The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

Murder, My Sweet is one of my favorite Noirs and it made my list at #13. It was mentioned that Dick Powell had previously been in musicals and that's where I knew him from. My wife and I were pretty much glued to Turner Classic Movies for a couple of years and we saw several of his musical extravaganzas, including the three Gold Diggers films. So it was a joy when he put on the shoulder holster and fedora and wisecracked his way through this great Noir. I have to applaud the supporting cast: it was hard for me to reconcile Claire Trevor as the same woman from Stagecoach (1939). She was so sultry here, it was night and day for me. Anne Shirley was fine also, and although she didn't strut around slinkily, she still made an impression. Otto Kruger was great as the heavy of the piece, but almost stealing Powell's thunder was Mike Mazurki in my favorite role of his as Moose Malloy, the bruiser who gets Marlowe into the whole mess of a case so he "find Velma" for Moose. And about Moose, Marlowe says, " I tried to picture him in love with somebody, but it didn't work."

And I just love his whole hard-boiled detective lingo, which is how these guys should talk:"I caught the blackjack right behind my ear. A black pool opened up at my feet. I dived in. It had no bottom. I felt pretty good - like an amputated leg."

I like Gilda very much and the trio of Glenn Ford, Rita Hayworth, and George Macready were super. I like Glenn Ford when he's sour or bitter, or just plain mad, yet I included another Noir on my list where he's all three but I don't know if it'll make it at this point. Too bad, 'cause it's a killer!

#4 The Big Combo List Proper #52
#6 Kansas City Confidential List Proper #53
#13 Murder, My Sweet List Proper #28
#14 Kiss of Death List Proper #59
#15 He Walked By Night List Proper #88
#16 The Naked City List Proper #60
#20 Gun Crazy List Proper #36
#22 This Gun For Hire List Proper #78
#23 The Narrow Margin List Proper #43
#25 Crossfire List Proper #51

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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."

Both of these are on my ballot, and both are memorable...

#28 Murder, My Sweet - Detectives in noir movies get knocked out so often they must have suffered from CTE later in life. Here Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) gets poisoned, crushed, knocked out and generally abused trying to work a few cases which he finds out are connected. This is a typically twisty, complex web of a Chandler mystery brought to life by Edward Dmytryk, who would go on to make films like The Young Lions, The Caine Mutiny and Broken Lance. The biggest surprise for me was how well Dick Powell acquits himself playing such a revered character - he kind of makes him his own, adding Powell's particular touch of charm. I had Murder, My Sweet at #11 on my ballot.

#27 Gilda - Rita Hayworth, and that great shot where she bobs up. The suave and handsome Glen Ford. Turn up the heat, the coolness, the sex-appeal and the mysterious power of Gilda - all wrapped up in Buenos Aires, a Casablanca-like den of corruption, blackmail, sex, gambling, hustling and crime. Great costumes and music. Loads of tension, and murderous intrigue. Gilda has it all, including mutual obsession, steamy heat, visual artistry and resentful recriminations from all of the characters. It's one of the sexiest film noir films I've seen from this era. I had it at #14 on my ballot.

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Seen : 19/74
I'd never even heard of : 47/74
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 8/74
Films from my list : 10

#27 - My #14 - Gilda (1946)
#28 - My #11 - Murder, My Sweet (1944)
#31 - My #25 - The Lady From Shanghai (1947)
#33 - My #22 - Nightmare Alley (1947)
#36 - My #16 - Gun Crazy (1950)
#44 - My #19 - Criss Cross (1949)
#54 - My #12 - D.O.A. (1950)
#58 - My #23 - The Breaking Point (1950)
#61 - My #21 - Act of Violence (1949)
#67 - My #18 - The Hitch-Hiker (1953)

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Two more I haven't seen, but recognize the titles of.

#26 Key Largo (1948)

Director: John Huston
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor
187 Points, 21 Lists

#25 Night and the City (1950)

Director: Jules Dassin
Production: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
189 Points, 16 Lists

Key Largo is good, but didn't make my ballot. Night and the City is excellent and was my #7.

