The MoFo Top 100 Neo-noir Countdown

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/artworks/529699/images-original.png?1679517369


La Haine received the following awards:


Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Foreign Film
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Drector (Mathieu Kassovitz)
César Award for Best Film, Best Producer, and Best Editing
Lumiere Award for Best Film and Best Director (Mathieu Kassovitz)
European Film Award for Young European Film Award

[stillmellow]

Well that was jarring. I went from having seen all 5 of the #100-96, only to not have seen any of the rest.


We haven't come across any of my choices yet, but the five in the list that I've seen were all strong contenders. The Friends of Eddie Coyle would've been my #26.


My one pointer is a more mainstream choice, so we might see it. I'll mention it if it never appears.

[Holden Pike]

97913

La Haine was #69 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1990s and #54 on the MoFo Top 100 Foreign Language Films.

[Thief]

I'm pretty sure I saw Dead Again back in the 90s, but I don't remember it at all.

As for La Haine, it came up in the Neo-noir HoF and, although I didn't see much noir in it, I know that it does play with some of the traits present in other opular neo-noir films. Here is my review (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2440592-la_haine.html), in case someone's interested.

[Holden Pike]

I will vote for Dead Again again and again.

97914

After his directorial debut Henry V, Ken Branagh’s follow up went another way with this clever detective mystery about a woman with amnesia perfectly fused with a tale of reincarnation, all tied together with wit and thrills. Scripted by Scott Frank, the man who would go on the crack the Elmore Leonard adaptation code with Get Shorty and Out of Sight, it blends the present day with flashbacks to the 1940s. In both timelines the main characters are played by Branagh and his then real-life with Emma Thompson. One of the figures from the past was brutally murdered and it seems like history may repeat itself. Terrific supporting cast including Derek Jacoby, Andy Garcia, Wayne Knight ("Newman!"), Campbell Scott, and a wonderful supporting turn by Robin Williams. Stylish Noir fun.

97915

I had Dead Again at number seventeen, nine of its forty points.


HOLDEN'S BALLOT
15. Shallow Grave (#95)
17. Dead Again (#90)
25. Johnny Handsome (DNP)

[Wyldesyde19]

Seen La Haine, and almost watched Dead Again. Didn’t get to it, and clearly that was a mistake.
7/12 seen.
With 3 saved to watch soon (The American Friend, Infernal Affairs and Purple Noon)

[WHITBISSELL!]

Haven't watched La Haine or Dead Again. 5 for 12 so far.

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't seen Dead Again, but I like the sound of the premise so I might check it out some time. I saw La Haine when it was nominated in the Foreign Language HoF, before it was disqualified. I don't remember much of the details now, however it sounds like I gave it a generally good review.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=43473

La Haine (1995)
Directed By: Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring: Saïd Taghmaoui, Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé

La Haine is a gritty film about a generation of people who were trapped in lives of poverty and abuse. The black and white cinematography lends itself well to the dreary outlook of the film, and it feels almost like a documentary at times. It features real footage of actual riots that took place in France during the late 80s and early 90s, and similar riots were still occurring while the film was being made. It's not all grim however, as there is some humour layered in among the violence, frustration, and discrimination.

The film follows its three main characters over the course of an entire day – almost 24 hours. The trio grapple with boredom as they don't really have much to do inside their cold environment, littered with trash and used needles. Whether they're causing mischief or just standing around, they frequently draw the attention of the police, whose presence often reignites a conflict that is always on the verge of escalating into another riot. The atmosphere in these scenes is incredibly tense, and rife with uncertainty over how the confrontations will ultimately play out.

Sound is used very effectively throughout the film, with a great mix of both diegetic and non-diegetic music. I also liked many of the stories told to or by the main characters in the film. Not all of them had a real purpose, while others were clearly meant to be significant. I also appreciated that the film doesn't provide a real resolution, because the issues its addresses are still real problems is many parts of the world, and the final scene's impact might've been softened otherwise. It's a powerful film that is sadly still as relevant today as it was when it was made.

I didn't consider it for my ballot.

Seen: 6/12

My List:
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

[Iroquois]

no votes. watched dead again for the first time last year and found it fairly boring. have seen la haine a couple of times and liked it well enough that i would watch it again just to see if it can really become a major favourite instead of just great.

[ScarletLion]

92. Fireworks (39 points)
91. Infernal Affairs (40 points)

These were both on my list. At #8 and #10 respectively. Fireworks is an amazing film. My favourite Kitano.

Infernal Affairs is so engaging and tense. So much better than the weak Scorsese remake which doesn't delve into the characters enough.

[Little Ash]

I remember I kept hearing the title La Haine a lot, but wouldn't have been able to tell you what it was about (granted, some of that also comes from hearing the title Le Havre a lot when it came around on the film festival circuit back in the 2010s, and the titles/names sound pretty similar, so I'd have to periodically check to make sure I knew which one people were referring to. Le Havre is another movie I wouldn't be able to tell you anything about, but I'm also quite certain is a very different genre of film).


I don't think I've heard of Dead Again, which, I guess if it came out a few years later, I probably would have just due to my age at the time, but can't say for certain. The plot description did make me think of Angelheart, but that's a completely different movie.

[ScarletLion]

Le Havre is very good too, if you mean the Kaurismaki film.

[Thief]

Like Shallow Grave, La Haine was one of the entries on our Neo-noir Hall of Fame, where it did fairly well. You can check multiple reviews of it here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2431157#post2431157).

[Little Ash]

Le Havre is very good too, if you mean the Kaurismaki film.


*Checks* I do.


For me, the movie's existence was just one of those, "showed at a film festival, heard other people penciling it in as one of the films they wanted to see, never did the legwork beyond reading the one sentence synopsis at the time, so I really just know the movie by name, movies, but couldn't tell you anything about it other than, 'people said it's good.'"
I think Kaurismaki kind of existed in that space generally for me as well. I *did* actually watch Fallen Leaves this year. Which, thinking about it, if it hasn't shown up on Mubi for streaming, that also would have also fallen into the category of, "recognize this title because it's showing up on a lot of year end top ten lists, but for the life of me, wouldn't be able to recall the premise."


Funny how certain films do that.

[Little Ash]

I can't recall if I weighed in on Shallow Grave and Talented Mr. Ripley.


Shallow Grave - I think I thought of that as more of a dark comedy, partly because of my mentality when it came out. Granted, I also have dark comedies on my ballot, so that sure isn't mutually exclusive.


Talented Mr. Ripley - This one didn't cross my mind, but I guess it is a noir in the tradition of something like In a Lonely Place, isn't it? Probably still wouldn't have made my ballot because, despite remembering really liking it and meaning to return to it again, I haven't actually done so since it came out.

[Thief]

Isn't it interesting that every entry so far has been on either 2 or 3 ballots, except for our #100 which was on 5 ballots? Lot of love for The Friends of Eddie Coyle, but nobody put it above 11, while the other 11 entries all had Top 10 placement in at least one ballot.

[Sedai]

6/12 seen. You know...I just went and spaced out Dead Again completely. Should have been on my list! I've not seen La Haine.

[Thief]

3lists41pointsRed Rock West (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/10427-red-rock-west.html)Director
John Dahl, 1993

Starring
Nicolas Cage, Dennis Hopper, Lara Flynn Boyle, J.T. Walsh

[Thief]

3lists42pointsThe Man from Nowhere (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/51608-the-man-from-nowhere.html)Director
Lee Jeong-beom, 2010

Starring
Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hun, Kim Hee-won

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqlGO7rYhwY

Red Rock West - A drifter desperately looking for a job in rural Wyoming finds himself in the middle of a misunderstanding when a bar owner mistakes him for a hitman he hired to murder his wife. But when the actual hitman arrives, complications ensue.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38rPoGSr19U

The Man from Nowhere - A quiet pawnshop keeper with a tragically violent past finds himself in the crossfire between two rival gangs fighting for the organ harvesting market after his only friend, a 10-year old girl, is kidnapped.

[Thief]

Like Shallow Grave, La Haine was one of the entries on our Neo-noir Hall of Fame, where it did fairly well. You can check multiple reviews of it here (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2431157#post2431157).

Speaking of our recent Neo-noir Hall of Fame, Red Rock West was my pick for it. Pretty cool film (you can read my review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2412940-red-rock-west.html)) that barely squeaked into my ballot.

As for The Man from Nowhere, I'm a huge fan but I really didn't see it as neo-noir, so it never occurred to me to vote for it. Still, it's a kick-ass action film (you can read my review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2165114-the-man-from-nowhere.html))

[Miss Vicky]

I first watched The Man From Nowhere for the 12th MoFo Hall of Fame. I knew nothing about it going in and was blown away. It ended up being disqualified, but it stuck with me and I have since bought the bluray and watched it a few more times. If I ever redo my personal top 100, it'll definitely make the cut. I voted for it at #3.


http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/MovieLog/themanfromnowhere.gif

The Man From Nowhere (Ajeossi) (Jeong-beom Lee, 2010)
Imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1527788/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Date Watched: 01/24/17
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching: 12th Hall of Fame, RoyalWitCheese's nomination
Rewatch: No

I went into this movie completely blind. I did zero research and read none of the write-ups from the other HOF participants. And honestly I had kind of put it off because I just wasn't in the mood for reading subtitles.

But holy crap. This is the kind of movie watching experience that I hope for when I sign up for a hall of fame. And yet, it's not what I typically expect to see. This is no arthouse picture and there's no real deep meaning to it. What the film does offer though is an onslaught of action coupled with a really interesting story and some great characters.

I LOVED Cha Tae-sik. His combination of sex appeal, badassery, and sweetness was fantastic and an absolute joy to watch. But the bad guys were pretty cool, too. Though cooler still was the way they got their comeuppance - especially Jong-seok, the pretty boy brother of the main villain.

All in all, a great piece of entertainment and something I'll probably watch again.

4+

[Allaby]

I liked The Man From Nowhere, but it didn't make my ballot. I haven't seen Red Rock West.

Seen: 10/14

[Holden Pike]

97916

The Man from Nowhere was at the bottom of the MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s at #95.

[rauldc14]

The Man from Nowhere is excellent. Not on my list though.

[CosmicRunaway]

It's a little funny that we got back-to-back days featuring films that were disqualified from Hall of Fames! Like Miss Vicky, I saw Man from Nowhere when it was nominated in the 12th HoF, and absolutely loved it. I didn't rewatch it for the Countdown, but when I saw it on a list of neo-noirs online, I checked its eligibility, looked at my review of it, saw the header image I chose, and said "yes, this gives me neo-noir vibes", then put it straight on my shortlist haha.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=28486&stc=1&d=1484499688

The Man From Nowhere/아저씨 (2010)
Dir. Lee Jeong-beom
Starring: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Sung-oh

Does the whole film look like that? No, of course not. But the aesthetic is there, and to me neo-noir is more of a vibe rather than something I can articulately define, so I was confident including it on my list. I placed it quite high at #10.

Seen: 7/14

My List:
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010) - #87
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

It might not look like it right now, but there are English-language films on my ballot, I promise haha.

[Holden Pike]

Red Rock West is OK, I just rewatched it for the recent Hall of Fame (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?anchor=1&p=2441537#post2441537). Unfortunately for its legacy it was released during a bit of a Neo Noir Renaissance in the early 1990s, and frankly it just plain isn't as good as the gems that were coming out around it, many of which will hopefully make the countdown higher up, including John Dahl's own follow up The Last Seduction. Not a bad movie, just not a particularly great one, even in genre terms.

And as good as The Man from Nowhere is, it is another that didn't click anywhere near enough Noir boxes for me to even consider it for my ballot. I shudder to think how many more action movies are coming, but we shall see.

[Thief]

And as good as The Man from Nowhere is, it is another that didn't click anywhere near enough Noir boxes for me to even consider it for my ballot. I shudder to think how many more action movies are coming, but we shall see.

https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeGEyODd5dHpoY3NyMmJldTRiZTU1c2g1ZW1xNzF6NWdlZHhkeHphZSZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfY nlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/H5C8CevNMbpBqNqFjl/giphy.gif

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... RED ROCK WEST

https://i.imgur.com/Aem9VIa.jpg
RT – 98%, IMDb – 7.0


Roger Ebert said:

"Red Rock West is a diabolical movie that exists sneakily between a western and a thriller, between a film noir and a black comedy." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/red-rock-west-1994))

Stephen Bjork from The Digital Bits said:

"Red Rock West works best if you think of it as a noir tone poem and don’t worry about the details that may or may not add up. Viewed from that angle, it’s an effective little thriller." (read full review here (https://thedigitalbits.com/item/red-rock-west-ctg-2024-bd))

Torgo said:

"While I like the movie, I wish I could agree with those who say it's an unheralded masterpiece, hidden gem, etc. For one, as strong as the cast may be, nobody can make up for the average character being pretty shallow [...] Again, the movie tells a good story with good surprises, but each of them only has a surface-level impact as a result." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2438562-red-rock-west.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE MAN FROM NOWHERE

https://expresselevatortohell.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/the-man-from-nowhere-2010-garage-hug.jpg
RT – 100%, IMDb – 7.7


Jesse Nguyen from Collider said:

"The Man from Nowhere is a bleak and emotionally draining movie that deals with awful issues like child abuse, organ trafficking, drug addiction, kidnapping, and murder. However, it still manages to transmit many familial moments and frame it as a kinetic action thriller. Despite its overall lack of novelty, the movie is very well-made throughout, with strong leading performances." (read full review here (https://collider.com/south-korean-crime-movies-21st-century/#39-the-man-from-nowhere-39-2010))

The Telltale Mind said:

"It might seem familiar at times and that is to be expected, but with a great script, steady direction and impeccable performances, The Man From Nowhere is one of the better films you will ever see from the genre." (read full review here (https://thetelltalemind.com/2015/05/11/the-road-back-the-man-from-nowhere-2010/))

Takoma11 said:

"It doesn't really bother me because so many aspects of the plot, even at its most cliched, are executed so well. Won Bin is a solid anchor for both the emotional and the physical aspects of the story [...] And the action sequences are really what keep me coming back to this film [...] It's on my shortlist of favorite action movies ever." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2167035-the_man_from_nowhere.html))

[Citizen Rules]

I watched Man from Nowhere in the 12th HoF. Not my type of movie, I generally haven't like Korean action films...I wrote this:

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=30002&stc=1&d=1493077604
The Man from Nowhere (2010)

I first started watching this with the optional DVD English dubs. Big mistake! With English dubs, the opening action scene, seemed comical. It reminded me of the early Spaghetti Westerns, with their flat and odd way of talking. It's very hard for a voice actor to capture the intensity of the real actor in the movie. The dubs felt like a bad pantomime. To make the effect worse, there were no accents at all! Ugh...

