doesn't have all the plot elements you listed, but the man who wasn't there, by the coens, was a pretty damn good modern noir film.

Man who wasn't there is value added Noir... you get aliens dropped on top for no additional investment.

Not B&W but damngoodstuffsir.gif

I loved brick.

I agree that Brick was pretty good, but Prisoners and Drive were simply outstanding neo-noirs. And what about A History of Violence, Memento, In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths, Only God Forgives and Coupier? Really, REALLY don't think quality neo-noirs have been lacking lately...

I'm getting impatient =( lucky I have bills to pay otherwise I'd snap buy it lol

prisoners didn't seem like a noir flim.
actually most of those films you listed aside from croupier don't really seem like noir.

maybe i just don't have a firm grasp of the term.

they were all great movies, just don't think they fall into that category.

Brick is Shakespearean noir in a high school setting. Great movie.

I saw Midnight Run last night. Great 80's action caper. I had never even heard of this film. Its a comedy and the violent action gets a little bit overly silly at times, but the dialogue and relationship between DeNiro and Grodin is extremely watchable. It's a shame so much was left on the table in terms of wrapping up DeNiro's characters life and what happens next, his relationship with his estranged ex-wife and daughter, but in fairness it wouldn't really have suited the rest of the film.

8/10

grodin is awesome, and midnight run is great.

Thanks to all for the recommendations. Whether true noir films or not; still greatly appreciated.

best noir of the past 20 yrs is obviously l.a. confidential ainec.

la confidential confirmed amazing.

what didn't you like about it? this movie is kind of a cult classic.

So is Boondock Saints. And that nonsense was repugnant.

Not sure we have the same definition of what a Noir movie is, but Prisoners comes as close to the genre, imo, as any labeled Noir movies. Crime thriller in which the tone is mainly negative. Cynical characters. A slow-Coenesque paced movie where the atmosphere is clearly emphasized : "Though film noir is often identified with a visual style, unconventional within a Hollywood context, that emphasizes low-key lighting and unbalanced compositions"
(Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir).

Anyhow, forgot to add Gone Baby Gone in there, another great little flick.

just because a film has a component by where it is suffering from "malaise" doesn't make that movie a film Noir... far from it.

I DO however like the term neo noir.

if you want a neo malaise bad boy movie, check out "the Driver" (1978)... maybe the reference for "drive" will come into focus.

RIP Paul Mauzursky. Great filmmaker.

Exactly... it's a "Visual Style" first and foremost. It does also usually have a crime component to it.

Godspeed.

gone baby gone was phenomenal and was pretty unlucky to be released in one of the toughest fields ever or it prolly wins best picture.

that being said I can't think of any definition whereby prisoners or GBG would be considered noir.

noir has to do with a style/tone of filmmaking that doesn't apply to them.

I don't really care tbh, just wouldn't recommend them to someone specifically asking for noir movies in the same vein as Chinatown.

brick, the man who wasn't there n la confidential are perfect examples of modern noir films.

anyways regardless of our differing opinions wrt definition of "noir" I think our overall taste in movies is pretty similar.

The Driver is on my list now, thx. No, I agree that an uncanny-dark tone will not by itself make the neo-noir genre, but it is certainly one of its characteristics. What movies would you not consider as neo-noir on the list I previously posted?

It would be interesting if Heavy Metal was as bad as Boondock Saints. I was 14 when I saw HM and over 40 when I saw BS. I wouldn't say I LOVED HM, but I thought it was pretty cool.

The Big Lebowski could also be called a "modern noir" -- that's really bending the definition though.

many of the coens' movies are neo-noirs: blood simple, miller's crossing, barton fink, even fargo.

a couple more great neo-noir films are house of games and the last seduction.

Yeah I saw HM at around that age too, and liked it. Now, it's terrible, with no decent sections except maybe the bomber zombie ep, and a lot of the music sounds bad these days.