The MoFo Top 100 Neo-noir Countdown

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I like that both films coincidentally have "friend" in the title, though I've seen neither haha.
"Friends" that are not really friends Very noir
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He deserves some credit, he threw some ideas out and made some additional suggestions after the first mockup that definitely improved it.

And yeah I'm really happy with the neon effect! It's fun.
What font type is being used for the movie title? It looks great, I might have to steal it



A system of cells interlinked
The neon is totally bad ass!

Two I haven't seen or even heard of. 0/2 so far!
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What font type is being used for the movie title? It looks great, I might have to steal it
It's called "Portia." There's actually a really nice selection of noirish fonts out there to choose from.



The Friends of Eddie Coyle is on my Crime Top 200 somewhere. Robbery, Bullitt and The Hot Rock are my favorite Peter Yates films so far. Haven't seen The American Friend yet but Wenders, Hopper and Ganz are top notch so I will rectify that soon. Seen 1/2.


My one-pointer Mirage is a dark and mysterious, conspiracy/paranoia Neo-noir. Starring Diane Baker and Gregory Peck who suffers from amnesia after a blackout hits his office building. Great appearances by Walter Matthau who plays a Private Investigator and George Kennedy as a henchman. Accompanied by a beautiful and fitting Jazz score by Grammy Legend Award winner Quincy Jones.



WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE?


RT – 98%, IMDb – 7.4

Roger Ebert said:

"The movie is as simple as that. It’s not a high-strung gangster film, it doesn’t have a lot of overt excitement in it, and it doesn’t go in for much violence. He gives us a man, invites our sympathy for him, and then watches almost sadly as his time runs out. And The Friends of Eddie Coyle works so well because Eddie is played by Robert Mitchum, and Mitchum has perhaps never been better." (read full review here)
Damien Love said:

"When film noir returned, it found Robert Mitchum there still, waiting patiently, saying hello to darkness like an old friend. The Friends Of Eddie Coyle might not be as well known as [Chinatown, The Conversation, or Night Moves], but, setting the pace at the head of the pack, it is a key movie of the '70s cycle." (read full review here)
@DocHoliday said:

"Everything about this film is perfect - the acting, the dialogue, the directing, the cinematography that so expertly displays the bleak, unforgiving underbelly of 1970s Boston. A truly great neo-noir, for anyone who loves the genre." (read full review here)



WHAT DID YOU THINK OF... THE AMERICAN FRIEND?


RT – 88%, IMDb – 7.4

Steve Erickson, from RogerEbert.com, said:

"The American Friend represents the most ambitious attempt to reinvent film noir for the baby boomer generation." (read full review here)
The Movie Gourmet said:

"Dennis Hopper, in his Wild Man phase, brings electricity to the 1977 neo-noir The American Friend, an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel Ripley's Game... It’s excellent story-telling – at once economical and showy and ultra-noirish." (read full review here)
@Joel said:

"I found that the more this story went along, the better I felt about starting to watch it. There isn't much exposition that will bonk you upside the head, and of course, in the tradition of most art films, the resolve is left to the same universe as the body of study. If you are in the market for a good piece to hang on your wall, I'd recommend this film to chase away the boredom of routine, and to fully dive into yet another Wim Wenders miniature masterpiece." (read full review here)



TomRipley story directed by Wenders with Hopper as a villain. It’s really not a question of was this on my list, the question is why have I only watched it once. American Friend was my #15.

Only watch Eddie Coyle once as well. I wasn’t very high on it, but it seems like something I should love so rewatches forth coming.
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I admit I haven't seen any of these two, but I love the fact that we're starting the list with Robert Mitchum. In the words of Martin Scorsese, "Mitchum is noir"





Excellent start to the countdown.

I had neither on my ballot but both are quality flicks and perfect inclusions. I have another Bob Mitchum title on my Neo-Noir list, and a couple more with my Noir Primes. Such an important figure in the genre, it's very fitting he kicks things off here. I am a big fan of Wenders. Der Amerikanische Freund is not one of my top handful of favorites of his, but it is a great '70s flick and an interesting take on Pat Highsmith's Tom Ripley character.

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AWARDS?



The Friends of Eddie Coyle didn't win any award, but The American Friend did get some nominations and some wins:
  • Three (3) German Film Awards, including Outstanding Feature Film
  • One (1) Bambi Award for Best Actress (Lisa Kreuzer)
  • One (1) National Board of Review Award for Top Foreign Film
  • One (1) Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign Performer (Bruno Ganz)
  • One (1) nomination for the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival



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I never could get the hang of Thursdays.
The American Friend was my #5.


Really interesting film about a fascinating character with some great acting. Very neo and very noir.



Eddy Coyle wasn't on my list, but it was on my mind as I was trying to think if certain American crime dramas from the 70s, that I love, but couldn't decide if they were neo-noir or not. And for some reason I didn't include those similar movies on my list, so I'll bemoan my decision should they show up. So, I'll say good start.

I still haven't seen The American Friend, but it's been on my watchlist for quite a while. Like many things are. Rewatching Purple Noon and Talented Mr. Ripley are also on that watchlist.



What is Neo-noir?



Neo-noir refers to a revival, or extension of film noir, beyond 1960. Whether film noir ended or not is debatable, but although these kind of films never ceased to exist, most experts agree there was a change. With the fall of the studio system and the loosening of the Hays Code, there was a shift in how these stories were told.



With less limitations and boundaries, the task of defining neo-noir is more challenging than it is film noir. Neo-noir can also span multiple genres and decades, and also feature bleak and pessimistic worldviews. However, because of the time, there is a more graphic depiction of both violence and sexuality.



Neo-noir also adds additional layers of moral ambiguity and rejection of authority, fueled by events like the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. The theme of a lone anti-hero going against big institutions, and failing, seems to be more prevalent.



Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
My start here is also: seen none of #100-99.
Noticing Dennis Hopper's name, automatically puts The American Friend in my to watch list.



The trick is not minding
The Ninth Gate was my 1 pointer. A under appreciated film by Polanski.


As for the reveals, I’ve not seen either yet, although bo th have been on my watch list for almost 20 years and I seem to forget about them every now and then. I even have The American Friend saved on Criterion to watch soon.

0/2



Serie Noir was a one pointer?


That's both depressing because it's deserves more, and it also means I forgot to include it.

I would have considered it near my top 5

I suppose that is the pitfall of taking five minutes to put mine together.



It was a given I'd include The Friends of Eddie Coyle, and I had it at #11. Someone mentioned how long winded it is at times, and that's because the book it's based on is famous for being almost exclusively dialogue. (And predictably was an influence on Elmore Leonard.) Personally, I think it works far better in the movie. I had The American Friend on my shortlist, but it looks like in the end I left it off. I have another movie adapted from a Ripley book on my list, which should definitely show up, and I don't know if The Talented Mr. Ripley qualifies as neo-noir, but if so we could see three Ripley movies on the countdown. (I'm assuming the John Malcovich led Ripley's Game has no chance.)

A great start to the countdown, and the format looks great, as does the noir countdown.
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