by Megan Bailey, Staff Writer

While in college, I took a Philosophy of Film Noir class, which was a delight. We watched many a noir and analyzed what they were trying to say about the world using the unique language of the genre. Certain classics stick out in my mind—Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon—but what I appreciated most was when we shifted to neo-noirs. We watched Chinatown, The Big Lebowski, and Blade Runner, to name a few. And I loved seeing these modern(ish) films navigate the genre conventions while also saying something new.

There’s just something about noir: I love the way it’s filmed with shadowy figures and off-kilter framing, the storytelling, its murky characters with shifting motivations, and the doomed protagonists. Not to mention, the femme fatales, who are often just as doomed as the main characters! Modern neo-noir—often taking advantage of neon lights, new music, and delving further into perspectives we didn’t get in the original heyday of noir—is such an interesting group of subgenres all on its own. So I wanted to dive back into that grimey world and visit (or revisit) some of the neo-noirs from the last decade or so. Not all of them are wholly successful, but I like what they’re attempting to do within the noir framework.

I also want to mention that a lot of recent films use the neo-noir aesthetic but don’t quite fit the vibe, like John Wick, Atomic Blonde, and Widows, for instance. All fun movies that have something to say, but they sit a bit outside the genre, at least by my estimation. Because the film language of noir is so distinct, you can pinpoint when a tilted angle or shadowy shot is influenced by the genre. But neo-noirs have to have the film language and the plot elements in order to fit my requirements here, so let’s dive into those!

Drive (dir. Nicolas Winding-Refn, 2011)

While I could do an entire piece about Ryan Gosling’s neo-noir oeuvre (this film, The Place Beyond the Pines, Blade Runner 2049, to name a few), Drive is a standout for me. The unnamed Driver (Gosling) is a stunt driver by day and then uses those same skills as a getaway driver by night. The Driver speaks very little, and the plot of this movie is pretty simple. But it packs quite a punch!

The Driver is doomed in this narrative, just like so many classic noir protagonists. He gets involved with Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her son, Benicio (Kaden Leos), but there’s no way for him to get out of the criminal world he’s already a part of. And once he agrees to help Irene’s husband, Standard (Oscar Isaac), it’s impossible for him to get out of it. In fact, he gets more and more violent as the film goes on, threatening a man with a hammer, curb stomping a hitman in an elevator, and killing Nino (Ron Perlman). But there’s no real way for him to fight his way to a happy ending. He can only do one thing at the end—drive.

There’s some incredible camera work in this film, like many classic noirs. There are mirror shots, beautiful frames of shocking violence, and an incredibly cinematic elevator sequence that will knock you on your ass. Drive is a great tribute to classic noir, with modern twists included.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (dir. David Fincher, 2011)

Characteristically stylish for a David Fincher film, his adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo leans into the noir elements. Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) and Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) serve as our modern detectives, investigating the disappearance of a woman, Harriet Vanger, in Sweden several decades ago. Blomkvist is on the outs as a journalist, and he’s hoping that this case, with Lisbeth’s help, will get him back on the up and up.

Throughout the course of the movie, Mikael and Lisbeth follow the clues and find that they’re after a serial killer. We meet various shifty members of the Vanger family, all who seem capable of crimes. But once Mikael and Lisbeth find their suspect, they’re in much more danger. And upon the first notes of Enya, Mikael’s in a very precarious position. Luckily for him, Lisbeth is capable of taking on the murderer and even asks if she’s allowed to kill him.

Lisbeth has a lot of agency in this film, though she can somewhat be seen through a femme fatale lens. She sleeps with Mikael, but she’s also able to chase her own leads, hack into banks and disguise herself in order to steal money, and go on motorcycle chases, while also using some of those same skills in the investigation. And most often, she’s the one saving Blomkvist in risky situations, not the other way around. This makes for an interesting turn on the femme fatale character, a fully developed woman who is capable of taking care of herself and the male protagonist.

This movie has a much happier ending than most of the other films on this list, surprisingly. But part of the reason is that this film is based on the first installment of a book series that follows Lisbeth and Mikael, so they have to survive at the end in order for further shenanigans. Likewise, the investigation has a happy ending too—uncharacteristic for Fincher, but a satisfying ending for the film. Unlike some noirs, the criminals are left dead and our investigators live to see another day here.