So after 8 minutes of this, I switched over to the original Korean language with English sub titles. I did that during the scene with the little girl and the pawnshop keeper as they eat at a table.

As soon as I switched it over to Korean, I warmed up to the characters, especially the little girl who was sympathetic. Anyway that was a good experiment between dubs vs subs.

If you love, non-stop action with an ultra-cool, mysterious Chinese James Bond type, you'll be in heaven. Especially if you like twists and turns at every corner with lots of fighting and martial arts!....Unfortunately that's everything I dislike in a movie. Well made, but not my cup of tea.

[Harry Lime]

Haven't seen Dead Again or Red Rock West - cool I have a couple of early nineties films to add to the old watchlist. The Man from Nowhere is okay. La Haine is a great film but noir? Okay if it passes the test I guess it counts. I didn't think of it.

[John W Constantine]

My watchlist is expanding quite a bit here the past week. That is all.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNGIyYjI0N2MtYTFiZi00MjZhLWFhODYtMTFjZjk1MjAxNGE2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI3MDk3MzQ@._V1_.jpg


Red Rock West received only three award nominations, but won none. These were:


Saturn Award for Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
Independent Spirit Award for Best Director (John Dahl)
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay (John and Rick Dahl)

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZDM4ZjgyODEtMzIwYy00ODJjLWE3ODYtNTI4MTdjMjQ4MDNjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNzI1NzMxNzM@._V1_.jpg


The Man from Nowhere received numerous nominations and awards. Some of the most notable were:


Eleven (11) Blue Dragon Award nominations, including three (3) wins
Seven (7) Grand Bell Award nominations, including four (4) wins
Six (6) Baek Sang Film Award nominations, including one (1) win for Best Film
Three (3) Max Movie Award wins, including Best Director (Lee Jeong-beom)
Two (2) Buil Film Award wins, including Readers' Jury Award

[Wyldesyde19]

Seen both, liked both, didn’t vote for both.
9/14.

[mrblond]

97923

That's right, the late 80's and early to mid 90's been rich time for neo-noirs and I've exploited them heavily.

#88. Red Rock West (1993) is my #6 for almost half of the points it accumulated.

Personally, I consider it as one more cult movie of the nineties. Saw it in the theatre when it was released and I've seen it numerous more times through the years since then.
Stylish, interesting, very watchable and very collectable. Nicolas Cage and Lara Flynn Boyle at their peak years are superb here. On top of everything is Dennis Hopper. If you are in search for characters for your best-villains list, this is the guy.
When the topic about Neo-Noir was launched, this title was one of the first in my mind.

4.5 +
93/100
97924
-----

My Ballot
▽
...
6. Red Rock West (1993) [#88]
7.
8. Shallow Grave (1994) [#95]
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Purple Noon (1960) [#94]
...

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wI6CalCMdSKXgx10gzfHY3vwyzf.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5t0mGiFlj5GBrZ7ggvvkMdFJ7fV.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7n1KNXs4OFfeVLjJ3g10M8oK1fM.jpg

-----

My Near Misses:
▽
The Ninth Gate (1999) [one-pointers]
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) [#96]

[WHITBISSELL!]

Haven't watched Red Rock West but after perusing the HoF thread and all the recs here it's definitely going on my watchlist. But a big enthusiastic yes for The Man from Nowhere.

Neither of these were on my ballot. I'm 6 for 14.

[crumbsroom]

Hana-bi is the one Takeshi Kitano film that I've seen. It was interesting and I keep meaning to watch more of his films (Mubi currently has a small number of them)


Sonatine and Boiling Point are the other two stone cold classics with Kitano. I don't think either are currently in Mubi though.


Violent Cop, which is streaming, is decent. And I'm not familiar with the Outrage movies.

[Thief]

Sonatine and Boiling Point are the other two stone cold classics with Kitano. I don't think either are currently in Mubi though.


Violent Cop, which is streaming, is decent. And I'm not familiar with the Outrage movies.

According to JustWatch, Sonatine is available for rent only on AppleTV, but Boiling Point is available free on Tubi, Mubi, Kanopy, and a few others. At least that's what the app says.

[Torgo]

I've seen the first two Outrage movies. They're good, but not up to his standards. Think The Departed in comparison to Goodfellas and Mean Streets. Brother is also very good and I think you can rent it anywhere.

[John-Connor]

The Hustler, The Man from Nowhere, Fireworks and La Haine are all favorites of mine from my first Top 250. Some I didn't realize were eligible and some had less Noir-ness than the ones that made my list. Very nice to see them appear though.

Infernal Affairs and The Departed are both solid for different reasons and would make a good pairing as a double-feature watch.

97925
'Adios, Red Rock!'
Red Rock West is awesome and was on and off my list a couple times but eventually got cut. Glad it made the list!

SEEN 13/14
BALLOT 2/25

[stillmellow]

Swing, and two more misses for me. I haven't seen either.


5/14 seen


0/14 in my top 25

[cricket]

I watched Red Rock West back in the 90's, thought it solid but nothing special. Glad it showed though because to me it suits the genre properly.

Seen The Man From Nowhere twice-above average action film.

[beelzebubble]

My Neo-Noir List
10. The Hustler (1961)
11. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
25. Swoon (1992)


I am surprised that some don't feel The Hustler is noir. I'm curious what your reasoning is. Regardless, its a great movie. I have only seen it once and yet it really sticks with me.

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen Red Rock West.

I watched The Man From Nowhere for a HoF a while back. I like it, but it didn't make my ballot.

The Man From Nowhere (2010) - 3.5

Overall, this is a solid action film. My opinion on it was slightly tinged by the awful dubbing in the version I watched (specifically in regards to the young girl), but fortunately, I was able to adjust to it after a while and, though I still would've preferred watching a non-dubbed version of the film, I found enough to enjoy about it.

To get it out of the way, yes, the action was definitely the main highlight for me. The various action scenes in the film were diverse and inventive enough so that the film didn't feel like it was repeating itself as it rolled along. The fight in the bathroom, the terrific window jump where the camera follows the protagonist out the window, or the final fight all had great choreography and I can see myself revisiting those scenes in the future. In fact, some moments were so jaw-dropping, I found myself rewinding the film on several different occasions to watch them again. Nowadays, it's rare for action scenes to impress me since I've seen so many of them, but this film was an exception to that.

As for the story, it's fine, I suppose, but I definitely think this is a case of action over story. A number of plot elements (mysterious loner with a criminal past, kidnapped young girl, tragic backstory, villainous side kick who's more skilled than the main villain) are clichés which I've seen in other action films. For the most part, I didn't feel like the film was able to find a unique voice in tackling these plot elements for it to avoid these pitfalls. Of course, this isn't to say I disliked the story by any means. Again, I think it was fine. It just wasn't anything spectacular, in my opinion. If I rewatch the film, I'll likely skip to the second half where most of the action occurs.

Overall, in spite of my reservations towards the story, I did like this film quite a bit as I felt the action was strong enough to make up for the missteps in the narrative. I don't know if I'll watch this film from start to finish again, but I can definitely see myself rewatching the second half in the future.

[GulfportDoc]

I thought Red Rock West was a strong noir. I had it at #13.
Here's some commentary:

Red Rock West (1993)


This is a solid neo-noir set in present day Wyoming, with a little dark comedy and some Hitchcockian twists thrown in. It’s both directed and written by John Dahl (Unforgettable; Rounders)-- well known for his neo-noir work. DP Marc Reshovsky provides some very tasty photography. Composer William Olvis provides an expressive and moody score


After Michael Williams (Nicholas Cage) is discharged from the Marine Corps he drifts around looking for work. He’s rejected as a hire for an oil field worker due to a war injury to his leg. His wandering takes him to Red Rock, Wyoming. When he sits down at a bar, and the bartender, Wayne (J.T. Walsh), spots Williams’ Texas license plates out front, the bartender mistakenly presumes that Williams is the hit man (Lyle from Texas) that he has hired to murder his wife. When the bartender plunks down one-half payment of the hit man’s fee, Williams sees the mistake, plays along, and accepts the money.


Instead, Williams goes to the man’s wife, Suzanne (Lara Flynn Boyle), and informs her of her husband’s murder plot. Suzanne then offers Williams double the money to kill her husband. After that meeting Williams decides to leave town, but along the way he has an auto accident. When the sheriff shows up it turns out that he is the same man as Wayne the bartender who he met earlier. Wayne realizes the ruse, and wants to dispose of Williams. But Williams escapes on foot, and is eventually picked up by a motorist who turns out to be the real hit man-- Lyle from Texas (Dennis Hopper).


The two bad guys, the femme fatale, and Williams proceed to partake in a deadly square dance to get the cache of money that Wayne had stolen back east, and to do away with each other. It all comes to head when the quartet ends up at a remote graveyard to dig up the stolen money, leading to a satisfying finish.


Michael tries several times to get out of Red Rock, but keeps getting brought back for one reason or another. Being chased by the bad guys at one point, he jumps off of a building onto a departing semi truck to get out of town. But several miles later the truck driver (Dwight Yoakam) discovers him, only to order him out of the truck at gunpoint.


The casting was first rate. Cage is good at playing a guy thrown into a situation not entirely of his making, and in that way is a little reminiscent of his hapless character’s role in Raising Arizona. Boyle (Twin Peaks) makes for a convincing femme fatale. The inestimable J.T. Walsh is perfect as an unblinking double dealer. And Hopper couldn’t have been a better choice for a kooky but threatening hit man who’s going for all the marbles.


Doc’s rating: 8/10

[PHOENIX74]

88. Red Rock West - I felt this film had a lot of ideas, and there were some very neat twists and turns throughout most of it's runtime - which was nice and short. Nic Cage as the honest, friendly good man caught amongst a murderous conspiracy works out well - he's good for those kind of roles, as much as Dennis Hopper is good at playing murderous psychos like he does in this. J. T. Walsh is really good too - and often overlooked. Overall this is pretty much an old time film noir formula transplanted to a modern day crime drama, with the femme fatale and other elements all in place. I only saw it for the first time a little while ago when it was in the Neo Noir Hall of Fame - but I was glad to finally see it, after catching bits and pieces here and there for so long. Dwight Yoakam makes his first appearance in a feature film! One of his hits plays on the closing credits. A pretty good movie - not good enough for my list though. The ending felt a little unimaginative considering just how good the film had been to that point.

87. The Man From Nowhere - This is only the second film to show here I haven't heard of - and it feels I really should have. I perhaps have, but anyway. Never seen it, need to get onto it.

Seen : 9/14
Heard of : 12/14

No ballot action yet.

[Iroquois]

no votes. both are fine.

[ScarletLion]

90. Dead Again (40 points)
89. La Haine (41 points)
88. Red Rock West (41 points)
87. The Man from Nowhere (42 points)

Four really great films. I didn't think to vote for the first three. La Haine is a highly stylized masterpiece.

The Man From Nowhere is really great but has a little too much action for my tastes to make it onto my ballot. I am due a rewatch though.

[Sedai]

Seen both, and 1 vote from me, I had The Man from Nowhere at #23.

I recall being blown away when my wife and I watched The Man From Nowhere during another MoFo countdown, so I wanted to give it a shoutout here, as well. Excellent film.

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/ZoPk2t60QIwTh6zsMBzFmg/1200x675.jpg

I watched Red Rock West for the first time during the lead up to the countdown. A fine neo noir, but Lara Lynn Boyle was sort of off-putting, so it didn't make my ballot. Casting Sherilyn Fenn instead would have put it over the top on landed it somewhere on my final list! ;)

8/14 seen

[Thief]

4lists43pointsShutter Island (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/11324-shutter-island.html)Director
Martin Scorsese, 2010

Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow

[Thief]

4lists43pointsThe Hot Spot (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/14864-the-hot-spot.html)Director
Dennis Hopper, 1990

Starring
Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen, Jennifer Connelly, Charles Martin Smith

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8yrZSkKxTA

Shutter Island - Two US marshals are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where one of them uncovers a shocking truth about the place.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snA3PbQ8QzU

The Hot Spot - A drifter looking for a job in a small town in Texas finds himself in the middle of problems when he starts an affair with his boss' wife. When he robs a bank, more complications ensue.

[Thief]

There's a nice connection between today's and yesterday's :D Anyway, I've seen Shutter Island, but I'm not a huge fan of it. Close to bottom tier Scorsese for me. The Hot Spot sounds fun, but I haven't seen it.

SEEN: 8/16
MY BALLOT: 0/25

[Allaby]

I liked Shutter Island, but it missed my ballot. Glad it made the countdown. I haven't seen The Hot Spot and I don't think I have ever heard of it before.

Seen: 11/16

[Harry Lime]

Shutter Island is okay but not my favourite Scorsese. I haven't seen The Hot Spot...another nineties neo noir (I call it a Triple N) that I haven't sen but adding to the watchlist!

