Neo-Noir Hall of Fame

Re-watched Tightrope yesterday, for the first time since the late eighties. The 6,3 on imdb always made me hesitant of rewatching. My theory is that the obvious underrating was done by folks expecting Dirty Harry 6 or something more of that nature. Tightrope ticks all the neo-noir boxes for me. The music, atmosphere, visuals and grimy detective story give you that hard to pinpoint noir vibe that separates it from the typical ‘Serial Killer Thriller’. Glad I revisited, props to Wyldsyde for nominating it otherwise I probably wouldn’t have. Ballot contender for sure.

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I haven't seen it, so I don't know how much it falls under the neo-noir umbrella, but I saw a good bunch of articles labeling it as such.

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I’ve only seen Sin City and Tightrope, but the others all are familiar to me and have been on my watchlist for years.
Guess this will be a good time to watch them, eh?

Shallow Grave -

Danny Boyle's feature debut is a pretty good noir that reminds us of the importance of background checks. Are the three roomies kind of cold and not particularly likeable? Sure, but this contributes to our reaction when we learn their fates. Also, while cold, they're hardly empty shells: each one has a distinct personality, which helps us imagine what we would do in their situation. In case you're wondering, I'd probably become the monster that Eccleston becomes. It's also a joy to see him, MacGregor and Peter Mullan before they became household names. It's not hard to see why their careers took off afterwards. I surprisingly haven't seen Kerry Fox in anything else, but she is in some movies I would like to see. I also liked seeing the hints of what would become Boyle's trademarks, the intro with the house music and frantic camera in particular.

I enjoyed the movie and think it tells a good story about how greed can turn even close-knit friendships into a house of cards, but I ultimately find it a bit serviceable on the whole. There was more than one time when I couldn't help but think of how most of the Coens' movies and the similar A Simple Plan did certain things better. I'm still glad I got to take another chance with it again, especially since I didn't like it that much the first time I saw it. I'm also glad that Cameron got the chance to stand up for himself.

Nice! Torgo is on the board. That leaves PHOENIX, Siddon, and Wyldesyde to chalk one up.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to sell my Le Cercle Rouge DVD. It's not streaming or on VOD.

Currently watching Shallow Grave!

Nightcrawler -

I was lucky enough to see this in a theater - wow, it's ten years old already - and I think it has aged very well. The conditions in America for a Louis Bloom to come along are still there (although he'd probably put his footage on social media instead of selling it to news stations, but I digress). Career prospects are still uncertain for milennials and those in younger generations, so much so that many are rightfully compelled to create their own opportunities. An enterprising guy like Louis might have been a CEO if he were born 30 years earlier, and while his psychopathy might be innate, he wouldn't have had to rely on it to succeed. Also, the bottom line is still the dollar sign: buyers are just as likely to not care where the seller's goods came from if the price is right whether it's a scrap yard, pawn shop or news station. Oh, and does it scare anyone else how much Louis discovered just by surfing the 2014 web or is it just me?

Other than how true and thrilling this movie is, there are other notable things it does that make it hold up. For one, I love that it barely gives Bloom a backstory, which makes him seem more force of nature than person, not to mention provides plenty of questions to ask as to who he is. Frank, a.k.a. Ted from Mad Men, also stood out to me more this time for how much he doesn't stand out. In other words, I like that possibly the one guy at the station who still cares about journalistic integrity has been so marginalized. The movie ends up not just being a cult classic, but a classic overall for how it makes you think twice about the old quote that every fortune is a crime.

Tightrope -

As a fan of movies - noir or otherwise - where the hero fights a villain and their own demons at the same time, this is right up my alley. Making the setting New Orleans, a place that not only has everyone's vice, but also makes each one hard to resist, is an inspired choice. Casting Eastwood as Block is also inspired because he seems like a guy who could resist any temptation - he's the Good in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly after all - so when he can't, it hits harder than usual. Block's descent deserves credit for how gradually the scares and strangeness gets, and speaking of, his final pursuit of the killer is long, but it never becomes dull or runs out of steam, no pun intended. I also love the atmosphere, how Genevieve Bujold holds her own against Eastwood and that there are some good laughs despite the very R-rated material.

