The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

Haven't seen either either! I feel like that will be a recurring refrain on this thread.

Dang, homework not paying off as much as I thought it would this list. Another 0 for.

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I doubt you'll be saying that tomorrow Well maybe one of you will but the other won't

I haven’t seen Stranger on the Third Floor, but I have seen and liked Woman on the Run.

Seen 8/10

I wonder if he was a fan of Dziga Vertov too.

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Good call...there's a lot of similarities there.

Yep... This time I'm here with my two cents for #91. Woman on the Run (1950), meaning, I have it at #23 on my ballot. Well, as I can see, it would make the list even without me, anyway.

This was one of the last noirs I've watched in my attempt to form a full ballot. There were some issues with the screenplay, as with most of these films but it was good enough to vote for it. I liked Ann Sheridan's performance.


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My Ballot
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23. Woman on the Run (1950) [#91]
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I'm still not on the board. Haven't seen any of these two either.

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Haven't watched either Woman on the Run or Stranger on the Third Floor. I do remember starting SotTF just on the strength of Peter Lorre being in it but a few minutes in something came up. Had to put it on hold with every intention of giving it another shot at a future date. But, as so often happens, never got around to it. Even though I try to avoid doing this last night I remembered never finishing And Then There Were None (from 1945). So I did. Pretty good version of the Agatha Christie classic.

Stranger on the Third Floor was a film I saw in the Noirvember thread while looking for a few more "new to me" titles to watch for the Countdown, and I was quite impressed by it. Not only did I put it on my list, but I placed it incredibly high at #3. I love noirs that lean heavily on German expressionism for their visual aesthetic, and that dream sequence literally made me sit up straighter in my chair and really pay attention. And of course it's always nice to see Peter Lorre!

Seen: 4/10

My List: 1
03. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - #92

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As per usual, CR, crackin job on Hosting and LOVE the graphics, my man!!!

I scored a big fat goose egg with the one-pointers which is understandable since my viewing of noir has been a more high-profiled listing than the lesser known so I'll be checking out those unknown gems that will show up on this countdown.

For the first ten on this list, I have scored a couple from my list:

100 Le Corbeau (1943)
I am VERY happy to see this one that I seriously considered, along with a few other French noir films, and REALLY should have added but, sadly, did not.
I was hooked from the opening shots of the town, which showed Le Docteur Rémy Germain stepping out of a house to the waiting elderly women, his hands bloody. Through the nosey side looks and whispered conversations, we are shown a very ripe location for gossip and half-truths to be planted and run wild in. An anonymous letter writer who sprinkles just enough truth into their accusations to turn the town and its inhabitants into a hungry mob. Hellbent on destroying one another.
My favorite scene that depicts this brilliantly is at the grave site of a suicide victim from one of the poisoned letters. As the crowd turns on the one they believe guilty, the mother, in black, stares upward to the heavens. Too grief-stricken to acknowledge any of it.

The spinning of the web of deceit and paranoia was done exceedingly well and shows just how easy it is for people who've known one another all their lives to turn on one another in the worst possible way.
The whodunit aspect of this, where everyone is suspected, had a fantastic twist once it is discovered who was writing them and what happens to them. Making for a fantastic ending for me. Especially since just how much I loved the character and their cavalier attitude to all of it. I was completely hoodwinked by that person and utterly hooked by the false lead, whom I was 100% sure was the culprit from the first time I saw her bouncing a ball against the inside wall, listening in on Remy's and Laura's conversation.

Coming in at #8



98 Panic in the Streets (1950)

Director Elia Kazan's penchant for the seedier of human aspects as well as the talent, insight, and realistic perspective while at the same time delivering the beauty of the beast onto celluloid is that of a true craftsman. The drama he is capable of drawing out of his actors is incredible.
And this is no exception.

What would become a practical checklist for Clock Running thrillers for so many modern films, Kazan's almost noirish approach brings a gravitas that so many attempts but rarely achieve.
Found at the docks in New Orleans is a dead immigrant with two bullet holes in him. What initially appears as murder is quickly discovered that the dead man would have been just as dead because he was carrying the pneumonic plague. Enter Richard Widmark as gung-ho Health Official, Lt. Cmdr. Clinton Reed. Hellbent to find the killer(s) within 48 hours. Not for Justice but to stop the plague from spreading. An uninvited partner to Paul Douglas' Capt. Tom Warren of the New Orleans Police. There is a kind of Buddy Cop relationship going on as they bang heads and earn each other's respect as they set out on the trail, both taught with tension and done with realism and true leg-work.
An additional aspect that I truly enjoyed (along with everything else) was seeing Jack Palance as Blackie and his subordinate, Zero Mostel, in a serious role as Raymond Fitch. Two of the three men responsible and thereby sought out by Reed and Capt. Warren.
Palance is the epitome of menace, and most times that I've seen his early work, his screen time is somewhat limited and given little to say or do but BE menacing. But here, holy crap, the man is given plenty to say and do, and he utterly f@ckin shines doing it.
The pacing is pretty impeccable as the tension builds and the Search draws to a climactic end.

For anyone who enjoys an Old-School Thriller done right, without all the outlandish, over-the-top procedures of most modern versions, I highly recommend this.


96 Gaslight (1944)
It did not make my list, but an excellent addition here. I was completely endeared by Ingrid Bergman's transformation from victim to victor. I've enjoyed this one a number of times.


