The MoFo Top 100 Neo-noir Countdown

I just said this a few minutes ago and would you look at that? Today brings 2 of the 6 or 7 that I thought could make it but wasn't sure. I'm gonna be honest, I don't really consider either of these films to be Neo Noir (not that I know what Neo Noir is), but they appeared on some already existing lists and when I cut my shortlist down to only eligible films I was left with 25 so I stopped cutting.

The Big Lebowski is a former all time top ten movie for me so I stuck it at #5 on my ballot. Pulp Fiction is stylish and fun, but I've never loved it the way so many others do and it's not even my favorite Tarantino flick so it got shoved in at #16.


My Ballot:
2. You Were Never Really Here (#50)
3. The Man From Nowhere (#87)
4. The Departed (#53)
5. The Big Lebowski (#38)
7. True Romance (#60)
12. Shutter Island (#86)
13. The Nice Guys (#39)
14. Inherent Vice (#41)
16. Pulp Fiction (#37)
17. Killer Joe (2011) (#66)

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7. The Big Lebowski
8. Pulp Fiction
17. The Silence of the Lambs
22. Point Blank
23. Alphaville

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE BIG LEBOWSKI


Roger Ebert said:

Jesse Pasternack, from Establishing Shot, said:

@Nope1172 said:

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WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... PULP FICTION


Roger Ebert said:

Neo Noir Elements in Pulp Fiction said:

@Captain Spaulding said:

Have seen so far: 15 - You Were Never Really Here - I found the movie all over the place and just confusing at times.

The Big Lebowski - I found this movie boring and just unfunny.

Pulp Fiction - Decent crime movie, I think the cast did well in it.

Blade Runner 2049 - A boring slow burn sequel, the atmosphere is the only good thing about this movie, imo.

Night Moves - This was an okay movie from the 70s, felt like not much happened in this movie.

The Nice Guys - Not a bad buddy cop movie.

Have not seen so far: 47

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I feel like the more this countdown goes on, the less sure I am what neo noir is.

Some of the people who submitted ballots certainly had that issue.

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To be honest, I have less of an issue with these two than I have with, say, The Dark Knight or The Silence of the Lambs.

I didn't consider either of these movies to be "noir" enough to qualify. If I had, Pulp Fiction would've ranked highly. I enjoyed The Big Lebowski, but nowhere as much as a lot of other people do. It's fine.

2 for 2. The Big Lebowski and Pulp Fiction are probably the ones most (if not all) the people here have seen. Neither were on my ballot. So far it's not looking too good for me running the table since there's only like six of my picks accounted for.

42 out of 64 seen so far.

EDIT: It's actually seven of my picks accounted for with the top 5 already on the board (don't know if that's good or bad)

1. The French Connection (#58)
2. You Were Never Really Here (#50)
3. Get Carter (#49)
4. In the Heat of the Night (#98)
5. Blast of Silence (#48)

18. One False Move (#73)
24. Point Blank (#72)

What a pair. Back in the 90s I probably watched Pulp Fiction every month (at least) for years, and I have a fairly endless capacity to rewatch The Big Lebowski, but I never considered Pulp Fiction. I did debate with myself over The Big Lebowski, but I ultimately decided not to include any films that I thought were primarily a comedy, no matter how brilliantly it plays around with hard-boiled (and Chandler-esque) tropes. It was my #1 comedy, and I'm glad it made the list, but I'm also okay with it being a little lower on this one.

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Kill Bill 1 is neo-noir? Um, okay. Jackie Brown maybe, though it seems a little high at this point. As for the Coens, The Man Who Wasn't There seemed like it would have a chance, but it's hard to see it showing at this point, but I'm pretty sure Blood Simple will still make it. No Country is a neo-western. It really doesn't belong, but then I've thought that a couple times about other movies on the countdown.

AWARDS?


The Big Lebowski received several nominations and awards. These are some of the most notable:

• Six (6) Awards Circuit Community Award nominations, including a win for Best Supporting Actor (John Goodman)
• Three (3) Satellite Award nominations, including Best Actor (Jeff Bridges)
• Two (2) Russian Guild of Film Critics nominations, including a win for Best Foreign Film
• One (1) Empire Award nomination for Best Film

AWARDS?


