12 Modern Neo-Noir Movies Destined to Become Classics

Noir cinema was a defining highlight of the Golden Age of Hollywood, with such films as The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity revered classics which have stood the test of time and still provide enthralling stories to modern viewers. While film noir experienced something of a decline from the 1960s onwards, it has undergone a powerful resurgence with a spate of neo-noir films being released in recent years, many of which have refreshed the genre while taking it to interesting new heights.

Staying in vogue with the striking imagery, hard-boiled and gritty narratives, and the complicated characters that saw film noir become such an acclaimed genre, these neo-noir hits offer compelling viewing experiences. Unafraid of mixing genres, these films – many of which are by some of the most illustrious filmmakers currently working – have excelled as critical darlings and fan favorites, and appear certain to become modern classics in their own right as time goes on.

12 ‘Brick’ (2005)

Directed by Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson‘s directorial debut, Brick marked a bold and authoritative introduction to feature films by the acclaimed filmmaker which also served as his first of many collaborations with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The mystery picture sees Gordon-Levitt star as Brendan Frye, a high school student who receives a frantic phone call from his ex-girlfriend before she winds up murdered, prompting Brendan to look into the killing and come face to face with some of the nastiest figures in his school in the process.

The meshing of crime noir and teenage drama is dubious in theory, but Brick nails its obtuse mixing of tones and styles with aplomb thanks to an exceptional, witty screenplay from Johnson and an assured lead performance from Gordon-Levitt. While abundant and overwhelming, its overt homages to classic noir never diminish the charm of the film which is sure to only grow in stature as the neo-noir subgenre continues to evolve and gain new fans as well.

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11 ‘Sin City’ (2005)

Directed by Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez

Made famous for its violence and its sense of style which included blending black and white imagery with flashes of color, Sin City was an instant cult classic because of its striking nature. Following three storylines which take place amid the criminal corruption of Basin City, it tracks a musclebound vigilante out for revenge, a rogue cop battling against a child-killer, and an ex-prostitute who works with her new boyfriend – a private investigator – to evade her aggressive former pimp.

Based on Frank Miller‘s graphic novel series of the same name, which Miller himself adapted to the screen along with Robert Rodriguez, Sin City became an enticing classic with its arresting visual aesthetic, its tales of ultra-violence and human depravity, and its immaculate ensemble cast. It broke new ground in terms of what could be done in mainstream film, and juggled its interweaving plot threads with great poise.

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10 ‘Nocturnal Animals’ (2016)

Directed by Tom Ford

A stunningly decadent yet underrated psychological thriller film with a disturbing story of love and revenge, Nocturnal Animals is, at times, a difficult viewing experience but an enthralling one nonetheless. It stars Amy Adams as Susan Morrow, the owner of an upscale art gallery overseeing a confronting new exhibition who is shaken when she receives a novel manuscript from her ex-husband which details a vacationing family being attacked in disturbing fashion.

The second, and, to date, most recent film by Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals sees the director lean heavily into his fashion design skillset to present a visually arresting adaptation of Austin Wright’s novel Tony and Susan. With its entrancing atmosphere mixing with its violent sensitivities hypnotically, Nocturnal Animals is a beautifully distressing picture that will be revered as a triumph in style and tone in years to come. – Ryan Heffernan

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9 ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (2005)

Directed by Shane Black

When it comes to mixing the moral levity of noir cinema with a riveting sense of fun and chaos, there are few in the business better than Shane Black. Serving as his directorial debut after having spent years in the industry, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was able to have its cake and eat it too as a ridiculously entertaining crime comedy that produced a genuinely engrossing mystery story as well.

Coasting on the brilliant chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, it follows a petty thief from New York who is sent to Los Angeles to train under a private eye for a movie role when he is mistaken for an actor, only for the feuding duo to become embroiled in a mysterious murder case alongside a struggling actress. An instant cult classic, the film’s legacy has continued to grow with the expansion of the genre and the evolution of Downey Jr.’s career, with his outing as Harry Lockhart still one of his most divine performances thus far.

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8 ‘Blade Runner 2049’ (2017)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Blade Runner 2049 is so widely regarded as an underrated cult classic that it is practically on the brink of becoming a bona fide sci-fi classic in its own right, and rightfully so. A well-made legacy sequel to Ridley Scott‘s 1982 classic Blade Runner, it follows K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant blade runner who uncovers a dangerous secret concerning not only the fate of humanity and the androids, but his own destiny as well, and journeys to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who has been missing for more than 30 years.

Surpassing the original film in several key aspects, Blade Runner 2049 was a rare achievement in filmmaking, with Denis Villeneuve conjuring up an enchanting viewing experience defined by its breathtaking visuals, its immersive atmosphere, and its measured pacing of an intricate and complex story. Despite the fact that it flopped at the box office, the film has become a revered modern gem that reinforced the original film’s themes of identity and humanity while exploring those core issues from an intriguing new angle.

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7 ‘Nightmare Alley’ (2021)

Directed by Guillermo del Toro

Based on what had become a forgotten gem of 40s cinema and classic noir, Guillermo del Toro beautifully reinvigorated the dazzling and disturbing story of Nightmare Alley for new audiences, breathing new life into the carnival crime flick with an eerie and stylistic punch. The film follows Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), an ambitious carnie who uses his expertise in psychic practices and showmanship to swindle social elites, but his scheme soon grows dangerous when he becomes involved with a psychiatrist and plots his most ambitious take yet.