Fighting your own demons isn't easy, and as this movie successfully proves, it really isn't easy when your work and home lives make them stronger. The movie is not without its flaws: Dan Hedaya's character doesn't have much personality, and considering the high body count, I'm surprised Block's superiors didn't breathe down his neck more. With that said, considering the rather generic title and the fact that Clint has been in a lot of cop movies, I went in thinking this would be yet another one. It is, however, much more than that.

Body Heat

I was interested in seeing early William Hurt as I didn't want to think of that ****wad Thaddeus Ross every time I thought of him. Now I think I'll probably think of Body Heat instead. This movie gets the molding of erotica and jazzy noir DOWN. The best thing about this movie was that sexy soundtrack (or maybe that's because I've been listening to jazz albums for the last two weeks). And these two lovers are quite magnetic onscreen. I ewas getting flashbacks to Basic Instinct. Unfortunately, the movie does drag on a bit, which gave me plenty of time to guess how the movie was going to go. While I liked the ending and the acotrs, the progression couldn't compete with the vibe and the soundtrack, but it's still a pretty good movie.

This made me laugh and realize that younger generations may only know William Hurt for that role. He was one of the great and most reliable actors of the '80s.

I've only seen Altered States and The Big Chill myself. I hope to see Broadcast News, Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Accidental Tourist some day.

Thief, I noticed your new avatar. Isn't that Sam Spruell? I just finished (thankfully) the 5th season of Fargo, where Spruell plays Ole Munch. I never understood the significance of his character, but he was good in it.

Yep, that's him! Really loved the character, the performance, and the whole season. Currently struggling to decide if it knocks Season 1 as far as my favorite season goes.

Re: his significance...



That's part of what I get from it, in a nutshell. That finale, and the whole season, has stuck with me something fierce and I feel like I could babble on for days about those themes of forgiveness and redemption, and how it encompasses characters like Tillman, Gator, Witt Farr, Dot, etc.

He's great in Kiss of the Spider Woman, but he's also pretty good in Children of a Lesser God (80s), One True Thing (90s), and The Village (2000s). He also nabbed a couple of very good "cameos" on Cronenberg's A History of Violence and Syriana.

I've also seen him in a couple of little known 90s films: Tuck Everlasting and Second Best; two films that, even though they aren't necessarily great, he's still very good in it.

He also has an... interesting role on TV's Goliath, with Billy Bob Thornton.

I like him in the bolded too as well as his role on Damages.

In short, a good actor that I miss. Almost as good as his brother, John (sorry, couldn't resist).

That joke hurt


Ok ok, I'll lead myself out

Body Heat (1981)

Likely in sequence the second great neo-noir of the later 20th Century following Chinatown (1975), it was both written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars films, Raiders of the Lost Ark). The first rate cinematography was handled by Richard H. Kline (The Boston Strangler, Soylent Green).

In a small Florida town William Hurt plays a second-rate attorney, Ned Racine, who commences an affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), the wife of wealthy tycoon Edmond Walker (Richard Crenna). Matty wants a divorce, but because of a pre-nuptial agreement, the only way she can acquire her husband’s fortune is if he is killed. She and Ned hatch a plan to murder Edmond in such a way as to show that it was an accident. Ned gets assistance from an explosives expert (Mickey Rourke) to make it look like Edmond was accidentally blown up in his factory following his surreptitious murder by Ned.

Matty decides to forge a new will making her sole beneficiary of the estate, cutting out anyone else in the family. Ned knew that the new document could be discovered as a forgery, which might expose them both. Several of Ned’s colleagues and the police start to suspect his involvement. What follows are several twists, double dealings, switched identities, and faked deaths which all lead to an atypical classic noir ending.

Right from the start the classical noir chiaroscuro lighting is effectively replaced by the portrayal of the sultry oppressive heat and mood of a small southern town in the humidity of the summer. Much of the action takes place at night or indoors so the shading of a mystery is enhanced. Ironically most of the film was shot during a cold winter spell, so efforts by the makeup and props crews had to work to imitate the sweaty summer environment.