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... SHUTTER ISLAND

https://nofilmschool.com/media-library/what-really-happened-at-the-shutter-island-ending-explained.jpg?id=34055742&width=1245&height=700&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0
RT – 69%, IMDb – 8.2


Roger Ebert said:

"Scorsese, the craftsman, chips away at reality piece by piece. Flashbacks suggest Teddy's traumas in the decade since World War II. That war, its prologue and aftermath, supplied the dark undercurrent of classic film noir." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shutter-island-2010))

GradeSaver said:

"Shutter Island reflects many conventions of the film noir genre, featuring a morally compromised protagonist, a femme fatale, and a plot replete with double-crossing and conspiracy." (read full review here (https://www.gradesaver.com/shutter-island-film/study-guide/directors-influence))

Holden Pike said:

"When you put Shutter Island in the context of Scorsese's own work, obviously it's a different animal than Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, GoodFellas and his most celebrated films. But judging it as a thriller with a twist, it most definitely delivers." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/603101-shutter-island.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE HOT SPOT

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/film/26091/image-w1280.jpg?1619965578
RT – 71%, IMDb – 6.4


Roger Ebert said:

"I feel at home in movies like The Hot Spot. They come out of that vast universe formed by the historic meeting of B movies and the idea of film noir - films about the soft underbelly of the human conscience." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hot-spot-1990))

David Masciotra from Crime Reads said:

"Despite its twists and turns, the movie moves at a pleasurably slow pace, allowing The Hot Spot to function as a character-driven neo-noir. No matter what happens, the reason for watching the film is Don Johnson and Virginia Madsen’s respective portrayals of Harry and Dolly. " (read full review here (https://crimereads.com/hot-spot-neo-noir-soundtrack/))

Ryan Murphy from The Miami Herald, said:

"Dennis Hopper's The Hot Spot, a scorching cinematic slice of film noir, is the type of movie that demands to be shown only in well air-conditioned cineplexes." (read full review here (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-the-hot-spot/83582672/))

[Thief]

I haven't seen The Hot Spot, but this article seemed to be a pretty interesting analysis of it, both as a film and as a representation of either neo-noir or pure film noir. I skimmed through it briefly, but I didn't want to spoil the film, though.

‘The Hot Spot’ (1990) Review: No Fury Like A Woman’s Scorn (https://toolatetodieearly.com/the-hot-spot-1990-neo-noir-film-review/)

[Sedai]

Another from my list in The Hot Spot. I had it at #24. Just as Lara Flynn Boyle can push a film out of contention, Jennifer Connelly can help tack one on. Add in Virginia Madsen with her retro style and a screenplay that nails a true-to-form noir ending, and you have a winner.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/72/f5/cf/72f5cfd252b9fb2375df2210aebd099f.jpg

Never considered Shutter Island, which I see as more of a psychological thriller, for my ballot.

10/16 seen and two from my ballot have appeared!

[Holden Pike]

97936

Shutter Island was #76 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 2010s.

[Miss Vicky]

Shutter Island has never been a huge favorite, but I've always thought it was a really solid movie. It's got some fine performances and a lot of atmosphere. That its story reminds me of The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari, one of my favorite movies, doesn't hurt either. I voted for it at #12.

Here's what I wrote about it while preparing for the 2010s Countdown:
https://www.angelfire.com/music6/walteregan/2010s/shutter.gif

Shutter Island (Martin Scorsese, 2010)
(Rewatch)

It's been quite a long time since I last watched this movie and I'm really not sure why. It's packed with a great cast and very strong performances and is absolutely dripping with atmosphere and dread. I'll admit that the movie is over long and drags a bit and the major plot twist is neither especially original nor all that subtle, but even having seen this before, I was still gripped throughout.

Not a big favorite nor a lock for my ballot, but also not out of the running.

4.0

My Ballot:
3. The Man From Nowhere (#87)
12. Shutter Island (#86)

[Holden Pike]

I frickin’ LOVE The Hot Spot.

97937

Yesterday when I said Red Rock West paled in comparison to some of the amazing Neo Noir titles that were bleeding onto cinema screens in the early 1990s, Dennis Hopper’s The Hot Spot is one of the specific titles I was referring to. Adapted from the Charles Williams’ 1950s pulp classic Hell Hath No Fury, it tells the unabashedly sweaty tale of a good-looking, clever drifter (Don Johnson) who wanders into a very small Texas town and charms his way into a job selling cars. The lot owner has a very young, very hot, obviously very dangerous wife (Virginia Madsen) who the drifter instantly assesses as Trouble with a capital T which rhymes with P and that stands for Poon Tang! There is also a young, ravishingly beautiful, seemingly innocent girl who works there (Jennifer Connelly) and is clearly in some extra-curricular trouble of her own. Between the two beauties and a bank just plum for the robbing, what else is there to do in a small town? Stellar supporting cast with a bevy of great character actors: Jerry Hardin, Charles Martin Smith, Barry Corbin, Jack Nance, and William Sadler at his gleefully slimiest. The soundtrack also as a high-powered dream cast: John Lee Hooker and Miles Davis (what?!? YES!) plus Taj Mahal all jamming on compositions by Jack Nitzsche! It is as steamy as the flick it scores.

97938

This novel was almost made years earlier with Bob Mitchum, and while that certainly would have been a classic in its own right, the 1990s were such a ripe time to adapt some of these amazing pulp novels because you could finally show the sex and violence that would have only been implied had they been adapted in the 1950s or ‘60s. These novels were pulling no punches, so it is wonderful to see them adapted with the same gusto. Dennis Hopper only completed six feature films after his heralded debut of Easy Rider, and one of them got uniherited under the infamous Alan Smithee pseudonym, but this is easily my favorite. Sultry, mean, cynical, and fun! If all of THAT doesn’t make you rush out and see it, mayhaps this will help: 20-year-old Jennifer Connelly completely nekkid. You’re welcome. Yes, the same era as The Rocketeer and Career Opportunities sans clothing.

I only had The Hot Spot at number twenty-two, four little points, but that doesn’t express how much I truly love that slutty little flick. Could have easily slotted it much higher on a different day, and probably even should have. But I am ecstatic it made the list with such little numerical support from this eternal fan. And it has one of the perfect last lines in Noir from our surrendering protagonist as he correctly sums up, "Well, I found my level." Indeed.

*drag your cursor over that white space if you want the spoiler

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
15. Shallow Grave (#95)
17. Dead Again (#90)
22. The Hot Spot (#85)
25. Johnny Handsome (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpPojiYbrfU

[seanc]

Shutter Island is really good, but not a favorite.

Haven’t even heard of Hot Spot, which seems crazy because that would have been released for home video in the midst of my Blockbuster days. Putting it on the watchlist.

[Siddon]

Shutter Island is great on repeat viewing...I wonder if both Cape Fears end up showing up on this countdown.


Never heard of Hot Spot

[Holden Pike]

Haven’t even heard of Hot Spot, which seems crazy because that would have been released for home video in the midst of my Blockbuster days. Putting it on the watchlist.

I only owned The Hot Spot on LaserDisc back in the day and now DVD, but I am sure it was released on VHS. It was rated R so Blockbuster could have carried it, but its reputation may have been such that some retailers decided not to have it on their shelves in more conservative communities? It played on cable quite a bit, but usually late at night.

[Thief]

Some trivia for anyone interested, these two – Shutter Island and The Hot Spot – have the lowest RT scores from the list so far (along with Shallow Grave). Weirdly enough, The Hot Spot also has one of the lowest IMDb scores on the countdown while Shutter Island has one of the highest.

[ApexPredator]

I've seen two of the last six, but both did make the list!

At number 19 is Dead Again. A stylish film noir-ish exercise where a detective in the present finds the key to solve a mystery lies in the past. A solid cast led by Kenneth Branagh (who also directed) and Emma Thompson lead the way along with a clever script that effortlessly goes between the present and the past 50 years ago.

And at 22, I have Shutter Island. Martin Scorsese's neo noir features Leonardo DiCaprio as a marshal who along with his new partner played by Mark Ruffalo have to solve a mystery about a woman who disappeared from a locked room in an insane asylum. The further they get into it, the more dangerous it becomes. Another film that thrives with a solid cast and a clever script that mostly withstands scrutiny.

List:

4. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
19. Dead Again (1991)
22. Shutter Island (2010)
25. Kill Me Again (1989)

Seen: 6/16

[ScarletLion]

I remember being quite ambivalent to Shutter Island at the time, with it being quite predictable. The twist wasn't as clever as it thought it was. That said looking back I gave it a 7/10. Maybe due a rewtch.

I'm off to seek out The Hot Spot.

[Thief]

I remember being quite ambivalent to Shutter Island at the time, with it being quite predictable. The twist wasn't as clever as it thought it was. That said looking back I gave it a 7/10. Maybe due a rewtch.



Yeah, this is more or less where I stand, but I can acknowledge that the craft is there.

[Thief]

I don't remember if I asked this near the beginning of the countdown, but if not, it still makes sense to ask it now... what directors do you think are gonna show up more often here?

[Citizen Rules]

I don't remember if I asked this near the beginning of the countdown, but if not, it still makes sense to ask it now... what directors do you think are gonna show up more often here?Tarantino I'm guessing.

[John-Connor]

97944
Atmospheric, sexy and sultry Neo-noir. Madsen and Connelly were scorching hot, they melted my screen! Had it at #8. Shutter Island is an excellent addition to the list. I went with a different Scorsese, expect it will show up during the last day(s) of the countdown.

SEEN 15/16
BALLOT 3/25

25. Mirage (1965)
22. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
08. The Hot Spot (1990)

[Allaby]

I don't remember if I asked this near the beginning of the countdown, but if not, it still makes sense to ask it now... what directors do you think are gonna show up more often here?

Scorsese, the Coens, Tarantino, Fincher.

[Sedai]

I don't remember if I asked this near the beginning of the countdown, but if not, it still makes sense to ask it now... what directors do you think are gonna show up more often here?

Hmmmm

The Coen Brothers and Brian DePalma?

[crumbsroom]

This is where I bring up the fact that the twist in Shutter Island really wasn't a twist. Scorsese telegraphs everything, very loudly, from the very first scene, and then continually draws attention towards it's 'secret' with obvious musical stings and deliberately telling lighting and camera shots. All of which makes the much maligned Ben Kingsley blackboard exposition dump sort of funny in how grotesquely unnecessary it is.


The film is both a homage and a parody to B movie potboilers. Guessing the end isn't the point. Already grasping where it is all leading to, and understanding both the sadness of the lead character, and all the marvellous techniques Scorsese uses to highlight his conflicted personality, is where it excels.

[Sedai]

For the record, I like Shutter Island quite a bit, but it didn't illuminate a noir lightbulb over my head when I was compiling my list.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Shutter Island is yet another film I was really jazzed about watching when it came out. Then when it hit streaming. Then ... nothing. I just never got around to it. Haven't watched The Hot Spot either. But I did watch Cold in July. So I got that going for me.:shrug:

[Thief]

For the record, I like Shutter Island quite a bit, but it didn't illuminate a noir lightbulb over my head when I was compiling my list.

Same here, although I never intended to vote for it anyway. Which is why I thought it was interesting all the articles I found that highlighted those noir traits; some of which I linked in the extracurricular posts I put up.

[Siddon]

I don't remember if I asked this near the beginning of the countdown, but if not, it still makes sense to ask it now... what directors do you think are gonna show up more often here?


Villeneuve, Nolan, Scorcese, Fincher, and Coens. Jean-Pierre Melville and Bong Joon-Hok might also get a couple in

[mrblond]

Here we go again...
What a series...

#85. The Hot Spot (1990) got 19 pts from me taking my #7.

I was so impressed by its stylish aroma that I saw it twice in the theatre when it came out and I've rented the VHS couple more times in the following years.
If one asks about Don Johnson, this is it. His smoking style was so enchanting that I've hurried up outside after the projection to catch up with my cigarettes. Dennis Hopper did a great job with this work of his. I see that the Hopper name became common for this countdown (acting and directing).
4.5 +
93/100
97947
-----

My Ballot
▽
...
6. Red Rock West (1993) [#88]
7. The Hot Spot (1990) [#85]
8. Shallow Grave (1994) [#95]
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Purple Noon (1960) [#94]
...

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wI6CalCMdSKXgx10gzfHY3vwyzf.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iQCP69183K1QZo8bb23nkcLap3W.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5t0mGiFlj5GBrZ7ggvvkMdFJ7fV.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7n1KNXs4OFfeVLjJ3g10M8oK1fM.jpg

-----

My Near Misses:
▽
The Ninth Gate (1999) [one-pointers]
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) [#96]

[beelzebubble]

I have seen Shutter Island. It's not on my list.
The Hot Spot starring Don Johnson, Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connolly.
Wow! Sounds sexy! I have never seen it. I was already thinking of watching it but after Holden rave review I have to see it.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/59885afbf9a61e3bd6987ecb/1517409554600-IFNTYFG16WZKS9BLAMWQ/bcb3FYtLbuPgNYO4M1IY7rfeMal.jpg


The Hot Spot didn't win any awards, but Shutter Island did receive some nominations and awards. Some notable ones were:


Eleven (11) Davis Award nominations, including a win for Best Art Direction
Six (6) Scream Award nominations, including a win for Best Screenplay (Laeta Kalogridis)
Five (5) Saturn Award nominations, including Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Director (Martin Scorsese)
Four (4) Satellite Award nominations, including Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson)
Three (3) Teen Choice Award nominations, including a win for Choice Movie Actor (DiCaprio)
Two (2) Gold Derby Award nominations, including Best Lead Actor (DiCaprio)
One (1) Empire Award nomination for Best Thriller

[GulfportDoc]

I thought Shutter Island was a very well done picture. I love the mid-50s time frame. Although the story dipped at times into horror (which I don't like), I was fascinated the whole time. I didn't see the ending coming, but on reflection accepted and understood how it came about.

What a cast! And of course Scorsese knows what he's doing. Might even consider a re-watch..:)

[stillmellow]

FINALLY, one I've seen, Shutter Island. It's good (although yes, the twist is a bit obvious, and quite ridiculous), but it didn't make my top 25.


