Hardboiled Detective: Difference between revisions

 

See also: [[Private Detective]], [[Amateur Sleuth]], [[Film Noir]] and [[Fantastic Noir]]. Contrast with [[Great Detective]], [[Kid Detective]], and [[Little Old Lady Investigates]]. If the character simply provides first-person narration the way detectives in [[Film Noir]] often do, that's [[Private Eye Monologue]].

{{examples}}

* Gai Kurasawa, a minor character in ''[[Darker than Black]]'' is an affectionate parody of the hardboiled detective.

 

== Comic Books ==

* Hannibal King from [[Marvel Comics]] is a [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampiric]] hardboiled detective.

* Rorschach from ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]'' has some elements that seem like a shout-out to the trope, including the trenchcoat and fedora and the [[Private Eye Monologue]] (which is actually excerpts from his journal).

 

== Film ==

* ''[[The Maltese Falcon]]'' features [[Humphrey Bogart]] as Sam Spade, one of the most iconic hardboiled detectives of all time, seeking revenge for the death of his partner and hunting for a [[MacGuffin|missing statuette]].

* ''[[The Big Sleep (film)|The Big Sleep]]'' features Bogart again as detective Philip Marlowe, probably the second best known example.

 

== Literature ==

* [[Raymond Chandler]]'s [[Philip Marlowe]], protagonist of ''[[The Big Sleep (Literature)|The Big Sleep]]'', ''Farewell, My Lovely'', and other novels, is an iconic and much-copied example.

* [[Dashiell Hammett]] has several, most notably, Sam Spade in ''[[The Maltese Falcon]]'', as well as the recurring, nameless character called "The Continental Op".

* Sara Paretsky's [[VI Warshawski]] is a distaff version of the (usually) male hardboiled detective.

* Lazlo Woodbine, from the [[Far Fetched Fiction]] of [[Robert Rankin]], is a blatant parody. He insists on using the first person, getting knocked unconscious at his first appearance and can only appear in four scenes (his office, a bar, an alleyway and a rooftop). Considering the outlandish nature of his books, often involving things such as [[Time Travel|time-traveling]] Elvis doing battle with [[Eldritch Abominations]] out to unmake existence, this makes things awkward.

* Conrad Metcalf, the protagonist of Jonathan Lethem's ''Gun, With Occasional Music'' is a hard-boiled detective in a world that doesn't really have a use for them anymore.

* Kinsey Milhone from Sue Grafton's "alphabet mysteries" is another example of a female hard-boiled detective.

 

* The 1980s TV adaption of ''[[Mike Hammer]]'' is either a straight example or a parody, depending on who you ask.

* ''[[Spenser For Hire]]'' was a rarity; a Hardboiled Detective with an even harder-boiled partner.

 

== Newspaper Comics ==

* In ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]'', Calvin's imaginary alter-ego, Tracer Bullet, is a pure parody of the hardboiled detective.

{{quote|"I have two magnums in my desk. One is a gun, and I keep it loaded. One is a bottle, and it keeps me loaded. My name is Tracer Bullet. I'm a professional snoop."}}

 

== Radio ==

* On ''[[A Prairie Home Companion]]'', the character of Guy Noir is an example.

 

 

== Video Games ==

* Richmond from ''[[Suikoden II]]'' is an homage to the classic noir version.

* [[Tex Murphy]] from the ''Tex Murphy''/''Mean Streets'' series of noir/thriller video games is an [[Affectionate Parody]] of the genre.

* [[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney|Tyrell Badd's]] appearance and demeanor are intended to evoke the hardboiled detective image. He has a bullethole-riddled trenchcoat, [[Perma-Stubble]], a gruff and cynical attitude, and his color scheme is [[Deliberately Monochrome]]. However, he works for the actual police {{spoiler|when he's not moonlighting as a [[Phantom Thief]].}}

 

 

* ''[[The Fairly OddParents]]'' in ''Where's Wanda''; Timmy wishes to become such a detective after the disappearance of Wanda, and ends up spoofing Sam Spade and Rick Blaine.