The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

14 out of 20 sadly

These games are not made for mobile, but I got the ones I could see. Enjoying these little games. Thanks Thief.

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Letterboxd

I only got 13 myself was drawing blanks.

#14 The Night of the Hunter (1955)

Director: Charles Laughton
Production: Paul Gregory Productions
Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish
330 Points, 21 Lists

#13 Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

Director: Robert Aldrich
Production: Parklane Pictures
Cast: Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart
333 Points, 23 Lists

Night Of The Hunter is one of those movies that I feel should be a no brainer slam dunk five star for me. After 2 viewings, I just think it’s okay.

Apparently I didn’t like Kiss Me Deadly at all. Don’t ask me why unless you enjoy shoulder shrugs.

13 out of 20, some I couldn't make out who the person was suppose to be. Sadly I recognized the Gloria Grahame poster, knew the movie and I couldn't remember the damn title...it stars Joan Crawford. I couldn't think of the Bogie Bacall movie either and I just finished watching Bogart's filmography.

Kiss Me Deadly is my #7... and a great Lita Ford song. 😃


I like how much of an extra bastard our "hero" is, and it's unusual plot. The speech from Gaby Rodgers before pulling the trigger is a favorite of mine. It's all a bit over the top, but I love it.


I keep meaning to see Night of the Hunter, but I still haven't gotten around to it.

I really liked Kiss Me Deadly and had it as number 12 on my ballot. Night of the Hunter is great too, but didn't make my ballot.

Seen: 87/88

It's been a veeeery long time since I saw The Night of the Hunter. I remember liking it, but not as much as most people. That said, it's a film I've been meaning to rewatch cause it certainly feels like I missed something. It's the kind of film that I feel like I should be more crazy about.

I haven't seen Kiss Me Deadly.


SEEN: 28/88
MY BALLOT: 13/25

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I lost track of Kiss Me Deadly on the countdown. I didn't have it on my predicted list of top twenty because I mistakenly thought it had already shown (must have been thinking of Kiss of Death)! Way to go, Hammer.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

List facts!

• At 8.0, The Night of the Hunter has the second highest IMDb rating, just below Ace in the Hole, White Heat, Rebecca, and Rififi (all of which are tied with 8.1)
• This is the first time in both countdowns that both reveals are from the same year.
• This are both Robert Aldrich and Charles Laughton's first entries in the countdown. Do you think they'll get any more?

Night of the Hunter was 9 for me.

Kiss Me Deadly this high seems a bit high to me. But mofo disagrees.

Kiss Me Deadly was #63 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1950s. The Night of the Hunter was #25 on that list as well as #58 on the MoFo Top 100 Refresh in 2020.

Am I still the least total viewed, with 24 out of 88 seen? Just curious.

1. ?
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?
5. The Lost Weekend (1945)
6. Murder My Sweet (1944)
7. Kiss Me Deadly
8. ?
9. ?
10. White Heat (1949)
11. Rebecca (1940)
12. ?
13. ?
14. ?
15. Detour (1945)
16. ?
17. Strangers on a Train
18. Ace in the Hole (1951)
19. Leave Her to Heaven (1945
20. Nightmare Alley (1947
21. Key Largo (1948)
22. ?
23. Suspicion (1941)
24. Big Combo (1955)
25. DOA (1950)

Kiss Me Deadly is my #4. This is noir turned up to 11, falling close to the end of the classic cycle in 1955. The existential dread surrounding nuclear holocaust had really engrained itself into the psyche of the public, and clearly the people making films at the time were no exception. Lots of callbacks to this film, both thematically and visually, have appeared in more contemporary films. Films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pulp Fiction, and Repo Man have lifted the iconic light shining out of the box/case/trunk scene in a direct visual reference. Lost Highway copies its credit sequence, and even silly stuff like Richard Kelly's Southland Tales quotes lines from the film directly. There are many more, with the film's poster etc. showing up in other films and stuff of that nature. Possibly one of the most influential films of all time.

I absolutely love this film, and have seen it many, many times. Some great lines in this one, like this

"First, you find a little thread, the little thread leads you to a string, and the string leads you to a rope, and from the rope you hang by the neck."



Sadly, I have never seen The Night of the Hunter! Massive blind spot.

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Well said! Who would have thought that when this b-noir was released it would be so influential!

Good question...I bet I'm the least viewed in the neo noir countdown...I'll have to add up what I seen when the countdowns wrap up.

Poor Shelley Winters...she always seems to end up in the water!