I'll definitely check out the Hot Spot. Hell, I'd watch Jennifer Connelly in anything. She could remake Birdemic and I'll be there.



Seen: 6 of 16
On List: 0 of 25

[cricket]

Surprised to see The Hot Spot but it's a good fit. Saw it at the cinema when it came out and didn't think much of it except for the girls. Going back a lot of years though, I was still a teen.

Shutter Island is one of my most disappointing films, same with wifey. Did nothing for us.

[SpelingError]

I like Shutter Island, but it's been a while since I've seen it. The twist is likely predictable,, which might be why I didn't respond to it as well as I did, but now that I know what it is, I imagine a second viewing may fair better. Maybe I'll rewatch it someday.

I haven't seen The Hot Spot.

[Iroquois]

no votes. i quite like shutter island, if only because it's the closest scorsese's gotten to directing a straight horror film. still not great and it's kind of wild it's had much of a lock on the imdb top 250 as it has, but it goes to show that even marty's weakest titles can still bank of his rep (or maybe just leo, who knows). haven't seen the hot spot.

[PHOENIX74]

86. Shutter Island - I like Shutter Island well enough, though it sure looks like it divides opinions here. A deep dive into someone's messed up mind, with a twist at the end that most people absolutely saw coming from a mile away. It seemed like the 2000s might have been Leonardo DiCaprio's big decade, but he hit the 2010s even harder, starting with this Martin Scorsese neo noir adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel. It's a story told in such a cinematic way that I really do wonder what the novel is like, and how it tells it's story. I love the spooky atmosphere - it builds up and as such the film behaves as if it's going to be a supernatural horror film. There certainly are ghosts - but they're of the psychological kind. Still, I'd like to see Scorsese tackle a horror movie - just like Kubrick did. Loved the visuals and score in this film, and I think it's unnerving enough to still be in my good books after all these years. It's been a few since I last watched it, but I've seen it several times.

85. The Hot Spot - I've never heard of this one, and I'm surprised I haven't. Straight into my watchlist - looking forward to it.

Seen : 10/16
Heard of : 13/16

Still nothing from my list

[Thief]

3lists45pointsFollowing (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/11660-following.html)Director
Christopher Nolan, 1999

Starring
Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, John Nolan

[Thief]

4lists45pointsThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/65754-the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo.html)Director
David Fincher, 2011

Starring
Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62TTN6gD2So

Following - A young unemployed writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing. But things start to unravel as their exploits become more dangerous.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVLvMg62RPA

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist is recruited to find out a woman from a wealthy family who disappeared 40 years ago. To aid him in this, he recruits young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.

[Miss Vicky]

I've seen The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. As much as I like a lot of Fincher's other work, this one just didn't do anything for me.

[Thief]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of those films I remember watching and liking a lot, but that has somehow vanished from my mind almost entirely. This is what I wrote back in 2012 when I saw it...


I was hesitant to check this out because I had thought of checking the original first. That said, being a fan of Fincher and reading great reviews about it, convinced me to check it out. It was pretty darn good, I must say. It reminded me a bit of Zodiac because it isn't particularly "flashy" in terms of directing, and yet Fincher does a spectacular job. The frenetic style in the first part was a bit confusing, as you get to know all the characters involved, but that helped the experience. Like Blomkvist said "I'm starting to lose track of who's who here". Anyway, great performances from most of the cast, edge-of-your-seat scenes and moments. I really enjoyed the last bits between Lisbeth and the attorney (Bjurman). The revelations about the Vangers weren't that surprising, but they were elevated mostly because of Skarsgard's performance. After that, I felt it lost a bit of steam, but I did like the ending.


Following is quite the opposite because it has stuck with me quite a bit. It is actually the first from my ballot to show up. I think it is an underappreciated little gem from Nolan that puts forward some of the themes that he would carry on later, like lies and deceit from multiple characters, and how they assume different personalities for different purposes. I had it at #9.


SEEN: 10/18
MY BALLOT: 1/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9. Following (#84)
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

[Holden Pike]

97957

Fincher's take on the international bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was #93 on the Top 100 of the Millennium.

[seanc]

Interesting pairing, because it’s two directors I love, but two movies that I think are really bad. More of a pass for Nolan in this case because at least Following is an obvious low budget “starter” film.

[Allaby]

I thought The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was fantastic and it made my ballot at #19. Following was great too, but just missed out on my ballot.

Seen: 13/18

[Citizen Rules]

Haven't seen either of those.

[SpelingError]

I remember enjoying Following quite a bit, but it's been a while since I've seen it.

[Sedai]

I briefly considered The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but ultimately cut it fairly early. I do need to see it again, but some scenes were quite disturbing, so I am not in any kind of hurry to get it back up on screen.

Seen both, neither got a vote from me.

12/18 seen

[rauldc14]

Following is just a bad film.....

Dragon Tattoo is just average

[Allaby]

I watched The Hot Spot today on Tubi so I've now seen 14/18. I thought Don Johnson was badly miscast and the film felt too long. Jennifer Connelly and Virginia Madsen were good though.

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... FOLLOWING

https://i.imgur.com/Bvpzu44.jpg
RT – 84%, IMDb – 7.5


Roger Ebert said:

"Already in Following you see Nolan's affinity for convoluted chronological structure and the final twist, in which all the jigsaw plot pieces snap into place and you finally see the whole picture (along with the main character). You may wonder just how necessary/integral they are, but they help make the film fun to watch, even if they don't necessarily add up to a whole lot." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/following-nolan-in-a-nutshell))

Diana Tuova of Loud and Clear said:

"Following is an imperfect, but nonetheless brainy, existential take on film noir, which seems even more impressive considering its limited budget." (read full review here (https://loudandclearreviews.com/following-1998-film-review/))

The Prestige said:

"A lot of critics have argued that Following attempts one twist too many. And I guess that may be true to an extent, however, I think the originality of the film and the overall execution, despite the laughably low budget, FAR outweighs the slightly excessive twists. Truly excellent stuff." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/504575-following.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTY2MzQwODMxN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjQzNDAxNw@@._V1_.jpg
RT – 86%, IMDb – 7.8


Roger Ebert said:

"It's an odd feeling to be seeing a movie that resembles its Swedish counterpart in so many ways, yet is subtly different under the direction of David Fincher and with a screenplay by Steven Zaillian. I don't know if it's better or worse. It has a different air." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-2011))

FilmCommunication said:

"Fincher constructs the film towards as a noir, connecting to the original narrative structure. [The film] resembles the traits and themes of film noir. The compositional tension of the film opposes past from present, old to new and faithfulness versus progressive [...] These classical noir influences gave the film its fatalistic and doomed ancestry, passing down power." (read full review here (https://filmcommunication.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-film-noir/))

Iroquois said:

"Though it plays out a lot like your typical slightly-above-average modern thriller and probably goes on a bit too long for its own good, it's alright if you want something that's appropriately dark and compelling." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1277795-the_girl_with_the_dragon_tattoo.html))

[Thief]

FOLLOWING
(1998, Nolan)

https://i.imgur.com/Bvpzu44.jpg


"Everyone has a box."



Or so tells Cobb, a skilled burglar, to his protegé of his victims' desire for privacy, secrecy, and intimacy. The "boxes" in question are meant to hold not only things that are dear to people, but also things that people feel that represent them and define them. The line might be taken from John Steinbeck's East of Eden, which says "nearly everyone has his box of secret pain, shared with no one". Considering Nolan's frequent literary inspirations, I don't think it's a long shot. The aforementioned thief, Cobb, revels in finding out about people's "secrets" and ultimately, in bringing them out to light, which is the premise of Christopher Nolan's neo-noir, debut film.

Following focuses on the above mentioned protegé (Jeremy Theobald), a young, struggling writer that decides to "follow" random people in order to draw inspiration for his writings. Eventually, he finds himself confronted by Cobb (Alex Haw), who takes the young man under his wing not only on a quest to "follow", but to get inside people's lives as they commit a series of seemingly random burglaries and break-ins. Cobb, who doesn't seem to be interested in the material stuff, claims to be more interested in the emotional and psychological effect his burglaries might have on his victims: "You take it away, and show them what they had", he says. The young man ends up caught up in the thrill of it, while also seeking a relationship with one of their victims.

Even though I still haven't seen Dunkirk, and even though I'm not as much of a fan of The Dark Knight trilogy as most people, I still consider myself a fan of Nolan work. I love Memento and The Prestige, and although I haven't revisited them in a while, I enjoyed both Inception and Insomnia a lot. Watching Following, you get a chance to see many of Nolan's frequent themes and ideas come to be. Whether it's the subject of trust, and the trust his characters put in objects and physical things (a picture? a top spin? a journal?), or how most of his characters end up losing themselves, their identities and/or their sanity, as they get deeper and deeper into whatever they're doing.

Following brings all of that to the table, with a finely crafted, broken chronology (which is another Nolan trademark). The echoes of Memento, or rather the impact this one had on it, are fairly evident as the story follows some similar paths of deceit and lies. Theobald and Haw are solid as the leads, but this film relies mostly on its style and structure. Take that away, and you're left with a pretty conventional story. But, much like Cobb, Nolan knows how to draw the unsuspecting viewers inside his web and pull the rug from beneath us in the end, sometimes more than once. And when that happens, you're more or less left like the characters, looking back at everything and wondering how the hell he managed to get the best out of us.

Grade: 3.5

[Thief]

Adding a review I wrote about the film back in 2019. I'd be inclined to bump that rating to 4, though.

[John W Constantine]

Following had been a Nolan I hadn't watched in years and don't believe I paid much attention while watching it. So I was curious to revisit it after last summer during Barbenheimer and I found it to be much more engaging than imagined. It was nice to visit Nolan before all the bloated budgets started to consume him. It's not his best but I wouldn't call it rubbish. I had it at #7 and hope some folks lower their expectations and give it another try.

[John W Constantine]

Dragon Tattoo was a treat when I saw it in theaters. Maybe goes on just a little too long but some of it has stayed with me despite that being the only time I've watched it start to finish.

[honeykid]

The Hot Spot sounds fun, but I haven't seen it.
Yeah, it's not. :D But maybe if you like noir it is?

What is a Hot Spot not?


So far some pretty good films, none of which I'd call noir, neo or otherwise. :D

From memory, Following is a good calling card of a film and GIrl With The Dragon Tattoo is a bad version of an already overrated film.

[WHITBISSELL!]

No to Following, yes to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I thought Fincher did a good job of adapting Stieg Larsson's novel. Leaving out the meticulous financial minutiae of course.

7 of 18.

[beelzebubble]

No and no. I did see the Scandinavian version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I think?¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Harry Lime]

Both are okay movies from directors that have done way better films.

[Kaplan]

I can’t say I’ve cared much for the second half of Nolan’s career. I’m not interested in puzzling out his overly convoluted films, or even watching them at this point, but I do like his early work, and while Following isn’t perfectly realized, I very much like it. I had it somewhere in the mid teens on my list, making it the third movie of mine to make it.

[cricket]

I enjoyed Dragon Tattoo plenty and would like to watch it again.

Not familiar with Following.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://image-pastemagazine-com-public-bucket.storage.googleapis.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/20153213/Following-header.jpg


Following received the following nominations and awards:


Two (2) Dinard British Film Festival Award nominations, including the Silver Hitchcock Award (Christopher Nolan)
Two (2) Slamdance Film Festival Award nominations, including the Black & White Award (Nolan)
Two (2) Newport International Film Festival Award nominations, including a win for Best Director Award (Nolan)
Rotterdam International Film Festival Tiger Award (Nolan)

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/film/46253/image-w1280.jpg?1542723858


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo received the following nominations and awards:


Five (5) Academy Award nominations, including a win for Best Editing (Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter)
Two (2) Saturn Award nominations, including a win for Best Horror/Thriller Film
Two (2) BAFTA Award nominations for Best Cinematography and Score
Two (2) Critics Choice Award nominations, including a win for Best Editing (Wall and Baxter)
Two (2) Golden Globe Award nominations, including Best Performance by a Lead Actress (Rooney Mara)

[PHOENIX74]

How ironic that I've seen one of the film noir reveals today, but neither of the neo noir ones. I didn't even know about Christopher Nolan's Following. I got onboard with Memento and never considered any earlier stations. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - well, I can't even consider watching the Fincher version after seeing the Swedish version. Noomi Rapace is Lisbeth Salander, and that's all I have to say about that.

Seen : 10/18
Heard of : 14/18

Still nothing from my list

[Iroquois]

no votes. i've rewatched dragon tattoo since i wrote that review and think it would probably be in the top half of a fincher ranking if i got around to making one. i started a nolan rewatch in reverse (temporal pincer movement) after oppenheimer but it stalled out before i got to following, but i still think i would like it a second time around.

[Thief]

Crazy day at work, but I'm gonna try and post reveals as soon as I can

[Allaby]

Crazy day at work, but I'm gonna try and post reveals as soon as I can

Movie Forums is more important than work! Prioritize!

[Thief]

4lists46pointsBlue Ruin (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/188166-blue-ruin.html)Director
Jeremy Saulnier, 2013

Starring
Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves, Kevin Kolack

[Thief]

7lists46pointsBrick (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/9270-brick.html)Director
Rian Johnson, 2006

Starring
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emilie de Ravin, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJo1qrr_8Hc

Blue Ruin - A mysterious outsider's quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance, which will lead him into a fight to protect his estranged family.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zfw8__A7ps

Brick - A teenage loner infiltrates the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

[seanc]

Brick was my 24. Such a cool flick and just oozes Noir.

I would like to see Blue Ruin again. I remember it pretty fondly, but besides the startling violence I don’t remember it much. It never occurred to me to consider it when making my list.

[Allaby]

I thought Brick was an interesting concept, but the execution had mixed results. I liked the dialogue better than the story. I didn’t like Blue Ruin at all.

Seen: 15/20

[Holden Pike]

97966

Brick was taking a powder at #75 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium.

