Both are acknowledged classic films, for good reason. I did not have either on my ballot. The Manchurian Candidate, as brilliant as it is, doesn't fit my personal definition of Neo Noir enough to even warrant consideration. In the Heat of the Night has enough elements that I considered it, though ultimately I didn't even include it on my shortlist.

For whatever reason, I still have never seen The Manchurian Candidate. I would blindly guess, going into, it would read more like a political-thriller to me and wouldn't have guessed a connection to neo-noir. Don't know how much of that is misconception or just funginess of the genre (movement?). In terms of Frankenheimer, I still need to Seconds as well. That's probably higher up on my to watch list.

This is the list of one-pointers that have been picked up already.

• The Chaser (2008) - CosmicRunaway

http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walt...allowgrave.gif

Shallow Grave (Danny Boyle, 1994)
Imdb

Date Watched: 02/15/18
Cinema or Home: Home
Reason For Watching:15th Hall of Fame, nominated by @edarsenal
Rewatch: No.

Well that was a good bit of morbid, violent fun.

I went into this movie knowing absolutely nothing about it. I think the only other Danny Boyle films I’ve see were 28 Days Later, which I barely remember at all having seen it only once many years ago, and The Beach, which I have mixed feelings about. But right away I was drawn in. The film’s main trio of characters are a**holes – and we learn this from the very start. They take pleasure in tormenting others for their own amusement and we never really see a redeeming side to any of them nor do we ever learn much about them as people.

And yet, their journey from a relatively carefree existence, to one of paranoia, fear, deceit and violence is a really fascinating watch. As they began to turn on each other I found myself a bit conflicted as to which a**hole – if any – I wanted to see walk away with the prize and ultimately I was happy with the outcome.

But, aside from an entertaining story, there’s not a whole lot to say about this one as I really didn’t notice anything else. I suppose the cinematography and score worked well enough; I have no complaints about either. The performances were fine, but I don’t feel like these were roles that really demanded much of the people playing them.

All in all a good way to spend 90 minutes, but not anything I would consider particularly memorable.

+

...
Shallow Grave - Three flatmates in Edinburgh set off a chain of events after finding out their mysterious new flatmate dead in his room, with a bag full of money.

Some commentary:

Being a black comedy, the film has neither the mood nor the look of a noir. But it does contain a familiar noir trope: a person or persons are enticed by something that they know is wrong or illegal, but they do it anyway, and in the end suffer the consequences.

There's already been multiple films that never had a chance at my ballot because I don't personally view them as noir, and I'm sure there will be many more.

There's already been multiple films that never had a chance at my ballot because I don't personally view them as noir, and I'm sure there will be many more. It's probably not worth mentioning again unless a big time favorite shows up.

Interesting we already have two of the Tom Ripley movies in the bottom ten. Can Purple Noon be far behind (or is it ahead)?

What are the odds, man??? What are the odds??? :laugh:

So three MoFos voted for The American Friend, two voted for The Talented Mr. Ripley, and three voted for Purple Noon. Out of curiosity, was there any overlap? Did some MoFo vote for two or even all three of the major Tom Ripley adaptations, or did eight separate voters somehow land these flicks at #100, #96, and #94 and almost exactly evenly splitting the support?

Three Ripley movies in a row at the bottom of the list. What does it mean?
1. It means that only a very limited number of users have a high appreciation of this story.
2. It means that only a very limited number of users are familiar with it.
3. Most of the users don't see it as noir.
:tsk:

Yahoo! Finally one from my ballot!:) I had The Hustler as my #3 choice. Love that movie, especially the relationship dynamic between Paul Newman and Piper Laurie...I rated it 5/5.

My MoFo review:
The Hustler (1961)

Fast Eddie (Paul Newman) is a two-bit pool hustler who's a real wiz at the game but his self destructive narcissistic streak keeps him from being the champ. He takes on the legendary "Minnesota Fats" in an all night, high stakes pool game. A game which takes more than shooting skills to win. Fast Eddie also meets Sarah (Piper Laura) setting alone in a train station. Laure is a girl with low self esteem and a lame leg, she uses sex as an escape. The two strike up a relationship based on booze and self destructive behaviors.

The Hustler is like a classic Greek tragedy where the protagonist rise to glory only to be destroyed by their own character flaws. It's a study of two very dysfunctional people, with pool as the driving force that causes their flaws to come into play.

Fast Eddie is not likeable, he's not suppose to be. He has an inflated sense of his own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultra confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

Sarah is a manic depressive, she's more sad than likable. Drowning her self pity in alcohol and in sex with strangers. She's the enabler that keeps Fast Eddie going. She makes the mistake of tying herself to Eddie, as if he was an anchor that would keep her stable. But Eddie has no empathy for her, his only need is to be important at any cost. The Hustler shows us a very real and very dysfunctional relationship.

Jackie Gleason is Minnesota Fats, and owns the role. Gleason was known for doing outlandish physical comedy on The Honeymooners. Here he keeps his body movements to a minimum and with just a slight nod of his head or a raised eyebrow he can convey more than most actors can do with their whole bodies.

Gerorge C. Scott is the cold, conniving financier of the illicit pool games. He's one of those truly slimy bad guys you love to hate. He's good at being bad and being believable while doing it.

In the pool scenes many of the camera angles were done low, looking up at the players. A few shots were done from a high angle, like is done in televised pool tournaments. Both added a tension to the pool scenes. Maybe most impressive is that all those pool halls are real. They actually shot in the pool halls in New York. This gave this hard hitting story a grimy reality that matches the dark reality of the characters plights.

I hope all seven of you Ripley voters are stoked for the upcoming Netflix series starring "The Hot Priest" himself, Andrew Scott. Love that Steven Zaillian (Searching for Bobby Fischer, "The Night Of...") was able to shoot in black & white, lensed by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Nightcrawler, Good Night and Good Luck). I mean, we don't really need another adaptation of this story, but there are certainly top-flight people involved in front of and behind the camera. We'll see if the longer format of a series allows further shading or simply feels like it is dragging things out?