Coming in at #24


95 Dead Reckoning (1946)

This is my only Recent Watch addition to my list. In 1946, Humphrey Bogart's persona on screen was at its height, and a moviegoer was ensured that was what they would be thrilled by. Paired off with a smoldering Lizabeth Scott, Bogart remains in complete control, even when he's getting his @ss handed to him. This is a solid noir with every box checked and adhered to. A war hero delving into the mysterious past of a fellow war hero and friend, he finds shady gangsters and the gorgeous femme fatale that ruled his buddy's heart and soul.
The storyline is well played out and uses flashbacks, aka a "confession" to a priest who is also back from the war, very well. The shadows and cinematic compositions are not artistic but solid. The characters are typical but, again, exactly what you'd hope for and fully get.


Coming in at #23



94 Body and Soul (1947)

John Garfield does an excellent job, but he doesn't actually garner empathy, which I think is a very positive thing. I've seen so many films where you are drawn to the character who fights his way to the top, only to be devoured by the vultures that lie in wait for new fodder.
There is a realistic grittiness (I hate to use that word, but it's too d@mn apropos) to Garfield's character. He's no philosophy, no idealist in search of a better life. While, at the same time, he's not a brawling ape either. He's a fighter. From a poor neighbor, wanting the good life and willing to take it at any price. Though, in the end, that price never sits well with him. And with that, there is a kind of redemption in his darkest hours.

Through this, there is a strong cast of characters that plays out almost like a Shakespearean play. Covering the archetypal roles.
The Savvy Best Friend who believes in him and does his all to get him in the door, and the good, Honest Parents who only want something better for him—both of which were done with genuine sincerity. The mother's wisdom and comments were some of the best lines for me.
The Good Woman who is left behind for the allure of money and fame. I really loved this character. Her artistic intellect was a wonderful contrast that complemented both of them. The Greedy Woman that Seduces, while playing a basic character, her performance was very deep, mixing tragedy and bravado with surpassing talent. The Corrupt Manager and the Sovereign Gangster. Much like the Greedy Woman, not only did they play their parts very well, but they also brought a lot more to those parts than the usual expectations of such characters.
Finally, the Possible Future and Past, played by the old champ, Ben Chaplin, and the up-and-coming Marlowe. With them, we see the recycling of the fodder that the greedy and the parasitic callously feed upon. It is through them, especially Ben Chaplin, lies the crossroad that Garfield's character; Charlie, must face and, in the end, decide his own fate.

The sojourn itself is a rough, unforgiving journey that is filmed with great finesse. It opens near the end, and then we flashback. One of my favorite scenes was actually during the montage, which showed close-ups as he went from fight to fight, and the bruises and blood grew more and more apparent, letting us know the grinder he was being put through.




Watched 5 out of 10 (50%)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Panic In The Streets (1950) (#98)
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11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
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17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Body And Soul (1947) (#94)
24. Dead Reckoning (1946) (#95)
25.

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Both of todays entries sound familiar and look interesting but I don't think I've seen either.

Good list. One ingredient that's present in almost all good classic noirs (and sometimes virtually the only ingredient) is that a character or characters are presented with a choice which is morally or legally wrong. They take the wrong path, and as a result suffer the consequences.

Very good noir with nice work by O'Keefe and the lovely Ann Sheridan.

I could never understand how they chose the title because, as you know, it's in fact a MAN who goes on the run. I think it's a fresh story, nicely photographed by Hal Mohr (An Act of Murder).

Although the story was set in San Francisco, there's some nice scenes shot at Ocean Park Pier in Santa Monica, which close in 1956.

I'm pretty sure I've heard of Stranger on the Third Floor, I don't think I've heard of Woman on the Run.

I've seen neither.

Loved those last scenes at the Ocean Park Pier, especially the climax on the roller coaster, very exciting. It was ThatDarnMKS who recommended Woman on the Run to me in the Noirvemver 2022 thread. I watched several Ann Sheridan noirs back then...count me as a fan of hers. A week ago I watched a really different and interesting 'noir' with Ann Sheridan, Steel Town (1952). There were many scenes set inside a steel mill and they actually filmed at Kaiser Steel in California. Good grief! When seen in color that steel mill with it's red hot molten steel was more frightening than Robert Mitchum on a bender!...Though not a noir by my book, it was still a good watch.

So far just 3/10. But that's ok.

Stats: Pit Stop #1

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Now that we've hit the first pit stop (90), here are some stats:

Yearly Breakdown

• 1940 = 1
• 1941 = 0
• 1942 = 0
• 1943 = 1
• 1944 = 1
• 1945 = 0
• 1946 = 1
• 1947 = 1
• 1948 = 1
• 1949 = 0
• 1950 = 3
• 1951 = 0
• 1952 = 0
• 1953 = 1
• 1954 = 0
• 1955 = 0
• 1956 = 0
• 1957 = 0
• 1958 = 0
• 1959 = 0

Good showing from 1950!

Also, no point in doing a director breakdown cause there have been no repeats so far.

Not ringing any bells - even faint ones.

Seen : 1/10
Heard of but haven't seen : 1/10
New to me : 8/10

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Stranger on the Third Floor is one that I haven't seen but will look for. Woman on the Run is a Noir I've yet to see but I'd already put it on my Watch List before it hit the countdown. My Watch List grows and grows with Noir as I find I enjoy these films like crazy, no matter who's suffering, who's doomed or makes it out of the jam they're in. I laugh at the person playing the sap and root for the bad Femme Fatale as she shows no sign of remorse and leaves a pile of chumps in her wake. It's all so enticing. And they all look great! (the films that is, but a whole slew of the ladies.)

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