[Miss Vicky]

I've seen both of these - Blue Ruin for one of the main Halls of Fame and Brick for one of the Personal Recommendation Halls of Fame - and thought both were okay but never considered either for my ballot.

[Thief]

I haven't seen Brick, but it seems like the kind of film I might enjoy.

Blue Ruin was my #16. As far as Saulnier goes, I might slightly prefer Green Room's more visceral gut-punch, but Blue Ruin is the kind of slow burn that sticks with you.


SEEN: 11/20
MY BALLOT: 2/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

[Torgo]

Excellent picks. Neither made my ballot, but they likely would have if I could have picked 27. I celebrate Rian Johnson's entire catalog (barring The Brothers Bloom, which I haven't seen). Saulnier and star Macon Blair (who's also a strong filmmaker; see I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore) also haven't let me down yet.

[Sedai]

Ah, here we are finally at my first Film I planned on putting on my ballot when I first saw the countdown posted, but managed to completely forget when I submitted my ballot. I recall really liking Blue Ruin, thinking about it for days afterward, and I meant to watch to again on the run up to ballot deadline; I just didn't have the time, and was really trying to watch as many films that I hadn't seen as possible. Oh well, probably belonged on my ballot. Excellent film, and I recommend it to anyone that hasn't seen it.

Love Brick, and it would easily make it on my ballot in the 26-30 range.

Seen 14/20

[Iroquois]

no votes. have seen blue ruin once and liked it well enough, but odds are i won't watch it again. rewatched brick a few years ago and, as much as i appreciate such a concerted effort to do a high-school neo-noir that's high in construction and low in irony in the abstract, i can take or leave the end result.

[Yoda]

I wish I had more time to expound but I'm stupid busy right now, so I'll just say I really like Blue Ruin and Brick both. What a cool pairing.

[Thief]

Ah, here we are finally at my first Film I planned on putting on my ballot when I first saw the countdown posted, but managed to completely forget when I submitted my ballot. I recall really liking Blue Ruin, thinking about it for days afterward, and I meant to watch to again on the run up to ballot deadline; I just didn't have the time, and was really trying to watch as many films that I hadn't seen as possible. Oh well, probably belonged on my ballot. Excellent film, and I recommend it to anyone that hasn't seen it.



:laugh: Very noir to have memory problems

[Citizen Rules]

Yahoo! Blue Ruin was my #13...finally a neo noir I've seen and vote for. I wrote this about it.


https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=65093

Blue Ruin (2013)
Hell yeah! Gotta love a movie with Jan Brady toting a Tec 10 semi auto like some backwoods survivalist in a modern day Hatfield and McCoy feud...I didn't even know Eve Plumb was in the movie and then the credits rolled, good thing I watched them as otherwise I'd never had spotted her.

I should probably hate this movie, but hot damn I really liked it. Right at the get go I was onboard when we first see the homeless guy and follow him around town...all without him speaking. I knew then that I liked this movie. I mean he could've just went dumpster diving for the next 90 minutes and I would've dug it. It's hard to explain but the movie felt like what I call 'honest cinema'. I loved that non-glossy, you are there style of film making and the main actor/character was interesting too. Gosh, I wish more movies were made without the bombastic need to 'wow' the audience.

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=71230


Yes Blue Ruin had some graphic violence, but...and this is a big but...the film never presented that violence as tawdry, cheap thrills. I've watched other movies that made graphic violence seem like a thrill ride in an entertainment park. Blue Ruin on the other hand never did that and for that reason I was OK with the violence. The violence was there but it was never presented as a reward to the movie goer, instead the violence was an integral part of the story.

Loved the low key ending too, less is more and that ending worked so perfectly. Blue Ruin rocks!
4

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... BLUE RUIN

https://a.ltrbxd.com/resized/sm/upload/ak/hl/uk/vg/blue-ruin-1200-1200-675-675-crop-000000.jpg?v=d2604ea99c
RT – 96%, IMDb – 7.1


Susan Wloszczyna, from RogerEbert.com said:

"Not unlike America, the film is as obsessed with such deadly hardware as it is repulsed by it, and Saulnier—who clearly put a lot of artistic thought into how his characters are mortally wounded—seems to be of both minds. Which keeps Blue Ruin from becoming a preachy turnoff [...] From camera angles—especially one unsettlingly spooky shot as Dwight’s car heads into a cloud of fog in a remote mountain region—to the unnerving soundtrack, this guy knows how to build a nail-biter." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blue-ruin-2014))

The Guardian said:

"This sweaty portion of strip-mall noir is essentially a lurid revenge story but filtered through an arthouse sensibility, peppered with stillness and deglamourised violence. " (read full review here (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/01/blue-ruin-review))

MovieMeditation said:

"What I like really about this film is the way the story is presented to us. It is a revenge thriller with reservations but not restrictions, which relies on realism and not reassurance. It isn’t a tumble through terrorists or mercenaries that relieves our protagonist with every powerful kill he makes, as the popcorn-munching audience applaud, watching our hero juggle around with justice. This is not a glorified revenge tale with a capable killer, but instead an everyday man wanting to do what he feels is right." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2092801-blue-ruin.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... BRICK

https://static1.moviewebimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Joseph-Gordon-Levitt-with-a-bruised-and-bloody-face-in-Brick.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5
RT – 80%, IMDb – 7.1


Roger Ebert said:

"Brick is a movie reportedly made with great determination and not much money by Rian Johnson, who did the editing on his Macintosh [...] What is impressive is his absolute commitment to his idea of the movie's style. He relates to the classic crime novels and movies, he notes the way their mannered dialogue and behavior elevates the characters into archetypes, and he uses the strategy to make his teenagers into hard-boiled guys and dolls." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/brick-2006))

David L. Tamarin of MovieWeb.com said:

"At first glance, it almost appears to be more like a high school drama or a cheap parody of detective clichés, but Brick gradually reveals itself to be an incredibly unique film noir utilizing hard-boiled tropes from the past but updating them to fit in the world of high school." (read full review here (https://movieweb.com/brick-rian-johnson-film-noir-high-school/))

Darth Stujitzu said:

"Although the film was confusing at points, and although I didn't totally understand the language, it all came together to a satisfactory but not brilliant ending. Definetly a film you have to be in the right mood for, and one that demands your full attention." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/340305-brick.html))

[Holden Pike]

97985

Blue Ruin was on my list. I love how quiet and deliberate the tone is, punctuated by some very graphic moments of violence. There are lots and lots of movies about revenge, and while some are cathartic wish fantasies where the baddies who done you wrong get what’s comin’ to them, in reality revenge is probably closer to the murky, bloody mess that our at-first-shaggy protagonist finds himself in. Unless there are only two people involved, as soon as you add perspective and secrets it is rarely a black-and-white division of good versus evil. This 21st Century Hatfields versus a McCoy tale is very effective.

97986

Jeremy Saulnier certainly announced himself as a talent to watch with this dark little piece, a promise which was realized again in the fantastic and even bloodier Green Room which he also wrote and directed and co-stars Macon Blair again, and Hold in the Dark which he directed and Macon Blair wrote.

I used my second-to-last spot for Blue Ruin, so only two little points, but I am glad others had it up higher.

HOLDEN'S BALLOT
15. Shallow Grave (#95)
17. Dead Again (#90)
22. The Hot Spot (#85)
24. Blue Ruin (#82)
25. Johnny Handsome (DNP)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuM2CoL20dQ

[WHITBISSELL!]

Ah, here we are finally at my first Film I planned on putting on my ballot when I first saw the countdown posted, but managed to completely forget when I submitted my ballot.When I first saw that it was one of the picks I let out a loud, "YEAH!" Then I went looking for my ballot to see how many points I had given it. It had to have been a lot. I mean, it was my #5 on the All Time Top 100 List. Then, come to find out, I hadn't included it. Reassuring to hear I'm not alone in doing this.

[WHITBISSELL!]

But hey, two for two. Watched both Blue Ruin and Brick but neither :blush: :bashful: was on my ballot.

9 of 20.

[Hey Fredrick]

First one from my ballot show. Brick was my number 25. While I don't remember much about the plot I do remember plenty about the style and dialogue. It was such a cool movie. I could see this being a love/hate type of flick.


Completely forgot about Blue Ruin. That would have been pretty high up on my list and I would have also included The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo pretty high but didn't know it was eligible. Probably going to see a lot of that from me as there was just too much flipping around sites trying to see what was considered noir and what wasn't.

[CosmicRunaway]

I haven't had anything to say about the reveals for a few days now, since Shutter Island was the only one I'd seen, and I wasn't really a fan of it. Been meaning to watch both versions of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for awhile now, but never seem to get around to them.

But I'm really happy to see Blue Ruin make the list today! I nominated in the 22nd Hall of Fame, and it was on my ballot here at #5. This was what I wrote about it for the HoF:
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=64043

Blue Ruin (2013)
Directed By: Jeremy Saulnier
Starring: Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves, Devin Ratray

On the surface, the plot of Blue Ruin sounds like a typical revenge story, but anyone expecting a glorified, righteous reckoning in the final act is going to be sorely disappointed. This is a slow, quiet, and methodical film with minimal dialogue, that doesn't attempt to make its protagonist's actions seem justified. He is not a hero, but rather a flawed and self-destructive man who makes a series of bad decisions, and is left to deal with horrific consequences.

Macon Blair is excellent as Dwight. He is alone on screen for a large chunk of the runtime, so his performance is the single most important aspect of the film. Even without many spoken lines, he's able to convey Dwight's emotions and state of mind with his incredibly expressive eyes. He's very believable as a man in over his head, whose every action only digs him deeper into the dirt. Nothing seems to go as planned for him, but he is ultimately the architect of his own downfall.

There are no genre-typical scenes where you cheer for Dwight as he mows down his enemies. Instead the violence in Blue Ruin is quite realistic and brutal. It's meant to be uncomfortable and shocking, even though you know it's coming. The effects looks great, especially considering the low, kickstarted budget. The cinematography is also fantastic, with well framed shots and only a minimal use of the dreaded shaky cam. There are a lot of blue hues throughout the film which help set the mood, but the camera itself builds the most suspense.

Seen: 9/20

My List: 3

05. Blue Ruin (2013) - #82
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010) - #87
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

[cricket]

Blue Ruin is awesome but I hated Brick

[Harry Lime]

I like this pairing. Both films are fine examples of modern neo-noirs. Neither got my votes but glad to see them here.

[rauldc14]

Seen Blue Ruin. It's just average for me though.

[WHITBISSELL!]

My heart is embiggened to hear all the love for Blue Ruin.

[beelzebubble]

Blue Ruin, I have never seen. Brick, I have seen. It's not on my list. It was interesting to some extent, but mostly meh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[SpelingError]

Blue Ruin is very good, but it didn't make my list. I love how its portrayal of revenge comes from an ordinary person whose lack of skill effects his progress and often results in bloody messes. While some scenes in it are gory (they feel like consequences to the main character's amateurism), they're fairly infrequent since the film focuses more on a slow and deliberate pace. That said, I think I prefer Green Room.

I haven't seen Brick.

[stillmellow]

FINALLY one from my ballot.


#81 on the big list, but #3 on my own, Brick. 23 of its points were from me.


It perfectly embodies the Noir detective stories that I'm always a sucker for.


Brick is really helped by the terrifyingness of its antagonist, who counters our hero's craftiness with extreme violence and brutality. It elevates the story above similar, lighter faire, in my opinion.


3. Brick

[Thief]

Stats: Pit Stop #2
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGE2MDg3Y2MtYTM1ZC00YzA3LTk0ZjAtMmFmMjczN2E2NzU4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_.jpg

-

After hitting our second pit stop (80), here's were we are now:

Decade Breakdown


1960s = 4
1970s = 2
1980s = 0
1990s = 8
2000s = 2
2010s = 4
2020s = 0



Big push from both the 90s and 2010s, which puts the former ahead of the game. Will it remain victorious?

Again, no point in doing a director breakdown cause there have been no repeats so far.

[stillmellow]

First one from my ballot show. Brick was my number 25. While I don't remember much about the plot I do remember plenty about the style and dialogue. It was such a cool movie. I could see this being a love/hate type of


I will admit, as much as I love Brick (half the points it got were from me alone, so you can blame me for it rating higher than the other 19 films so far) it's definitely style and dialog that makes it shine. The plot is a bit convoluted, especially if you try to take the high school aspect too seriously, but as I said, I'm a sucker for this type of film.

[PHOENIX74]

Blue Ruin has been on my watchlist for a while - I'll probably get around to seeing it one day soon, because from the moment I heard about it I was itching to give it a go.

81. Brick - The first film from my ballot to show! Brick could be considered a 'gimmick' movie, with it's typical noir storyline transposed to high school and kids instead of grimy old hardened private detectives and filthy crooks - but the execution is so on-point that this transferal works in the film's favour. It's a pretty tense and compelling case of murder, loss, regret and crime - with a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing a sterling job. Most of the credit went to Rian Johnson - and for a moment everyone was on his side (Star Wars would change all of that 12 years later) - this was his directorial debut. A real moody film that delves all the way back into the film noir classics of old - with the smart dialogue probably my favourite carryover. This one caught me by surprise, and was different enough to be very much worth seeking out. I had it at #17.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 11/20
I'd never even heard of : 3/20
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 6/20
Films from my list : 1

#81 - My #17 - Brick (2005)

[stillmellow]

Blue Ruin has been on my watchlist for a while - I'll probably get around to seeing it one day soon, because from the moment I heard about it I was itching to give it a go.

