The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

A second seen movie that is also on my list! Hopefully this means the floodgates have opened.

Rather fittingly, after having #25 the previous day, Big Combo is my #24. An absolutely gorgeous Noir, with complex and flawed characters. Only reason it didn't rank higher is our hero might be a bit 'too good', but that's splitting hairs.

I've never seen Crossfire, but from the description I definitely want to.

My list so far:

24. Big Combo
25. DOA

Seen 2 of 50 🥳

Seen 14/50
My list 7/25

I welcome all of you to check Richard Edwards' podcast, appropriately called Out of the Past, where he tackles a bunch of film noir, neo-noir, and other related films.

Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir

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In 2016 I gave Crossfire and in 2015 I gave The Big Combo -

I watched a lot of these around the same time as I was prepping for decade countdowns. That's why I forget so many-it's hard to tell them apart unless they really stand out to me.

#50 High Sierra (1940)

Director: Raoul Walsh
Production: Warner Bros.
Cast: Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis, Joan Leslie
75 Points, 6 Lists

#49 Suspicion (1941)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Production: RKO
Cast: Cary Grant, Joan Fontaine, Cedric Hardwicke
76 Points, 6 Lists

Haven't seen High Sierra and Suspicion might be close to bottom-tier Hitchcock for me. I feel I should revisit it because as far as I remember, everything in it was solid, but the ending really soured it for me. But perhaps I'm being a bit unfair. Either way, it wasn't close to making my list. I have a couple other Hitchcock films in it, though.


SEEN: 9/52
MY BALLOT: 4/25

Here's something I wrote about Suspicion back when I last saw it in 2010...

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Alfred Hitchcock succeeded in drawing me into the main character's (Lina, played marvelously by Joan Fontaine) suspicions.



All in all, an absorbing film, but the ending left me kinda "meh". I really was expecting more out of everything. Still, the performances from Fontaine and Grant were pretty darn good.

This is Alfred Hitchcock's second entry in the countdown, after Spellbound back at #68.

High Sierra is good, but not one of my favourite Bogarts. I like Suspicion, but it didn't make my ballot.

48/52

Suspicion is mid tier Hitchcock but let's be real that's still classified as pretty good film. I had a feeling this would show up and I'm glad to see it with classic Hitch direction and great performances from Cary Grant and especially Joan Fontaine. But it's also one of those Hitch films I'm not in a rush to go back and rewatch anytime soon.

High Sierra is another early classic of the genre and of Bogart's career as a lead - I think this was one of if not the film that pushed him to the next level although I'm sure The Maltese Falcon helped. It's not a perfect film but I give it a pass. I thought Ida Lupino was great too, of course, she usually is.

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

I like both films. I've seen High Sierra a couple of times and enjoy it. It's the film that put Bogart on top, literally!

I've only seen Suspicion once and liked it. I'm not really into Hitch's films except a few of his masterpieces. I don't think most of his films squarely fit into the noir slot, they're more mystery thrillers. Hitch does have one strong noir film, maybe it will make the countdown.

That's four films for Bogart that's made the countdown so far.

95 Dead Reckoning (1946)
71 The Desperate Hours (1955)
64 To Have And Have Not (1944)
50 High Sierra (1940)

With easily 3 or 4 more to come.

Is it They're both on my ballot.

I feel like I've seen The Big Combo, but I really not sure. Suspiscion I'm pretty sure I have seen, but as it's not one of the few Hitch films I like, I really don't care.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

2 for 2. High Sierra was my #3 pick. It's p̶r̶o̶b̶a̶b̶l̶y̶ my favorite Bogart film. So much to like. Ida Lupino. The side story with the crippled girl. That harbinger-of-doom little dog.

I remember when I reviewed Suspicion a discussion followed about that ending. I'm a little surprised it made the countdown. But if this somewhat flawed Hitchcock film can make the countdown there's no reason he shouldn't be back. Several more times.

26 of 52 seen.

High Sierra is very good, but it didn't make my ballot.

I haven't seen Suspicion.

You need to remedy that. This one is great.