Film Noir Favorites 2025

Dark themes, stark camera angles, and high contrast lighting are the characteristics of films of the 40s and 50s that were later called called "film noir" by French film critics who fell in love with them after WWII. These films tell realistic stories about crime, mystery, femme fatales, and moral conflict. Most were originally conceived as low budget “B” movies but many are now regarded as ground-breaking suspense classics with great acting, writing and directing. 

                                          

The Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor star in this 1941 film that some consider the best detective drama ever, as well as the first true film noir. Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, and Elisha Cook Jr. are the criminals who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a priceless, jewel encrusted statuette. John Huston directed and wrote the screenplay based on the Dashiell Hammett story. 101 minutes. CC.

Sorry, Wrong Number. Barbara Stanwyck stars as a wealthy, bedridden woman who dials a telephone number one night only to overhear two men plotting to murder an unidentified woman. This 1948 film is a classic example of suspense and terror. Stanwyck received an Oscar nomination for her performance. Burt Lancaster co-starred.  89 minutes. CC. 

Phantom Lady. Ella Raines, Franchot Tone, and Alan Curtis star in this 1944 film directed by Robert Siodmak whom many consider the best of all film noir directors. A man is convicted of murdering his wife but the woman who can testify to his innocence has mysteriously disappeared. Elisha Cook appears as a hep cat drummer. 87 minutes. CC.

The Killers. Burt Lancaster stars in his film debut along with Ava Gardner and Edmund O’Brien in this 1946 heist drama. For no apparent reason,two hit men, played by Charles McGraw and William Conrad, gun down a gas station attendant in one of filmdom's most memorable openings. An insurance investigator tries to get to the bottom of the story with tragic results. Robert Siodmak directed this classic based on a story by Ernest Hemingway. 103 minutes. No captions.

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers. Barbara Stanwyck stars as the wealthiest and most powerful woman in a Midwestern factory town. However, she shares a dark secret with her unhappy, alcoholic husband played by Kirk Douglas in his film debut. When an old acquaintance comes to town, things fall apart. Directed by Lewis Milestone, this 1945 film also stars Van Heflin and Lizabeth Scott. 116 minutes. No captions.

 Kiss of Death. Victor Mature and Collen Gray star in this 1947 suspenseful drama of betrayal and violence. Mature plays an Italian American hoodlum who goes to prison rather than squeal on his associates after a botched jewel robbery. Directed by Henry Hathaway the opening scene where the criminals try to make their getaway in a crowded elevator is iconic. This film also provided a breakout role for Richard Widmark who plays a psychopathic murderer with a cackling laugh. 99 minutes. CC.

Double Indemnity. Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray star in this 1944  film classic directed by Billy Wilder. An insurance agent falls for the beautiful wife of a client to whom he has just sold a life insurance policy, and then they scheme to bump him off. Stanwyck, sporting a cheap blond wig, plays one of the great film femme-fatales. Edward G. Robinson is magnificent as a claims investigator. 107 minutes. CC.

The Spiral Staircase. Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, and Ethel Barrymore star in this 1945 ground-breaking suspense thriller directed by Robert Siodmak. Mc Guire plays a young woman, who despite having lost her speech in a childhood trauma, serves as a caretaker for an elderly bed-ridden women in one of the creepiest mansions ever. On a dark and stormy night a murderer is on the loose. The film also features Elsa Lancaster and Rhonda Fleming. 84 minutes. CC. 

The Street with No Name.  Richard Widmark again plays a psychotic gangster and Mark Stevens is an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates  the criminal gang in this 1948 documentary style film based on FBI files. The film is a tense, taut thriller with excellent filmnoir cinematography. 91 minutes. CC.

The Big Heat. Glenn Ford, and Gloria Grahame star in this 1953 film noir directed by Fritz Lang. Ford plays a police detective out for revenge against a vicious gangster played by a young Lee Marvin. 90 minutes. CC.

The Third Man. Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard star in Carol Reed’s 1949 film noir classic, universally regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. Set in post war Vienna, the film brought together a great writer, a great director, a magnificent cast, a great setting, innovative black and white cinematography, and a wonderful music score. 104 minutes. No captions.

Most of these films are available on streaming services but I prefer to watch DVD versions with no commercial interruptions. The DVDs often include informative special features and commentaries as well as closed captioning (CC) for the hearing impaired. 

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