81. Brick - The first film from my ballot to show! Brick could be considered a 'gimmick' movie, with it's typical noir storyline transposed to high school and kids instead of grimy old hardened private detectives and filthy crooks - but the execution is so on-point that this transferal works in the film's favour. It's a pretty tense and compelling case of murder, loss, regret and crime - with a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing a sterling job. Most of the credit went to Rian Johnson - and for a moment everyone was on his side (Star Wars would change all of that 12 years later) - this was his directorial debut. A real moody film that delves all the way back into the film noir classics of old - with the smart dialogue probably my favourite carryover. This one caught me by surprise, and was different enough to be very much worth seeking out. I had it at #17.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seen : 11/20
I'd never even heard of : 3/20
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 6/20
Films from my list : 1

#81 - My #17 - Brick (2005)


9 points from you, and 23 points from me. That means the remaining 5 voters contributed a total of 14 points altogether.
I don't have a point here. I just like statistics and ranked lists. 🤓

[WrinkledMind]

I love Brick, & more so its utterly unique OST by Nathan Johnson. Such fascinating sounds, especially Emily & Laura's themes.

[mrblond]

Dennis Hopper appeared in the list three times so far. Twice as actor and once as a director.

97996

[Holden Pike]

97997

And he has two more coming for certain, drinking that Pabst Blue Ribbon, and I suppose enough of the Tarantino crowd will get the eggplant in, too. I guess Rumble Fish may make the cut? I wouldn't think much else Hopper was involved with has a chance, maybe an outside shot for Colors or The River's Edge, unless pure action movies like Speed got enough votes (which will be too bad).

Hopper blamed a lot of The Hot Spot's lack of initial success on Don Johnson, who apparently wasn't high on doing a lot of promotion for it. According to Hopper, Johnson was waiting to see if it was well received critically before he fully got behind it. Once the reviews were timid to bad...he bailed.

Oh, well. I love that flick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecbElZe9UwY&t=2s

[Thief]

3lists47pointsDirty Harry (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/984-dirty-harry.html)Director
Don Siegel, 1971

Starring
Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon

[Thief]

4lists47pointsThe Driver (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/2153-the-driver.html)Director
Walter Hill, 1978

Starring
Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani, Ronee Blakley

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DInP2bm2eI

Dirty Harry - Police Inspector Harry Callahan tracks down a serial killer that calls himself "the Scorpio Killer" who's menacing the streets of San Francisco.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9HIFF8_26M

The Driver - A getaway driver becomes the target of a relentless detective who is determined to capture him, even if it is at the expense of other criminals.

[Thief]

Dirty Harry is a film I saw often on TV when I was a kid. I revisited it a couple of years ago and I liked it, but I don't hold it as the holy grail of crime films that most people do. This is a bit of what I wrote back then:

Although I have a feeling I saw this some time when I was a kid, I really don't remember, so it was pretty much like watching it for the first time. The film was solid, with Clint Eastwood playing the role of the cynical Detective Callahan perfectly. The film skips any twist or surprise regarding the identity of the killer, choosing to go for a cat-and-mouse approach instead, while making its point about crime and legal bureaucracy. I do think the film dragged a bit towards the end, but it was still a fun watch.


I haven't seen The Driver yet.


SEEN: 12/22
MY BALLOT: 3/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

[Allaby]

I like Dirty Harry, but it wasn't in consideration for my ballot. I haven't seen The Driver yet.

Seen: 16/22

[Holden Pike]

98000

Dirty Harry was #34 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1970s.

[Miss Vicky]

I like Dirty Harry, but I don't think it came up in the existing Neo Noir lists I looked at, or maybe I just overlooked it, and it didn't come to mind when making my ballot. I don't know if I would have voted for it if I had thought of it, though.

[Sedai]

Watched Dirty Harry again on the run up, along with another Eastwood noir picture. Dirty Harry just missed my ballot. I've not seen the other entry for today.

Seen: 15/22

[John W Constantine]

Dirty Harry blasted a .44 size spot on my ballot at #4. To say it's essential Eastwood would be a .44 size understatement.

The Driver I watched years back and remember a little about, a revisit someday.

[Holden Pike]

I am a huge Eastwood fan, but for me the only one of the Harry Callahan pictures that really leans into the Noir tropes is Sudden Impact (which is the only one of the five he directed himself) and the decidedly non-Callahan Tightrope (which he shadow-directed, uncredited).

But, to each their own.

98001

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... DIRTY HARRY

https://imageio.forbes.com/blogs-images/danielbaldwin/files/2016/07/DirtyHarry1-1200x675.jpg
RT – 89%, IMDb – 7.7


Roger Ebert said:

"Dirty Harry is very effective at the level of a thriller. At another level, it uses the most potent star presence in American movies -- Clint Eastwood -- to lay things on the line. If there aren't mentalities like Dirty Harry's at loose in the land, then the movie is irrelevant. If there are, we should not blame the bearer of the bad news." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dirty-harry-1971))

Brynn Artley, of POV Winona, said:

"Dirty Harry establishes itself as a neo-noir by representing a period of change where 1970’s audiences reveled in the masculine ideals of film noirs past, all the while knowing that the times were changing, and these ideals could not last." (read full review here (https://academics.winona.edu/povwinona/dirty-harry-the-changing-masculine-ideal-of-1970s-america/))

JayDee said:

"A thrilling, searing piece of action. A truly great cop movie, well deserving of its iconic status. A film that set the benchmark and template for so many action films to follow, particularly in the 80s with the arrival of Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Seagal, etc." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/803924-dirty-harry.html))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE DRIVER

https://i.redd.it/9vvokofbhqn91.png
RT – 79%, IMDb – 7.1


Roger Ebert said:

"[The Driver is] a movie about people who are not real because they are symbols, and it's a damned good thing there are great chase scenes or the movie would sink altogether [...] Now all of this could have been nice and juicy if Walter Hill had done a few more things with his screenplay, such as made the characters into people. We can tell he didn't want to do that, because of the visual style he uses." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-driver-1978))

William Carroll, of Little White Lies, said:

"Hill’s film effectively shaped the genre where noir meets car, and turned the cinematic car-chase into the ultimate art form. With an iconic turn from Ryan O’Neal, pursued by a corrupt and arrogant Bruce Dern, Walter Hill’s The Driver bundled the tired trends of film noir into the trunk of a Ford Galaxie 500 and headed straight for the highway – leaving formulaic crime and exaggerated cinema in a perpetual dust cloud." (read full review here (https://lwlies.com/articles/the-driver-walter-hill-car-chase-la-noir/))

thracian dawg said:

"The Driver is existential theatre at it's best, disguised as an action film. You've heard of the man with no name, how about an entire movie cast without any names? No one has an identity beyond vague generalities." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/768564-the-driver.html))

[Thief]

Speaking of our recent Neo-noir Hall of Fame, Red Rock West was my pick for it. Pretty cool film (you can read my review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/2412940-red-rock-west.html)) that barely squeaked into my ballot.



It went past me that I *did* had Red Rock West on my ballot at #18, so there's that. I've had three so far.

[mrblond]

Back in business...

#79. The Driver (1978) is my #4 for 22 of its 47 pts.

This was a huge movie for us back in the days. It was a regular in the theatres around here for several years in the early to mid eighties. I've seen it at least three times then, plus numerous more on the TV, followed by a couple more revisions in the post-2000 period, last view a year ago.
Flawless story, great cinematography, superb cast: Ryan O'Neal, Bruce Dern, Isabelle Adjani...
A real textbook for cinema.

R.I.P. Ryan O'Neal

5
97/100
98008
98009
98010
-----

My Ballot
▽
...
4. The Driver (1978) [#79]
5.
6. Red Rock West (1993) [#88]
7. The Hot Spot (1990) [#85]
8. Shallow Grave (1994) [#95]
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Purple Noon (1960) [#94]
...

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/bd175Fmt3Web3j0qXahSKmdZPOe.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wI6CalCMdSKXgx10gzfHY3vwyzf.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iQCP69183K1QZo8bb23nkcLap3W.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5t0mGiFlj5GBrZ7ggvvkMdFJ7fV.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7n1KNXs4OFfeVLjJ3g10M8oK1fM.jpg

-----

My Near Misses:
▽
The Ninth Gate (1999) [one-pointers]
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) [#96]

[Harry Lime]

I like both of these action films from the seventies. Not my favourites but 3/5 each which is good in my ranking system. Another appropriate pairing from this countdown. We've had a few that just seem to work being revealed together.

[WHITBISSELL!]

Watched Dirty Harry of course. Isn't that a movie that just about every movie buff has seen? Driver is another film that I should have watched given all the times I've run across it, but never have. Neither was on my ballot.

10 of 22

[John-Connor]

98011
Walter Hill's The Driver, was my #17. This means Drive (2011) ends up higher which is also an excellent choice. I just feel the seventies version is more authentic and even cooler. Plus I'm a big fan of Isabelle Adjani.
Blue Ruin has been on my watchlist for a while, still haven't seen it, yet. Wasn't sure Dirty Harry was eligible otherwise I might have voted for it and I have to agree Tightrope is probably the most Noirish Clint Eastwood flick.

SEEN 20/22
BALLOT 4/25

25. Mirage (1965)
22. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
17. The Driver (1978)
08. The Hot Spot (1990)

https://64.media.tumblr.com/e865f9950b3e61b9662a871a9bc730f8/711cddf1ed00bf14-f7/s500x750/6fbc36f7a3c744255a92d0ecf501362865285606.gifv
https://64.media.tumblr.com/33b89883b62a08b55cd72170e368244c/711cddf1ed00bf14-39/s500x750/418897dd0b837159a9fa468ff4bf98b44084f1f5.gifv
https://64.media.tumblr.com/f4c36a1880e5e8ed9a2cbe6b5529a807/711cddf1ed00bf14-10/s500x750/68c17c38a1fe30a6b64e29a8e49fca1e6f7af497.gifv

[Holden Pike]

I love the idea of deconstructing genres and archetypes, but to me it always felt like Walter Hill had no ideas past that for The Driver. Which makes for a very flat exercise, to my taste. Especially after how much charm, wit, and fun there was in his Hard Times. The Driver does have an all-time great '70s movie poster, I will give it that!

98014

[cricket]

I had The Driver at #15, the first on my ballot to show.

Love Dirty Harry obviously, but I would not consider it for this countdown.

[Thursday Next]

I watched The Driver for the countdown and it ended up on my list at #17. I'm not sure it has much to say but it looks good.

[mrblond]

I had The Driver at #15, the first on my ballot to show.

Love Dirty Harry obviously, but I would not consider it for this countdown.

Hey cricket, I wonder if you submitted a full ballot of 25?

[cricket]

Hey cricket, I wonder if you submitted a full ballot of 25?

Always

[SpelingError]

I like Dirty Harry quite a bit, but it didn't make my ballot.

[beelzebubble]

Nope and nope.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://theactionelite.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/3-14.jpg


The Driver didn't win any awards, while Dirty Harry only received the following nominations and awards:


Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture (1972)
Two (2) Saturn Award nominations for Best DVD Collection (2011)
National Film Preservation Board induction in the National Film Registry (2012)
Online Film & Television Association induction into OFTA Film Hall of Fame (2019)

[Thief]

Nope and nope.

Sadly, Nope wasn't eligible for this countdown.

https://c.tenor.com/Hah2tAlIG5QAAAAC/tenor.gif

[beelzebubble]

Sadly, Nope wasn't eligible for this countdown.

https://c.tenor.com/Hah2tAlIG5QAAAAC/tenor.gif


WACKA-WACKA!!!

[PHOENIX74]

80. Dirty Harry - I've seen all of the Dirty Harry movies (I have a really good boxed set) and concur with anyone who says the first one was the best of all of them. I'm much more cognizant these days of the fact that this was pretty close to being a true story, based on the Zodiac Killer who terrified the citizens of San Francisco just a couple of years prior to this movie being made. The killer in Dirty Harry sends notes after killing at random, and threatens a school bus full of children - just like the real-life Zodiac killer did. Clint Eastwood really took the role of Inspector Harry Callahan by the scruff of the neck - nobody could have done the job he did, with his growling, gravelly voice, anti-establishment attitude and roughness when it came to "punks". For conservatives the very image of law and order - no-nonsense and shoot first. He carries a weapon perfectly suited to killing - and it's size pretty much makes it a phallic symbol of potent old fashioned manhood. His 'Do I feel lucky?' speech has become part of film folklore. I like too many other films more than Dirty Harry to have voted for it, but it is a classic, and a great movie.

79. The Driver - I've yet to see this film, but it's been in my watchlist for a while.

Seen : 12/22
Never heard of : 3/22
Heard of but not seen : 7/22

[stillmellow]

I've seen Dirty Harry, and I liked it, but I didn't consider it for this list. It's interesting that it got so many points while being in only 3 lists. The people who chose it, obviously ranked it highly.

Seen: 9/22
My List:

3. Brick

[Iroquois]

no votes. the driver rules and could've made my ballot (or at least a longer version) just for being such a perfectly stripped-down thriller concept as reflected in its nameless characters and ruthlessly perfunctory actions. dirty harry is a film that i have to respect even if it is on some level fundamentally disagreeable (a sentiment that i feel the film is at least aware of in terms of certain pieces of characterisation it grants to callahan - him admitting he doesn't know why he stays on the force to his recently-wounded partner's wife is a key example of this) so it proves a fascinatingly contradictory text, which makes sense for an artist like eastwood.

[stillmellow]

no votes. the driver rules and could've made my ballot (or at least a longer version) just for being such a perfectly stripped-down thriller concept as reflected in its nameless characters and ruthlessly perfunctory actions. dirty harry is a film that i have to respect even if it is on some level fundamentally disagreeable (a sentiment that i feel the film is at least aware of in terms of certain pieces of characterisation it grants to callahan - him admitting he doesn't know why he stays on the force to his recently-wounded partner's wife is a key example of this) so it proves a fascinatingly contradictory text, which makes sense for an artist like eastwood.



That is the problem with many older movies, especially ones about renegade cops. They try to justify their extreme measures by pitting them against the absolute worst villains, but in real life for every 1 cop that skirts the rules for good reasons, there's about 100 that do it to quickly secure more convictions, by denying suspects their legal rights.

[stillmellow]

I know this isn't a political forum, but there are a LOT of older movies that are now extremely problematic, and it's often difficult to watch or judge them without taking it into consideration.


