that feels ripped right from the 1930s. But it circles around a very local, commonplace modern setting, a suburban high school. It makes the genre feel extremely relatable, while also using every one of its hallmarks in a very open manner.

[gabrielinostroza]

I think something that makes these movies resonate even harder is the fact that we live in the information age. Questing for the truth in a maze of contradictions and noise, finding it too tough and complex to fully accept or wrap our minds around and questioning who we are as a result has become the experience of every single person and not just the detectives. I wonder if a movie will ever tackle the anxiety of living in a world of fake news and algorithmic manipulation.

[rayancedrichaddad]

When it comes to the Neo-Noir Film Genre, I'm Enthusiastic. Blade Runner, Drive, The Dark Knight, Taxi Driver, Chinatown, The Silence of the Lambs, Prisoners, Mystic River, Memento, Memories of Murder, Mulholland Drive, Shutter Island. Thanks for this Brilliant Analysis of this Cinematic Genre which will Inspire so many Masterpieces to come.

[gunmankhan]

Holy Shit! I was literally reseaching this genre for a book I'm writing and this pops up in my inbox. Maybe its a sign?

[RocioCeleste.]

I want to live in the aesthetic of Blade Runner and Oldboy. Somehow it reminds me of my childhood.

[eop]

Gone Girl is such a great neo-noir. One of my all-time favorite movies!

[SonOfAlma]

okay here are my top 3 favourites neo-noir films not featured on this list with a short synopsis:
1) The Night Comes For Us (2018) - Stars Joe Taslim & Iko Uwias, an Indonesian martial arts action film about a gangland enforcer who kills his own men to save a little girl from being killed in a town he went to massacre. he then has all of them after him and his former crew.
2) Running Scared (2006) - A gritty crime action thriller staring Paul Walker, Vera Ann Farmiga & Johnny Messner about finding a runaway kid who just so happens to have a revolver on him that was used to kill a dirty cop. he needs to find the kid before the police do. it's also one of the few films to use shaky cam well. i know it sounds weird but filming the shootout scenes in this film like John Wick wouldn't work.
3: Wrong Turn At Tahoe (2009) - Stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Miguel José Ferrer, Harvey Keitel & Johnny Messner. A crime boss kills a drug dealer suspected of trying to kill him only to piss off another crime boss who the drug dealer was working for.

[_scabs]

Great explanation, very poetic. Neo Noir movies are essentially noir films made in color, or since the advent of color. Instead of using light and darkness to create alarming visuals, they use jarring colors or neon light to achieve the same psychological effect

[jakepulford]

Le Samouraï (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)

I think it’s the earliest film I’ve watched that re-examines the noir formula.

[Scarethelocals]

Park Chan Wooks "OldBoy" is either Neo-Noir or Noir, I'm no expert. I do know that, that movie was incredibly shocking and unforgettable. It wasn't edgelord bs or defined by it's shocking reveal. You feel what Dae su is going through. Hopeful and full of vengeance, then paranoid, manic, unsure as he falls down a rabbit hole. He's almost broken and you can feel everything before he's captivated and finds hope again... Maybe even love. Quickly it's all taken from him and revealed that all of the change he's gone through and the suffering he overcame to seek revenge... Was planned and the tables turn when he realizes he's on the other end of revenge. Then it feels like everything inside of you, through Dae su, is broken and everything you felt is wrong. It's almost impossible to reconcile, and it somehow goes further and it's a soul-stealing evil. I've never felt such despair, it's like losing all senses, and ability to talk, no arms, no legs and you're alone and immortal. He doesn't quit. He can't win but he refuses to lose and it's a very human ending. I probably butchered that but it's an experience and I've never been the same.

[julilolmo]

The editing is top notch as always
And the new logo is amazing
Congrats

[GreedyCorporation]

Bro you got some quality content, you deserve far more subscribers, nice work man👏👏👏

[pierrezapata]

Finding a gem like this in youtube is a magnificent experience.
Love these video essays

[shazi]

The background ♬ ♪ ♫.
The voice.
The quality.
And the time....
These things are so amazing to me, i Apreatice every second, watch a video 10-20 times to see everything,
Thank you ♥‿♥💙🧡💚.

[greenakutabi]

Memories of Murder by Bong Joon-Ho, who gave us Parasite. It's my favorite Neo-Noir movie ever and honestly one of my favorites all time.