What is Neo-Noir?

After the demise of film noir in the early 1960s a new breed of ‘hardboiled’ films emerged, encompassing the classic elements of film noir – neo-noir literally translated means ‘new black’, a name paying homage to its inspiration – but with more modern themes, style and visuals, to reflect current affairs, like the rise in technology and the problems they can cause, much like the classic 1982 neo noir, Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott. Other themes commonly found within neo noirs include; identity crises, such as in David Fincher’s Fight Club, 1999; memory issues, seen in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, 2001; and subjectivity, displayed in James McTeigue's V for Vendetta, 2005.

The word ‘noir’ to describe films has always been very vague, especially since the end of it’s heyday in the latet1950s. That’s why the term ‘neo’ was brought in to use. Most people take neo noir to mean any film after the 1958 Orson Welles’ film Touch of Evil, which is generally agreed to be the last proper film noir. What makes up the definitions for a ‘neo noir’ has been a massive debate between fans and critics alike. In the book More Than Night, author James Naremore says that labelling a film as a noir is ‘a major signifier of sleekly commercial artistic ambition’. This enables some critics and fans alike to label abstract films such as Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien and James Cameron’s 1984 release The Terminator as a neo noirs due to their moody lighting and central themes about the danger of modern technology. In Alien the crew’s ship the Nostromo sets down on unknown planet LV426 for a reason unbeknown to them. Not only does this cause them to run into and subsequently be attacked by the planet’s other visitors, the aliens, but also during this time their onboard human synthetic goes haywire and tries to kill the crew. This anti technology message is also echoed in The Terminator whereby a man-made killing machine comes from the future to present day to kill the mother of Kyle Reese, the future leader of the human resistance to the machines that have taken over the world killing most of humankind.

However not everyone agrees on these types of films as being neo noirs, as they say that real neo noirs pay homage to their classic predecessor by being centred in and around crime, police and detectives, such as Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 release Reservoir Dogs, Curtis Hanson’s 1997 film L.A Confidential and Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s 2005 hit Sin City.

3 Examples Of Neo Noir: 1 LA. Confidential

Set during the 1950s, L.A Confidential centres around three policemen working to in the corrupt and seedy town of Los Angeles, the film follows their differing approach to policing. First is Ed Exley played by Guy Pearce, an ambitious young policeman who does everything by the book and seeks justice for his murdered police-officer father. Secondly is the uncontrollable and violent Bud White played by Russell Crowe, who watched his father beat his mother to death and therefore takes out of his childhood rage on any abusers he can get his hands on, so arrogant is he that he plays by his own rules. And lastly is Jack Vincennes played by Kevin Spacey, money loving and living the highlife through corruption at first until his conscience gets the better of him and he decides to joins the other two cops in the quest for truth. All seems to go well when the threesome team up however when Bud White falls for prostitute Lynn Bracken played by Kim Basinger, everything becomes a lot more complicated.

Seen time and time again in both neo and classic noir, these lead males are moody and gritty much like their hardboiled ancestors like Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon and TR Devlin in Notorious.

The character of Lynn Bracken is also true to the stereotypical femme fatale – gorgeous amoral and a taste for the lead male protagonist, much like previous fatales such as Katherine "Kitty" March played by Joan Bennett in the 1945 film Scarlet Street directed by Fritz Lang.

3 Examples Of Neo Noir: 2 Se7en

2. 1995 David Fincher’s Se7en

In an unknown city in America set in the mid 1990s Detective William Somerset played by Morgan Freeman, is about to retire. A week before he is due to leave he is partnered with Detective David Mills played by Brad Pitt, a young, arrogant and upstart from another town. They two don’t get on at all, as they both have different ways of policing. Their first case together is to investigate the murder of a very obese man who was fed spaghetti until a kick to his stomach burst him. Their next case is of a murdered lawyer called Eli Gould, played by Gene Borkan, whose had the word ‘greed’ written out in blood. What seems like an isolated murder soon becomes serial when the partnership discover the word ‘gluttony’ written behind the fridge at the crime scene of the obese victim. Establishing that the killer is murdering in the name of the seven deadly sins, the detectives decide that they will find the killer quicker if they put their differences aside and try to get along. In doing this, Detective Somerset meets Detective Mills’ wife Tracy played by Gwyneth Paltrow, and the two strike up a close friendship. However what the threesome do not realise is that the killer John Doe played by Kevin Spacey, is taking a special interest in them.