Benefitting from del Toro’s unique style, Nightmare Alley is a cruel and relentless look into ambition and desperation, heightened by a stellar cast led by a devastating Cooper. Gleefully wicked, Nightmare Alley might be a tough watch, but its deft handling of thorny subjects and lush production values make it a modern noir with a bite as strong as its powerful bark.

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6 ‘Gone Baby Gone’ (2007)

Directed by Ben Affleck

A scintillating and effectively disturbing directorial debut from Ben Affleck, Gone Baby Gone saw the actor-turned-director make an immediate impression with his film-making with an engrossing crime mystery defined by its powerful performances and its depiction of working-class Boston. It follows Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his partner and girlfriend Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) as they investigate the disappearance of a four-year-old girl in Dorchester.

Gone Baby Gone exhibits a bleak and dismal, though undeniably enthralling atmosphere as Kenzie and Gennaro’s investigation sees them confront all manner of local criminals, ranging from drug dealers and gangsters to pedophiles. Treading a strained morality, Gone Baby Gone succeeds in being a provocative and subversive thriller, sidestepping genre conventions with deft brilliance to be one of the most impactful and complex neo-noir films in recent memory.

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5 ‘Prisoners’ (2013)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Another Denis Villeneuve masterclass in neo-noir style and mounting tension, Prisoners made for a big 2013 for the Canadian filmmaker alongside his celebrated release of Enemy. The mystery crime thriller focuses on the abduction of two young girls, with one of the children’s fathers going to extreme lengths to find answers while the detective investigating the case struggles to make inroads.

Emotionally complex and loaded with dread, Prisoners has an engrossing intensity which saw the film excel as both a fascinating look at desperate characters as well as a harrowing and disturbing viewing experience. With Hugh Jackman putting in a career-best performance while Jake Gyllenhaal was equally magnetic in the co-starring role, the film is gradually coming to be revered as a modern neo-noir classic and an underrated highlight of Villeneuve’s career. – Ryan Heffernan

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4 ‘Nightcrawler’ (2014)

Directed by Dan Gilroy

Running as a shockingly callous though utterly captivating thriller, Nightcrawler is a relentless character study that delves into the mind of a sociopath to be one of the most brilliant and unique neo-noir films ever made. It follows Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled and unattached stranger who spends his nights pursuing violent crimes and deadly accidents across Los Angeles with a camera to sell the footage to a local news station.

While director Dan Gilroy succeeds in striking a gritty and uncomfortable tone from the film’s opening moments, it is Gyllenhaal who deserves full credit for an unforgettable career-best performance that has the capacity to genuinely rattle viewers. Completely unapologetic, Nightcrawler is a cynical and brutal depiction of the amorality of journalism, posing intriguing and hard-hitting questions that cement a long-lasting legacy as a ruthless exploration of unethical behavior in American capitalism.

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3 ‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)

Directed by Shane Black

Another blending of neo-noir narrative with a dash of comedic brilliance from director Shane Black, The Nice Guys is a true modern comedy classic that functions as a buddy cop film and thrives on the back of the chemistry between stars Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. The duo star as a shady P.I. and a hired thug respectively, with the two having to work together to look into a young woman’s disappearance as the mystery surrounding a dead porn star overshadows their investigation.

Absurdly entertaining and endlessly rewatchable, The Nice Guys was a triumphant achievement in its ability to blend the best elements of neo-noir mystery with sensational comedy dialogue. Its financial failure upon release was a damning shock not only for the film but for lovers of the genre, with hopes for a sequel unfulfilled even though it is widely viewed to be one of the best neo-noir films this century.

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2 ‘Drive’ (2011)

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

It would be easy to make a case for Ryan Gosling being the undisputed king of neo-noir cinema, with the actor excelling in both comedic takes on the genre and more violent iterations of it as well. Drive may just be the best film of his career thus far, with Gosling starring as an unnamed stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals, only to find himself being drawn deeper into the underworld than he would like when he forms a bond with his neighbor and agrees to help her husband pay off a debt when he is released from prison.

With Nicolas Winding Refn directing the film, the neo-noir thriller is imbued with a mesmerizing sense of style born from its neon lighting, minimalist dialogue, and its retro, electronic soundtrack. Punctuated with occasional though confronting outbursts of stylized ultra-violence, Drive has become one of the most iconic films of the neo-noir genre released this century.

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1 ‘Widows’ (2018)

Directed by Steve McQueen

An outstanding though underrated follow-up from his Oscar-winning picture 12 Years a Slave, the 2018 crime-thriller Widows saw Steve McQueen in fine form once more. The neo-noir drama focuses on four women, left as widows when their husbands are killed while working a heist, who band together to carry out a job of their own in order to pay off a debt to a powerful crime boss and find some semblance of financial freedom.

Led by an assured Viola Davis, Widows is a confident, powerful, and thought-provoking film which takes audiences on a non-stop thrill ride rife with gripping action sequences and stunning plot twists. With Elizabeth Debicki, Michelle Rodriguez, and Cynthia Erivo co-starring, as well as an amazing supporting cast, Widows boasts a spectacular cast to deliver an enthralling crime story with astute direction from McQueen operating at his very best.

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NEXT:The Best Noir Comedies Of The 21st Century, Ranked