Nightcrawler (dir. Dan Gilroy, 2014)

Another neo-noir playing in the neon sandbox that is Los Angeles, Nightcrawler follows Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he becomes a stringer, documenting accidents and violent crimes for news stations. This movie has gotten a lot more attention over the years, especially for Gyllenhaal’s performance. He’s an undeniable weirdo in this role, where just about every scene is unsettling. But he’s able to manipulate his way into more money, better equipment, and better opportunities. He’s also an undeniable predator— he coerces Nina (Rene Russo), the news director, into sleeping with him, and kills a competitor by sabotaging his van. He also takes advantage of Rick (Riz Ahmed), who he hires as an assistant, and puts him in a lot of danger in order to make more thrilling content for the news. 

Lou is a much more active protagonist in this movie than, say, the Driver is. Lou goes after what he wants by any means necessary and quickly realizes that he doesn’t want to just let things happen to him. But he’s also showing the seedy underbelly of journalism, of wanting to be first on the scene and set the stage for the viewers. Nightcrawler plays the investigator as the villain, and Lou does ultimately succeed at what he wanted to accomplish. He’s doomed in this narrative only in that he’s destined to be a cog in the content machine, pushing for worse and worse crimes and doing increasingly dangerous things to get it on film. But everyone else around him is doomed—dead or in considerable danger just from working with him.

Nightcrawler has some really interesting film language, and there are several standout shots in the film. The scene of Lou in front of the mirror is so powerful (and often cited whenever this movie comes up) because it’s such an interesting way of revealing who the character is and how he’s feeling. Mirror shots are sometimes cliche, but they’re used in noir often in order to reveal a mindset, show the character off kilter, or make us see them in a new way. And like Drive, this film uses the darkness and neon lights to show us the darkness of the world Lou inhabits.

I’m Your Woman (dir. Julia Hart, 2020)

Julia Hart’s I’m Your Woman is a slow-burn neo-noir set in the ‘70s. Throughout the film, there’s almost a more intense plot going on in the background that Jean (Rachel Brosnahan) is reacting to. Her husband, who she knows is a thief, goes missing after bringing home a baby. One of his associates comes to Jean and tells her to run and that another man, Cal (Arinzé Kene), will help her get to safety. As things get dicier, Cal helps her hide out and she meets his family, including his wife, Teri (Marsha Stephanie Blake).

We slowly find out more about Jean’s husband, Eddie (Bill Heck), and how he’s left Jean in the predicament she’s in. She’s forced to learn how to lie, how to defend herself, and how to fight for her child. She comes into her own with help from Teri, who had her own past with Eddie, and Cal. But the trio can’t get free of the crime world. Men keep coming for Jean, and she continues to put Cal and Teri in danger. They’re doomed by a promise they made to keep her safe, and the fighting doesn’t stop. The film ends and we hope that they survive and can get free of the criminals chasing them…but there’s no way to know for sure. Maybe they keep running and find safety. Or maybe Cal and Teri bleed out in the backseat, leaving Jean to fend for herself and the kids.

With some really fun 1970s styling and a wild set piece in a disco, this is a lovely watch. It’s undeniably slow and takes its time to reveal character motivations. But I like that this film puts the focus on characters who normally would not get to be protagonists in a neo-noir.

Reminiscence (dir. Lisa Joy, 2021) 

Released to little fanfare last year, Lisa Joy’s Reminiscence takes on a lot of ideas: climate crises, memory, class warfare, drug addiction, war crimes, and so on. There’s a lot going on here! But it’s focused on Nick (Hugh Jackman), who runs a service where people can relive their memories for any reason. He guides them through the memory and can answer questions (where they lost their keys) or just let them enjoy a moment with a lost loved one (including pets). Nick begins reminiscing about Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), his girlfriend who went missing. He was troubled by the idea that she left him voluntarily, and he realizes there may have been more going on in her life than she let on.

Mae, functionally a femme fatale with more character development, gets a lot of agency in this film compared to earlier counterparts. The whole story revolves around her, but she’s doomed in the narrative, just like Nick. We revisit a conversation between Mae and Nick often—where she tells him there are no stories with happy endings. She understands what kind of story they’re in, but uses the reminiscences to tell Nick what he needs to know before she dies. 

While Reminiscence often gets bogged down in its own worldbuilding, there are some interesting morsels here. If you can get through the first fifteen minutes, which are very exposition and voice-over heavy, it’s worth a watch. Because when it works, it works!

No matter how much noir you’ve seen before, I really recommend trying these neo-noirs out. They’re interesting spins on the old film language and plot points, and I think they’re a fun time! Dig into the murky worlds, enjoy the neon, and follow the mysteries down their respective alleys into interesting corners of the neo-noir landscape.