Both lead male protagonists display the typical characteristics of the men found in film noir. Detective Somerset is mentally tortured by the decimation of his marriage and family and has become bitter by being surrounded by the crime and deviance of the city he works – hence why he wishes to retire and move away at the start of the film. And Detective Mills is angry, aggressive and ambitious and doesn’t always stick to the rules – he repeatedly shoots John Doe after learning about his wife’s death.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s character of Tracy Mills also conforms to the loyal and loving housewife found in classic film noir that contrasts the femme fatale.

3 Examples Of Neo Noir: 3 Pulp Fiction

3. Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic Pulp Fiction screened in 1994

Vega played by John Travolta and Jules Winnfield played by Samuel L Jackson are two hitmen on the hunt for a briefcase whose contents were stolen from their boss, Marsellus Wallace, played by Ving Rhames. The film centres in and around Marsellus Wallace’s many cronies, including Butch Coolidge played by Bruce Willis, and how they deal with not upsetting their boss. One such story includes Marsellus asking Vincent to take care of his wife Mia, played by Uma Thurman, while he’s out of town and how he deals with her taking an accidental heroin overdose. Another story follows Butch Coolidge, a boxer who's been told by Marsellus to lose his latest fight, however after killing the other boxer, the film shows how he escapes his angry boss. This film displays the usual elements of noir; props including guns, drugs and alcohol; mob bosses – Marsellus Wallace, corrupt law enforcement – the character Zed played by Peter Greene, is a security guard but the point remains the same, and seductive femme fatale – Uma Thurman’s Mia flirts heavily with Vincent which could potentially land him in very hot water.

Batman Begins As A Neo-Noir

Batman Begins, Directed by Christopher Nolan, Released 2005.

Batman Begins protagonist is Bruce Wayne, who just like legions of noir lead men before him, is brooding and pessimistic, because although Batman is renowned for being a super hero, his alter ego Bruce Wayne is something of an anti hero, bitter at the world for the murder of his parents, much like film noir favourite protagonists, Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon and Officer Bud White from L.A. Confidential, Bruce Wayne plays by his own rules in the search for justice. But unlike Sam Spade and Officer Bud White, Bruce Wayne is not a police officer; instead such as Walter Neff in Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity, he is just a civilian that takes the law into his own hands becoming a vigilante, as seen by V in James TcTeigue’s V for Vendetta.

In keeping with classic film noir settings, Batman Begins is predominantly set in Gotham, a dark and hostile city. The city runs rife with corrupt cops such a Detective Flass, who works alongside Gotham’s underbelly of dangerous criminals most of which are under the rule of mobster boss Carmine Falcone. Storylines just like this have been seen over and over again in film noir, such as Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential. The streets of Gotham are usually shown at night which creates a sinister and dangerous feel. The film also utilises the internal world that was often used in early film noir, as when Dr Crane’s victims are poisoned the camera goes to a point-of-view shot, and everything becomes distorted and macabre, this is seen in Robert Wiene’s 1921 release Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari.

Technology plays a large part in Batman Begins, which is what really distinguishes, neo-noir from the more old fashioned film noir. Just like classic neo-noirs, the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix and Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner, Batman Begins reflects on the current state of affairs when it comes to the rise in technology and the problems it can cause. In the film, Gotham’s criminals steal an air vaporiser created by Wayne Enterprises, and decide to use it to poison the city’s inhabitance. The film also shows how in today’s society technology is needed, as without the high tech equipment Bruce Wayne would not be able to be Batman.

In the classic film noirs of old, femme fatales were embodied by sexual amoral females out to inhibit the male protagonist through seduction. Because values have changed quite significantly since the film noir heyday of the 1940s, women appearing in neo-noirs tend to be seen a lot more as equal to their male counterparts; while keeping their sex appeal and potentially dangerous charm the women of neo-noir try reflect the women of present day, presenting them as intelligent, savvy and tough such as Trinity in the Matrix. Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins while is intelligent and slightly tough – she fights off one of Falcone’s men in Gotham tube station – she still lacks the seductive charms of veteran femme fatales. And other than her no other female in Batman Begins comes even near to resembling a femme fatale. However this appears to be the only area that lacks film noir characteristics.