This will come up again when we reach my number one pick, which admittedly has a very problematic scene.

[cricket]

That is the problem with many older movies, especially ones about renegade cops. They try to justify their extreme measures by pitting them against the absolute worst villains, but in real life for every 1 cop that skirts the rules for good reasons, there's about 100 that do it to quickly secure more convictions, by denying suspects their legal rights.

If you were a police officer, you still wouldn't have the ability to accurately gauge this.

But for arguments sake, let's say it's true-

I know this isn't a political forum, but there are a LOT of older movies that are now extremely problematic, and it's often difficult to watch or judge them without taking it into consideration.

Then why would the movie be problematic? I think a gritty crime film is better when it's realistic. If your response would be, well, Callahan shouldn't be looked at as some kind of hero, besides the obvious response of it's just an R rated film and adults know the difference between right and wrong bla bla bla, I would say that flawed people and even horrible people can sometimes do the right thing and even act heroically. Just about anything can be problematic to somebody so I don't even think it's worth mentioning. I'm always surprised when something like this comes up here.

[Thief]

Working today so my reveals might or might not take a while. We'll see.

[Iroquois]

That is the problem with many older movies, especially ones about renegade cops. They try to justify their extreme measures by pitting them against the absolute worst villains, but in real life for every 1 cop that skirts the rules for good reasons, there's about 100 that do it to quickly secure more convictions, by denying suspects their legal rights.

as noted, even the film as a whole seems to be aware of this - "dirty harry" is an in-universe nickname, after all. that its first sequel is about a squad of cops who resort to vigilante murder in a way that even callahan finds objectionable points to this as well, though this is arguably justifying his own actions as being not that bad. sudden impact providing a genuinely sympathetic perp for him to chase readily makes it the best sequel (and, as others have pointed out, there's a case to be made for it to be better - or at least more of a neo-noir - than dirty harry itself).

[Thief]

4lists48pointsMona Lisa (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/10002-mona-lisa.html)Director
Neil Jordan, 1986

Starring
Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Michael Caine, Robbie Coltrane

[Thief]

4lists51pointsManhunter (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/11454-manhunter.html)Director
Michael Mann, 1986

Starring
William Petersen, Tom Noonan, Joan Allen, Brian Cox

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMDvh1iq3Nc

Mona Lisa - A man recently released from prison manages to get a job driving a high-class call girl from customer to customer, which leads him into dangerous situations.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbpk0pv60DE

Manhunter - Former FBI profiler Will Graham comes out of retirement to help pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" by the media, which leads him to confront the demons of his past and meet again with Hannibal Lektor.

[Thief]

Whew, hope you didn't catch it, but I was sweating for a while there :laugh:

Anyway, I haven't seen Mona Lisa but I'm a big Manhunter fan. It just barely missed my list, but I like it a whole lot.


SEEN: 13/24
MY BALLOT: 3/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

[Iroquois]

no votes. seen both films and liked them very much. have been meaning to revisit manhunter for a while, especially since i need to compare its theatrical and director's cuts.

[Citizen Rules]

Haven't seen either yet, but I will be watching Mona Lisa soon as it's a nom in the 33rd HoF.

[Wyldesyde19]

I said it before, but I’m 90% sure I’ve seen Mona Lisa. It’s been so long, however, that it could definitely use a rewatch. Manhunter is ok. Been over a decade since I’ve seen that one as well, so probably should rewatch that too.

[seanc]

Added Mona Lisa to my Criterion watchlist, so I may get to that soon. I love Hoskins.

Manhunter has always felt like a movie I should love. It deserves a rewatch.

[Thursday Next]

I quite liked Mona Lisa but didn't vote for it. I wonder if The Crying Game will also appear.

[cricket]

9. Mona Lisa
15. The Driver
21. Manhunter

[Harry Lime]

Mona Lisa is a very good film with great peroformances and direction. I'm glad to see that it made the list. It wouldn't be a neo noir list without it.


I thought Manhunter was decent enough.

[Allaby]

I really liked Manhunter, but it didn't make my ballot. I've seen Mona Lisa and thought it was just okay.

Seen: 18/24

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... MONA LISA

https://prod-images.tcm.com/Master-Profile-Images/monalisa1986.83831.jpg
RT – 98%, IMDb – 7.3


Roger Ebert said:

"The movie's ending is a little too neat for my taste. But in a movie like this, everything depends on atmosphere and character, and Mona Lisa knows exactly what it is doing." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mona-lisa-1986))

Only a Bloody Blog said:

"Mona Lisa is a film of incredible contrasts. At times grubby and brutal while at others soft and beautiful. Part neo-noir, part tragic romance and part gangster classic it swings between the different styles with a confidence and subtlety to produce a quite wonderful end product." (read full review here (https://onlyabloodyblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/26/mona-lisa-1986/))

Rupert Lally said:

"Shot with considerable style by Neil Jordan, it manages to be an authentic British Noir/Drama and yet never descends into parody like the films of Guy Ritchie have done." (read full review here (https://medium.com/you-need-to-see-this/mona-lisa-1986-dir-neil-jordan-a2f8f2c7e923))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... MANHUNTER

https://horrornewstv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2016/11/manhunter004-1024x432.jpg
RT – 94%, IMDb – 7.2


Roger Ebert said:

"A feature-length riff on Nietzsche's old quote about looking long into the abyss, Manhunter is a moody, sorrowful picture about a man consciously uncoupling himself from domestic comforts in order to become that which he must destroy." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/features/the-chase-is-the-thing-on-michael-manns-manhunter-heat-and-public-enemies))

Soham Gadre, from Film Daze, said:

"Likewise, Manhunter, a film five years later that is less angry but more provocative than Thief, is even more dedicated to the elements of the neo-noir. It features the core 80’s mix of explicit sexuality and violence that came to define the subgenre’s popularity. " (read full review here (https://filmdaze.net/colorful-and-sinister-the-neo-noir-stylings-of-michael-manns-thief-and-manhunter/))

Mark Redmond, from Swampflix, said:

"Manhunter is a great movie, one of the best neo-noirs ever made. Not to throw a fantastic movie like Silence of the Lambs under the metaphorical bus, but Lambs has nothing on Mann’s sense of style and his cinematic eye. Every frame of Manhunter is gorgeous, even when it’s shocking, disturbing, or creepy" (read full review here (https://swampflix.com/2021/03/26/manhunter-1986/))

[MovieFan1988]

Have seen so far: 3 - Shutter Island - Don't remember much about the movie but remember not liking it that much.
Dirty Harry - A good movie from the 70's, if I made my ballot list 25 movies, this would be on it for sure.
Have not seen so far: 21

[WHITBISSELL!]

Yes to both Mona Lisa and Manhunter. Really liked both with ML maybe edging out Manhunter in terms of preference. Neither were on my ballot.

12 of 24 which puts me at 50%. Neither fish nor fowl.

[mrblond]

#78. Mona Lisa (1986) is my #21.

I remember how we had to cheat to get into the theatre in the late eighties because the film was age restricted. We were successful doing this. I've seen it couple more times since then.
Bob Hoskins is so natural, so genuine in his acting. I like him very much as a whole.

4+
82/100
98021
-----

My Ballot
▽
...
4. The Driver (1978) [#79]
5.
6. Red Rock West (1993) [#88]
7. The Hot Spot (1990) [#85]
8. Shallow Grave (1994) [#95]
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14. Purple Noon (1960) [#94]
...
21. Mona Lisa (1986) [#78]
...

https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/bd175Fmt3Web3j0qXahSKmdZPOe.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/wI6CalCMdSKXgx10gzfHY3vwyzf.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/iQCP69183K1QZo8bb23nkcLap3W.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/5t0mGiFlj5GBrZ7ggvvkMdFJ7fV.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/7n1KNXs4OFfeVLjJ3g10M8oK1fM.jpg https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w154/8VuPD8ZKAqxT6F1HaH9sFFURmsi.jpg

-----

My Near Misses:
▽
The Ninth Gate (1999) [one-pointers]
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) [#96]

[WHITBISSELL!]

Oh and #98, In the Heat of the Night, was my #4 pick. I had a vague feeling I'd missed something.

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen Mona Lisa. Manhunter is pretty good, but it didn't make my ballot.

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://criterion-production.s3.amazonaws.com/carousel-files/b2a49144df585e3c125e570b553f4bb7.jpeg


Mona Lisa received the following nominations and awards:


Six (6) BAFTA Award nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Bob Hoskins)
Four (4) Golden Globe Award nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Bob Hoskins)
Two (2) Cannes Film Festival award nominations, including a win for Best Actor (Bob Hoskins)
Academy Award nomination for Best Actor (Bob Hoskins)

[Thief]

AWARDS?

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzFlODUyYWUtNjg3Ni00YjQ2LWJkOWItNTI4NGJhNGEyNjYzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyOTc5MDI5NjE@._V1_.jpg


Manhunter only received the following nomination and award:


Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture (1987)
Cognac Festival du Film Policier Critics Award (Michael Mann)

[Miss Vicky]

I don't think I've even heard of either of today's films before.

[PHOENIX74]

Well, Mona Lisa is part of the 33rd Hall of Fame - I haven't seen it yet, but since I'm a collector and I have faith in what I've heard about it I blind bought the Criterion edition and will be watching it soon.

77. Manhunter - This is a classic that I haven't seen in a while, but have plenty of respect for. Untouched by the way Anthony Hopkins portrayed Hannibal Lecter and the way all Thomas Harris adaptations after Silence of the Lambs had Hopkins' Lecter dominate every single aspect of a film's atmosphere. There's a finer balance in Manhunter, and Tom Noonan made for an absolutely great Francis Dollarhyde (not taking anything away from Ralph Fiennes.) I've always had a bit of trouble with the sound when I've watched this on DVD - but I think this is more a transfer problem than a problem that's inherent to the movie itself. In any event, I turn the sound way up so I can understand what everyone is saying. I think the film has kind of aged like a fine wine, with the more stylized elements now just a part of the time period it's forever frozen in - with nothing contemporary to compare it with we just accept whatever style we see. Definitely fits it's neo noir classification.

Seen : 13/24
Never heard of : 3/24
Heard of but not seen : 8/24

[stillmellow]

If you were a police officer, you still wouldn't have the ability to accurately gauge this.

But for arguments sake, let's say it's true-



Then why would the movie be problematic? I think a gritty crime film is better when it's realistic. If your response would be, well, Callahan shouldn't be looked at as some kind of hero, besides the obvious response of it's just an R rated film and adults know the difference between right and wrong bla bla bla, I would say that flawed people and even horrible people can sometimes do the right thing and even act heroically. Just about anything can be problematic to somebody so I don't even think it's worth mentioning. I'm always surprised when something like this comes up here.



I have a feeling that we have very different opinions on politics, and I don't think either of us are going to change each other's minds, so I'll just focus on the movie.



The movie is problematic because it only shows one side of the equation. It doesn't want a debate, it wants the audience to only agree with the protagonist's point of view.


But that doesn't make it a bad movie. Dirty Harry is a good movie. But i think it could've been better if Callahan didn't always have to be right, and everyone opposed to him didn't always have to be wrong. There's an immaturity to it.


As I mentioned, my number one pick also has problematic elements, but up until the very end the protagonist is NOT a good person. It's a different sort of story.

[stillmellow]

I love Manhunter. And now I'm annoyed with myself. It's the first movie onthe list (so far) that really SHOULD have been in my top 25. I just didn't think of it.

It's too late to retroactively enter it, but for the record it probably should've been my #14. So that's 12 imaginary points you can add to its score. 😅

Hmm... that also would've changed my one pointer, knocking the existing one off. Anyway, that makes my scores:

Seen: 10/24
Own list:

3. Brick

(14. Manhunter... sorta)

[cricket]

I have a feeling that we have very different opinions on politics, and I don't think either of us are going to change each other's minds, so I'll just focus on the movie.



The movie is problematic because it only shows one side of the equation. It doesn't want a debate, it wants the audience to only agree with the protagonist's point of view.


But that doesn't make it a bad movie. Dirty Harry is a good movie. But i think it could've been better if Callahan didn't always have to be right, and everyone opposed to him didn't always have to be wrong. There's an immaturity to it.


As I mentioned, my number one pick also has problematic elements, but up until the very end the protagonist is NOT a good person. It's a different sort of story.

If that's your complaint then I don't think it's political in nature, but more a question of taste because there's a ton of films you could say that about. I don't see Dirty Harry as being unique in that regard. I thought you were going somewhere different, like how can this man of questionable morals be presented as some kind of hero.

[stillmellow]

as noted, even the film as a whole seems to be aware of this - "dirty harry" is an in-universe nickname, after all. that its first sequel is about a squad of cops who resort to vigilante murder in a way that even callahan finds objectionable points to this as well, though this is arguably justifying his own actions as being not that bad. sudden impact providing a genuinely sympathetic perp for him to chase readily makes it the best sequel (and, as others have pointed out, there's a case to be made for it to be better - or at least more of a neo-noir - than dirty harry itself).



I agree. The sequels are superior in this way, in my opinion.

[Holden Pike]

98027

Manhunter was #78 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1980s.

[SpelingError]

14/24 seen so far.

[Thief]

6lists52pointsUnder the Silver Lake (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/396461-under-the-silver-lake.html)Director
David Robert Mitchell, 2018

Starring
Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Callie Hernandez

[Thief]

3lists54pointsThe Silence of the Lambs (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/274-the-silence-of-the-lambs.html)Director
Jonathan Demme, 1991

Starring
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine

[Thief]

TRAILERS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwgUesU1pz4

Under the Silver Lake - A disenchanted young man finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment's pool one night. The next morning she disappears sending him off to find her across LA as he uncovers a far more bizarre conspiracy.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iB21hsprAQ

The Silence of the Lambs - Rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling is brought into the fold to help pursue a deranged serial killer dubbed "Buffalo Bill" by the media, which leads him to meet with Hannibal Lecter and confront the demons of her past.