Their are two common important differences in the depiction of classic noir to neo-noir. One is the typical absence of the femme fatale in neo-noir; the other is the addition of more explicit sex, made newly possible by the loss of censorship that had been present in the classic era. But in Body Heat there is a nasty scheming femme fatale, and there is also plenty of steamy sex. Screenwriter Kasdan has certainly channeled James N. Cain (Double Indemnity, The Postman Always Rings Twice). Absent the use of color film and the portrayal of sexual intimacy, the film could have been made in 1950.

Kathleen Turner exploded into recognition in this her debut film, and both she and Mickey Rourke are put solidly on the map. It is a landmark film that serves as one of the finest example of neo-noir.

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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

La Haine -

This is one of the '90s’ great movies, and what a '90s movie it is. With its Tarantino-like conversations and monologues and Linklater-like slice of life structure, it is unmistakably of that decade and rife with the best touches of its indie movement. The movie is very much its own entity, though, especially since it does things I haven't seen before or possibly since. Perhaps only the mirror shot from Contact rivals the ingenious "you talkin' to me" scene, for instance. With that said, is it merely an aesthetic marvel? Definitely not. It totally makes you feel like you're walking in the shoes of someone society has deemed as undesirable and second-class. I'll never forget Cassell's work as Vinz - whose downward spiral is appropriately on par with Travis Bickle's - nor the work of Taghmaoui or Kounde as his best friends. Speaking of, the movie is just as invaluable as a study on the roots of friendship, and while it can only help so much, it does help whether it’s because you need a nudge in the right direction, or which this manages to do many times despite its underlying darkness, a reason to laugh.

So, in what category does this movie belong? I've seen it labeled as a social drama, which fits, and with its aesthetics, criminal element, hero’s desire for revenge and confusion over what's good and what's bad, a neo-noir, which also fits. Regardless, the best movies tend to not fit neatly into any single category, and besides, the important thing is that it succeeds in making you realize how hatred and violent impulses develop. It also makes you understand how one can believe that they are the only means of escape. Sadly, such believers are just as likely to be on their receiving end.

Shallow Grave (1994)

Being a black comedy, the film has neither the mood nor the look of a noir. But it does contain a familiar noir trope: a person or persons are enticed by something that they know is wrong or illegal, but they do it anyway, and in the end suffer the consequences.

A trio of flatmates in Edinburgh are looking for an additional boarder to help with the rent. After auditioning several who didn’t fit the bill they finally accept a good candidate. But soon the new tenant dies of a drug overdose, after which the others discover a suitcase full of money left by the deceased. Following some deliberation they decide to dispose of the body in grisly fashion and keep the money. But presently they are shocked to realize that two criminals, having some relationship to the origin of the cash, are viciously in the hunt for the money filled suitcase. How those criminals discover the flatmates, along with the interaction of the trio of renters forms the rest of the action.

The chief feature of the production is the fine acting by a young Ewan McGregor, along with Christopher Eccelston and Kerry Fox. The quirky but uneven screenplay was from John Hodge (Trainspotting), directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). Based on the look of the film and its offbeat nature the producers were likely inspired by the Coen Brothers.



Sin City (2005)

This picture was a new watch for me. It’s a full-bodied satire of the noir style based upon Frank Miller’s comic book series, Sin City. In replication of a comic book look the filming technology, or “visual shaping” was outstanding. The enhanced black and white photography was occaionally peppered with stark spot insertions of bright color. Consqently the film won the Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes film festival.

It boasted an all star cast, including Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Benicio del Toro, Jessica Alba, Alexi Biedel, Rutger Hauer, and Clive Owen. The direction is chiefly by Robert Rodriguez (Machete). with a little help from Frank Miller and Quentin Tarantino. Rodriguez also filmed and edited.

The picture is complex with competing story lines presented in six sections, so I won’t attempt a synopsis. There is lots of graphic violence present in a matrix of exaggerated comic book style, and one has to suspend credulity when listening to hammy overdramatic lines uttered by the actors. For those who appreciate unconventional or strange productions, they will enjoy this picture. But to me the picture was a heavy handed, although technically accomplished, spoof of noir that had little appeal.