Seen: 75/76.

Key Largo was #77 on the MoFo Top 100 of the 1940s.

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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

Two entries very much overdue for a revisit.

Key Largo is my #21. Quintessential, feel-good noir. I liked Night in the City, but it didn't make my list.

Key Largo was just okay for me, but it’s been a long time.

I will be watching Night And The City very soon and looking forward to it. It just hit Criterion Channel this month. Just a bit too late for me to get it in before list time.

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Letterboxd

I considered both Jules Dassin's noirs; The Naked City and Night and the City for my ballot. But because of it's immersive story, stronger performances and characters, I went with the latter. Not necessarily for it's cinematography because I think the former probably wins in that department. Key Largo was a very enjoyable classic, with a veteran cast and good looking set pieces. I have it at #39.

SEEN 44/76
BALLOT 12/25

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Entertainment Log
Letterboxd profile

Night and the City was my #8 . A really good film. I didn't know whether to root for the protagonist to succeed or for him to get his comeuppance.


I've seen Key Largo but don't remember it well.

Key Largo is a fun watch with lots of top notch stars. Night and the City made my ballot! It was my #15 ballot choice. I wrote this about it Night and the City(1950)

Two donuts from me, but both have been on my radar.



SEEN: 20/76
MY BALLOT: 8/25

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Night and the City is Jules Dassin's fourth entry in the countdown. He has already placed Brute Force (#73), The Naked City (#60), and Rififi (#42). It also has one of the highest IMDb ratings in the countdown at 7.9 (tied with Elevator to the Gallows and The Lost Weekend).

I am hoping there is still room for one more Jules Dassin flick - the one I have on my ballot - though we are quickly running out of real estate. Maybe tomorrow?

Another pair of mine...

#25 Night and the City (1950) and #26 Key Largo (1948), I have them both respectively at #20 and #19 on my ballot.

I've bought Key Largo DVD at some clearance sale couple of years ago but haven't seen it until the last December, just in time for the countdown. It's okay movie, a bit naive, and landed at my lower slots. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised it made it so high on the list. Now I wonder how I put Night and the City below it.

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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.

I'm not familiar with Key Largo. IDK if Night and the City was on my radar before the countdown, but I did watch it recently (this month) because it came onto the criterion channel's Peak Noir collection. If I had seen it before making my ballot, it probably would have placed on my ballot. I just loved the intertwining, backstabbing through "helpful" measures. Something about it reminded me of the plot structure of Blood Simple, which I love.

Wowzers. 2 for 2 and they're both on my list. Key Largo is my #16 and Night and the City is my #11.

Key Largo is a fine example of film noir while, at the same time, transcending the genre. From director John Huston to Bogart, Bacall and Robinson. Lionel Barrymore. Claire Trevor positively shining as Gaye Dawn. Rocco's crew of nonchalantly murderous thugs. Such a powerhouse, faultless cast. I liked how Rocco's dismissive nickname for Bogart's Maj. Frank McCloud took on a different meaning and tone as the film progressed. "Soldier!, Soldier!" I love this movie.

Night and the City featured what is probably Richard Widmark's best role as born-to-lose Harry Fabian. You know how it's bound to end for Harry but Jules Dassin and Widmark keep you invested all the same. Another great noir this time with London's seedy underbelly as the setting.

46 of 76 seen so far. 12 picks accounted for.

1.
2.
3. High Sierra (#50)
4.
5. Ride the Pink Horse (#45)
6. Mystery Street (#93)
7. Gun Crazy (#36)
8.
9.
10.
11. Night and the City (#25)
12.
13.
14. Stray Dog (#32)
15.
16. Key Largo (#26)
17.
18.
19. The Narrow Margin (#43)
20. Kansas City Confidential (#53)
21. Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
22. Too Late for Tears (#81)
23.
24. The Set-Up (#46)
25.