Film noir or “noir” is one of the favorite genres of film lovers. It’s a cinematic style derived from American “pulp” novels, usually stories of crime, deadly women, and tough men.
Film noir is one of the most classic genres with great works on crime and the darkest passions.
Film noir has a little bit of adventure and a little bit of romance. It’s a genre where shots with chiaroscuro, shadows, and twisted shots prevail, often reflecting the tortuous passions of the protagonists. As we pointed out earlier, another key to this genre is the criminal theme in the broadest sense of the word, with characters with flexible and unreliable morals.
Over the past few weeks we have recommended the best romantic, sci-fi and kids’ movies … For those who like this classic cinema, the main streaming platforms have some great titles among which we choose the following:
– «Perdition» (film): A Billy Wilder classic about an insurance agent who teams up with the beautiful but perfidious Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) to murder her husband and keep the insurance money. One of the top works of the black genre.
– «Laura» (Amazon Prime Video): Directed by Otto Preminger, “Laura” is a classic film noir that inspired David Lynch to create his greatest creation: “Twin Peaks”. The film revolves around detective Mark McPherson investigating the murder of Laura, a seductress who appears to have been murdered in his apartment. McPherson creates a mental portrait of the young woman through the testimonies of her acquaintances and begins to be obsessed with her.
– “Perversity” (Amazon Prime Video): A masterpiece by Fritz Lang in which a poor man pretends to be an artist in order to seduce a beautiful woman (Joan Bennett). The man will do anything to make them believe in the charade. However, he is tricked by her boyfriend into trying to get as much money as possible. A story on several levels, complex and dark.
– «Outlaws» (film): Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner are the main duo in this film, which plays several post-World War II films, in which Lancaster plays a seasoned soldier and boxer in the doldrums who, after his experience in the trenches, does not fit into society. One day he meets Kitty Collins (Gardner), the mysterious girlfriend of a gangster.
– «Back to the past» (Movistar +, FlixOlé): Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum) is a retired detective who runs a gas station in a small town and leads a quiet life devoted to fishing and the young woman he wants to marry. Everything will change when a character from his past seems to tell him that “the boss needs him”. Then he will be forced to confess his dark past to his beloved.
– “The Man with the Golden Arm” (Amazon Prime Video and Filmin): Frankie Machina is a petty criminal addicted to gambling and heroin who, after spending time in prison, returns to Chicago with his wife to leave his criminal life and addiction behind. However, it will not be easy to do because of his friends.
– «Thirst for evil» (Movistar + and Filmin): Charlton Heston plays a narcotics agent who arrives at the Mexican border with his wife the moment a bomb explodes. He immediately takes over the investigation in collaboration with Quinlan (Orson Welles), the local police chief who is known in the area for his illegal methods. If everyone finds incriminating evidence, a fierce battle ensues.
– «The night of the hunter» (film): Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a ruthless thief and murderer who shares a cell with a young robber who tells him where he has kept his loot before he is executed. Once liberated, Powell will hunt down the relentless thief’s family for prey.
– “The Third Man” (Amazon Prime Video and Filmin): Harry Lime (Orson Wells) searches for his childhood friend, Joseph Cotten, in the chaos of Vienna after World War II. Lime will find himself in a spiral of violence, love, disappointment and murder.
– “The Demon of Weapons” (Amazon Prime Video and Filmin): A film that was originally considered Series B but has become a cult classic. Adaptation of Bonnie & Clyde’s story, but with a direct, psychological portrait away from social commentary.