[Wooley]

I did not have a chance to get a list in, I am ashamed to report, but I had started making one and Mona Lisa was on it.

[Thief]

Say what you will about The Silence of the Lambs making it, but one can't deny the serendipitous nature of it coming up almost back-to-back with Manhunter :laugh: Anyway, it is arguably one of my Top 10 favorite films. Love it, but I really don't see much neo-noir in it. That said, I welcome you to read the reviews I will link in the upcoming posts, but also this interesting analysis (https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-third-man-and-the-silence-of-the-lambs-the-noir-elements/) of it along with The Third Man, in regards to the noir elements in both films.

I haven't seen Under the Silver Lake, but it's been recommended to me by a few people.

SEEN: 14/26
MY BALLOT: 3/25


1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Following (#84)
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. Blue Ruin (#82)
17.
18. Red Rock West (#88)
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... UNDER THE SILVER LAKE

https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/under-the-silver-lake1.jpg
RT – 59%, IMDb – 6.5


Brian Tallerico, from RogerEbert.com, said:

"Under the Silver Lake may not come together completely, but it’s the only film I’ve seen this year that reminded me of both David Foster Wallace and Raymond Chandler." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/under-the-silver-lake-2019))

Oscar Hjelmstedt said:

"Though it’s definitely a neo-noir, [David Robert Mitchell] plays off classic noir tropes like the femme fatale. However, [he] is too aware of genre conventions to resort to clichés." (read full review here (https://onlyabloodyblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/26/mona-lisa-1986/))

Aidan Bryant, from Collider, said:

"A perfect noir for our times, Under the Silver Lake is aging beautifully, and more than worth your time watching, and all the time it will occupy in your mind after you finish it." (read full review here (https://collider.com/under-the-silver-lake-andrew-garfield-a24/))

[Thief]

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106840012-1613146763676silence-of-the-lambs-Cropped-jpg
RT – 95%, IMDb – 8.6


Roger Ebert said:

"Against these qualities, the weak points of the movie are probably not very important [...] But against these flaws are balanced true suspense, unblinking horror and an Anthony Hopkins performance that is likely to be referred to for many years when horror movies are discussed." (read full review here (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991))

Brett Dworski, from Literate Ape, said:

"For starters, its blending of genres was ingenious. The Silence of the Lambs is simultaneously a gritty, neo noir crime drama and a bloodcurdling thriller. It’s an intuitive detective story that’ll make you play chess with the characters, but also one that’ll shrivel your skin as you do so." (read full review here (https://www.literateape.com/blog/2021/10/11/how-the-silence-of-the-lambs-revolutionized-horror-films))

TheUsualSuspect said:

"Demme has created a concise and controlled psychological thriller that has been copied over and over again. The Silence of the Lambs launched the careers of everyone involved and holds up incredibly well today." (read full review here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1721971-the_silence_of_the_lambs.html))

[Harry Lime]

How did The Silence of the Lambs qualify? I thought it had to be on at least 2/3 of imdb, wikipedia, and letterboxd? I only see imdb. Anyway great film but a noir? I guess a bit.



I haven't seen Under the Silver Lake. I should check it out soon. Maybe today. Although I was thinking of watching Long Day's Journey Into Night. We'll see.

[CosmicRunaway]

I've seen both of today's films, but voted for neither. Silence of the Lambs didn't even cross my mind when I was making my list, but even though I have some "arguably way more psychological thriller than neo-noir" films on there, I don't think I would've included it. I did consider Under the Silver Lake, which was a film I was very mixed on when I first saw it, but I didn't feel like rewatching it and dismissed it pretty quickly. Perhaps I should give it another go?

Out of the previous four reveals, I've seen Dirty Harry and Manhunter. Like Silence of the Lambs, Manhunter isn't a film I thought about when compiling my shortlist. I think I'd be more inclined to vote for it over Silence of the Lambs though. Can't explain my reasoning there though, just a feeling I guess. Been meaning to rewatch Dirty Harry for ages now, since I saw it when I was quite young and don't really remember much about it.

Seen: 13/26

My List: 3
05. Blue Ruin (2013) - #82
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010) - #87
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

[CosmicRunaway]

How did The Silence of the Lambs qualify? I thought it had to be on at least 2/3 of imdb, wikipedia, and letterboxd? I only see imdb.
The Movie Database was also an option.

[seanc]

Silence Of The Lambs is amazing, but I didn’t consider it here.

I want to see Under The Silver Lake again, but it had no chance in a genre with so many options for me. It’s alright.

[Citizen Rules]

Never heard of Under the Silver Lake until just now:p

I did watch Silence of the Lambs in an HoF. It wasn't my type of movie but it was very well made. I wrote this:
https://d.wattpad.com/story_parts/147617576/images/13f063f36e764234.jpg
Silence of the Lambs (1991)



My favorite scenes were the interaction between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice, which were brilliant!...Especially Hannibal's cold reading of Clarice at their first meeting and his uncanny abilities of perception.

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal, he sure created a memorable character and did an amazing job of being intense, and weird, and yet likable too. It was quite the performance and he won an Oscar for it.

I really wanted to see him and Clarice have some sort of bond and that's why their scenes together were my favorite. It was a pretty great script idea that a psycho killer would respect this 'little' FBI trainee. I say 'little' because the cinematography goes to lengths to show Clarice surrounded at different times by really tall men, like in the elevator scene. That's not an accident, it shows us that physically she is surrounded by people much stronger than her, which then makes her task all the more daunting.

Jodie Foster won an Oscar for Best Actress and she was sublime in this movie! It's a pity that most fans don't give her the credit due. Her acting was always sincere (even Hannibal appreciated that aspect of her character). In Jodie Foster's reactionary close up shots to Anthony Hopkins, she convinces us, that the horror of Hannibal is real.

The sets: I'm a sucker for set detail and man is this movie loaded with cool sets! I loved the psychiatric jail where we first see Hannibal. The heavy cobble stones and rusting metal made it look like a long forgotten dungeon where these derelicts of society languished in darkness.

The second temporary holding cell for Hannibal was memorable too. It was this large cell surrounded by vastness of the otherwise empty room.

I really like Buffalo Bill's house it was loaded with weird looking stuff, one could spend hours just examining each frame for hidden details Good lighting too in there. Notice how his basement holding pit was made of the same big cobblestones that was in Hannibal's cell?

There were some scenes I didn't care for, they were just too dark for my taste. And I think it was a mistake having Hannibal be out on the run and free. I'm sure that was done with the hopes of a sequel being made. But I would have loved an epilogue with Clarice visiting Hannibal one more time, in his new permanent cell. I think they could have had a touching, yet uncomfortable moment there, as a way to reflect back on the journey they both took.

[Allaby]

I've seen and liked both Under The Silver Lake and Silence of the Lambs but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 20/26

[Thief]

Can somebody go check if Holden is ok? :shifty: :D

[Miss Vicky]

I like Silence of the Lambs but never considered it.

[Harry Lime]

The Movie Database was also an option.
Thanks I keep forgetting about that.

[Thief]

Another interesting list factoid... Under the Silver Lake has one of the two (2) lowest RT scores and one of the two (2) lowest IMDb ratings of the countdown, and it's paired with The Silence of the Lambs which has a 95% RT score and one of the three (3) highest IMDb scores of the countdown.

[Thursday Next]

I'd never heard of Under the Silver Lake. I have a lot of respect for Silence of the Lambs, and Jodie Foster in particular, but didn't really consider it for a neo-noir list.

[Iroquois]

no votes. under the silver lake could very nearly be a favourite but something about it doesn't quite click - i do appreciate it offering a culture-obsessed millennial burnout variation on neo-noir that distinguishes it next to the likes of brick (and at least having some self-awareness of how pathetic that sounds) and i like that it's managed to place this high. that and it has that scene with the songwriter, which might be one of my favourite scenes in 2010s cinema. the silence of the lambs has its own imperfect reputation, obviously easy to pick apart the ways in which its approach to serial killer pathology has its drawbacks but at the same time hard to deny that it warranted as much acclaim and popularity as it did with the craftsmanship on display.

[WHITBISSELL!]

1 for 2. Haven't watched Under the Silver Lake but just like so many others here have watched Silence of the Lambs (as well as all the other Thomas Harris sequels.) Neither were on my ballot.

13 of 26.

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen Under the Silver Lake. The Silence of the Lambs is very good, but it didn't cross my mind as neo noir at all when I assembled my list. If I had thought of it, it might've made it.

[SpelingError]

I haven't seen Under the Silver Lake. The Silence of the Lambs is very good, but it didn't cross my mind as neo noir at all when I assembled my list. If I had thought of it, it might've made it.

Actually, I was just informed by Thief that it did make my ballot at #17.

[cricket]

Like most I love SOTL but didn't consider it here.

Under the Silver Lake has the appearance of a film that made the countdown due to recency bias, but so what I'd still like to see it.

[Thief]

Under the Silver Lake has the appearance of a film that made the countdown due to recency bias, but so what I'd still like to see it.


I haven't seen it but I think it's a bit more than that. It seems to me it is one of those films that those that like it *really* like it.

[honeykid]

I had Dirty Harry at #10. Only there because I saw it qualified as neo-noir. It never would've occured to me otherwise and I don't think it is.

Mona Lisa is one I wish I'd remembered because I would've put that on my list. As is Manhunter, though when I saw it on here it didn't really click as I've never thought of it as noir, neo or otherwise. But I can see it. Next time I watch it (whenever that might be) I'll watch it with that in mind and see how I feel about it.

Brick is another film I've owned (nearly 20 years now) that I still haven't seen.

I wonder what the next list that Silence Of The Lambs will be on which it shouldn't qualify for will be? That's horror and Neo-Noir so far. :D

[stillmellow]

Silence of the Lambs is a great movie, but l also didn't consider it a neo noir.



Under the Silver Lake is my #24! If I could retroactively vote for Manhunter, it would've been my #25.


I fully understand why it's such a polarizing movie, but I love the style and feel a lot. The fact that it there's something off and it doesn't quite 'click' is what makes it Noir to me. The hero never truly understands what's going on, and in the end discovers that not only was rescuing the girl not possible, it wasn't even something that she wanted. She wanted to be a 'special, privileged person, even if it killed her'. Our hero is neither privileged or special. The freedom he offers her is something she does not value at all. He has nothing that she wants. His entire quest, which caused innocent people to die, was completely pointless. What could be more Noir than that?

[PHOENIX74]

76. Under the Silver Lake - This was really weird and a great movie that I enjoyed heaps when I got to watch it - a nice and eccentric neo noir film that stayed true to it's noir roots but did everything in a fairly original way. I need to see it again - and I'm surprised I don't have it on DVD already - it's a necessary purchase for me, seeing as how much I liked it the first time around. (I don't know if anyone has mentioned this already, but I'd just like to say how cool I think it is that when you hover your mouse pointer thingy over the film posters they turn from black and white to colour.) Andrew Garfield was great here - one of my favourite performances from him, so much so my opinion of him as an actor went up significantly when I saw Under the Silver Lake.

75. Silence of the Lambs - Bit of a surprise to see this in the neo noir countdown - but every time I watch it I confirm to myself that Silence of the Lambs is a great film - one of the best of the 1990s, with all-time-great performances, including one from Anthony Hopkins that was almost too good. His Dr. Hannibal Lecter is part of popular culture now - and will live on for lord knows how long. It was so good that they kept dragging him back for adaptations of everything Thomas Harris did with Lecter in it. Hannibal was a big disappointment, but when films the caliber of Silence of the Lambs are made, sequels will always pale in comparison. Great police procedural serial killer hunt with psychological frights which will haunt you for a little while after each watch. " What became of your lamb, Clarice?" Empathy hurts is a world full of horrors.

No votes for either of these, but I like 'em both.

Seen 15/26

[Little Ash]

Like most I love SOTL but didn't consider it here.

Under the Silver Lake has the appearance of a film that made the countdown due to recency bias, but so what I'd still like to see it.


Possibly. Under the Silver Lake was #23 on my ballot. It's only one of the two films from after 2010 to make it. But I also wasn't working off of a list of movies from a movie site for me to make sure I didn't miss any obvious films. (It turns out I have. After looking at the poster for this countdown, I realized I completely forgot about The Conversation, which would have been a top 5 entry for sure. Possibly even #1. Oh well).


Under the Silver Lake - Does it feel like it's wearing its influences of Pynchon and Lynch (namely Mulholland Drive, solidified by the presence of Patrick Fischler) on its sleeve? Yeah. Is David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) not as capable of pulling it off as those two? Of course. But despite the messiness of vaguely maybe trying a little too hard (or maybe that's really jusy the satiric/comedic nature of the Pynchon influence*), the movie lands for me. And unlike other movies on my list (and contenders for it), it's clearly a noir.


*: and let's be honest, people trying to imitate Lynch or Pynchon usually ends badly.

[Little Ash]

I liked Manhunter, but I don't think it was more than possibly a fleeting consideration for my ballot, nor was any Michael Mann. But Michael Mann crime dramas did mentally land on the side of neo-noir when I was trying to think of crime dramas that seemed neo-noir to me rather than just crime dramas (the latter would be more Scorsese organized crime movies or The Godfather).


I wouldn't think of Silence of the Lambs as noir (more horror-thriller combined with crime procedural), but I guess I shouldn't be surprised people would once they started considering Manhunter (I wonder how many ballots had both).

Blue Ruin didn't cross my mind. I'm not sure it would have made my ballot or not if it has, but would have been in consideration for it.

Following - I watched then back when I was still following Nolan's career. I think it was an okay/interesting first calling card, but found myself preferring Memento (which I'm guessing will show up later). No Nolan made its way onto my ballot.

[John-Connor]

I wonder what the next list that Silence Of The Lambs will be on which it shouldn't qualify for will be? :D
Musical.. :D
https://i.makeagif.com/media/1-07-2016/5zJHhB.gif