Pulp Fiction received a bunch of nominations and awards. These are some of the most notable:

• Nine (9) BAFTA Film Award nominations, including a win for Best Supporting Actor (Samuel L. Jackson)
• Seven (7) Academy Award nominations, including a win for Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary)
• Six (6) Golden Globe Award nominations, including a win for Best Screenplay (Tarantino & Avary)
• Six (6) MTV Movie Award nominations, including a win for Best Movie
• One (1) win for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival

I've seen The Nice Guys, The Big Lebowski, and Pulp Fiction, but didn't vote for any of them. Pulp Fiction was on my shortlist for awhile, but when I was narrowing down my selection, I wasn't sure if it was noir enough, so I decided to just cut it instead of debating it internally. Why did I cut that and not say, Infernal Affairs? I'm not sure if I have an answer for that; I just went with what my heart told me.

I don't really have any strong opinions on The Big Lebowski, but The Nice Guys was a pretty big disappointment when I saw it in theatres. I feel like I should give it another chance, especially now that I can better divorce it from my fondness of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but it'll probably be awhile before I revisit it.

Haven't seen Night Moves, but I know the Bob Seger song if that counts haha.

Seen: 32/64

My List: 8
02. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - #44
03. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - #42
05. Blue Ruin (2013) - #82
06. Mother (2009) - #67
08. Strange Days (1995) - #65
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010) - #87
15. Infernal Affairs (2002) - #91
21. Oldboy (2003) - #52
25. The Chaser (2008) - DNP 1-pointer

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Personally, I don't consider it neo-noir. But based on the eligibility rules that we set up, it was eligible. The thing with Tarantino, which I tried to address in the articles I linked earlier, is that he borrows elements from so many sources and films that it makes his films so hard to define, classify, and box. With that in mind, of course there are neo-noir elements in Kill Bill; there is narration, flashbacks, creative use of lights and shadows, characters with ambiguous morals, a revenge storyline...



It all depends in how much weight you give to those elements over the whole of the film. Personally, I didn't consider it, but I will only say that some people saw enough of it to label it as such in some of the sources, and some people saw enough of it to check it out and vote for it. Whether it made it or not, remains to be seen.

Night Moves was most certainly on my list at #22. I am not as huge a fan of it as say Holden, but I have seen it several times, and I feel it is easily in the top 25 neos of all time, but perhaps just not in my top favorites. Hackman is fantastic here. A funny thing about this film: I have never watched this with anyone else, along with Coppola's The Conversation, which is also a Hackman picture. These are films I like to watch alone, and just sort of chill out in the atmosphere and tension of the films. I figured Night Moves would land around here on the list, as I don't run into many people who have even heard of it. I wouldn't have heard of it if not for MoFo.

Pulp Fiction was also on m list at #10. it just cracked my top 10, and I think I placed it properly. I never tire of watching it, and I have see it dozens and dozens of times. Not a quintessential noir, to be sure, but it ticks enough boxes for me.

The Big Lebowski? Never would have guessed it would show up on a neo-noir list, but here we are...

The Nice Guys is a fun film, and I have seen it 2 or 3 times over the years. Again though, didn't come up on my neo-noir radar...

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Isn't The Big Lebowski an indirect riff on The Big Sleep? If so, I think that in itself allows its inclusion to make sense.


But put me on the, nah, for Pulp Fiction being a neo noir. And quadruple that Nah when it comes to Kill Bill, if anyone actually had it in their heads to include it.

Pulp Fiction was my # 21.
The Big Lebowski was not on my list. I've certainly seen it. I probably should have put Blood Simple on my list instead of Pulp Fiction.
My List So Far.
2. You Were Never Really Here
7. Klute
8. Cape Fear (1962)
11. The Talented Mr. Ripley
12. The Grifters
21. Pulp Fiction
23. Bound

Haven't thought of this film initially but just at the last minute before submitting, I put two cents on
#37. Pulp Fiction (1994) putting it on my #24.

I saw, it been mentioned in the preliminary thread so I knew, it will receive enough support. That's why, I didn't push it higher. Now, firstly I was surprised to see its reveal early outside top 15 but understand it's because of the hesitations about its noir status.

I've seen it several times and some separate scenes hundreds of times. Highly watchable and stylish movie.


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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.
...
14. Purple Noon (1960) [#94]
15.
16. Thelma & Louise (1991) [#56]
...
21. Mona Lisa (1986) [#78]
22.
23.
24. Pulp Fiction (1994) [#37]
...
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Others in my radar:
▽
The Ninth Gate (1999) [one-pointers]
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) [#96]
True Romance (1993) [#60]

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