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Common subjects of noir films include murder investigations, [[The Caper|heists]], [[The Con|con games]], and (mostly) innocent men or women [[Wrongly Accused]] of crime. The [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|double-cross]] and [[Smoking Is Cool|cigarette smoking]] are mandatory. [[Kudzu Plot|Complicated plots]] are further convoluted by [[Flash Back|Flashbacks]] and [[Flash Forward|Flash Forwards]] -- the [[Narrator|narration]] tying everything together, [[Unreliable Narrator|assuming we can trust him]].
 
''Noir'', in the classic and stylistic sense, is visually darker than your average gangster picture, [[Chiaroscuro|playing with light and long, deep shadows]] instead of bright, documentary-styled camera work. This visual motif is so iconic that homages and parodies are almost universally [[Deliberately Monochrome]], using a [[Fade to Gray|transition between colour and black and white]] where necessary. Scenes are often filmed on location, and night scenes are shot at night. Camera angles are often very creative and unusual, heightening the viewers sense of unease, adding to the atmosphere. The contrast between light and dark is sometimes used in the cinematography to reflect the difference between the [[Big Bad|villain]] and the protagonist(s). the combination of brooding sets with convoluted plots and you have the basis of the genre-defining works. [[Cyberpunk Withwith a Chance of Rain|It rains every night]] in [[Film Noir]]; filmmakers admit that this is entirely because at night wet pavement [[Rule of Cool|looks cooler than dry.]] Also, the rain makes it plausible that no one else is around.
 
The [[Anti-Hero]] is the most common protagonist of the Noir -- a man alienated from society, suffering an existential crisis. Frequently portrayed as a disillusioned, cynical police officer or [[Private Detective|private-eye]] and played by a fast-talking actor, the [[Anti-Hero]] is no fool and doesn't suffer fools gladly. He faces morally ambiguous decisions and battles with [[Crapsack World|a world that seems like it is out to get him and/or those closest to him.]]
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Film Noir works are often low on [[Mr. Exposition|exposition]] to heighten tension, keeping the audience guessing until the [[The Reveal|final unraveling]]. The conclusion takes place in the closing moments, ties up all the loose ends, answers many (if not all) of the major questions and keeps the [[Grey and Gray Morality|morally ambiguous theme]] of the work intact. These factors contribute to the widely-held opinion that Film Noir works are among the best artistic works of all time ''despite'' their grim settings and contemptible characters.
 
Not to be confused with the religious conspiracy anime ''[[Noir (Animeanime)|Noir]]'', nor with a certain [[Homestuck|carapacian Archagent]].
 
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* [[Gayngster]]
* [[Hardboiled Detective]]
* [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]]
* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]
* [[The Mafia]] and other organized crime.
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* [[Emerging From the Shadows]]
* [[Everybody Smokes]]
* [[Going Byby the Matchbook]]
* [[Gray Rain of Depression]]
* [[Private Eye Monologue]]
* [[Smoking Is Cool]]
* [[Sympathy for Thethe Devil]]
* [[Weather Report Narration]]
 
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== Proto-Noir ==
* The Hardboiled genre of crime and detective fiction, by authors like [[Dashiell Hammett]], James M. Cain, and [[Raymond Chandler]].
* A [[German Expressionism|German Expressionistic]] movie called ''[[M (Film)|M]]'', starring Peter Lorre as a peculiarly sympathetic Serial Killer. Not quite noir, but getting there
 
 
== Frequently Referenced "Classic" Noirs ==
* ''Stranger On The Third Floor'' (1940)
* ''[[The Maltese Falcon (Film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Film/This Gun For Hire|This Gun For Hire]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Casablanca]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Double Indemnity]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Laura]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Murder My Sweet (Film)|Murder My Sweet]]'' (1944)
* ''Detour'' (1945)
* ''[[The Blue Dahlia]]'' (1946)
* ''[[The Big Sleep (Filmfilm)|The Big Sleep]]'' (1946)
* ''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 (Filmfilm)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]'' (1946)
* ''[[The Strange Love Of Martha Ivers]]'' (1946)
* ''[[Gilda]]'' (1946)
* ''[[Out Of The Past]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Lady From Shanghai]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Nightmare Alley (Film)|Nightmare Alley]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Key Largo]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Third Man]]'' (1949)
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* ''The Big Combo'' (1955)
* ''[[Kiss Me Deadly]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Killing (Filmfilm)|The Killing]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Sweet Smell of Success]]'' (1957)
* '' [[The Wrong Man]]'' (1957)
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* ''[[Le Samourai]]'' (1967). Anything directed by Jean-Pierre Melville.
* ''[[Taggart]]'' (according to the French)
* ''[[Point Blank (Filmfilm)|Point Blank]]'' (1967)
* ''[[Bullitt]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Klute]]'' (1971)
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* ''[[Body Heat]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Blade Runner]]'' (1982), one of the most influential examples of [[Cyberpunk]] showing its Noir pedigree.
* ''[[Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (Film)|Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid]]'' (1983) is an [[Affectionate Parody]] of Noir.
* ''[[The Element of Crime]]'' (1984) is simultaneously a [[Homage]] and a [[Deconstruction]] of the genre.
* ''[[Blood Simple]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Angel Heart]]'' (1987) combines Noir with horror to stunning effect.
* ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'' (1988)
* ''[[MillersMiller's Crossing]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series]]'' (1992) and ''[[Batman: Mask of the Phantasm]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Red Rock West]]'' (1992)
* ''[[The Last Seduction]]'' (1994)
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* ''[[The Usual Suspects]]'' (1995), whose title comes from a famous line in ''[[Casablanca]]''.
* ''[[Heat]]'' (1995)
* Clive Barker's ''[[Lord Of Illusions]]'' (1995) combines noir elements with [[HPH.P. Lovecraft|Lovecraftian]] body horror.
* [[Bound]] (1996)
* ''[[Mulholland Falls]]'' (1996)
* ''[[LAL.A. Confidential]]'' (1997)
* ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'' (1998) is a simultaneous [[Homage]] to and [[The Parody|parody of]] Film Noir specific tropes.
** This is known as "Parody of Reaffirmation", like Weird Al parodying music, but at the same time is making music, or Scream parodying horror movies, all the while being a horror movie.
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* ''Renaissance'' (2006) (Black & white CG movie set in Paris, [[Recycled in Space|IN THE FUTURE]])
* ''[[The Empire State Building Murders]]'' (2006) uses [[Talking Heads]] and film noir clips to tell its own noir story.
* ''[[Memento (Film)|Memento]]''
* [[The Bourne Series]] (2002-2007) has a heavy neo-noir feel in many scenes
* ''[[Fight Club]]'' (1999)
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* ''The Spirit'' (2008). Oh man, The Spirit.
* ''[[Public Enemies]]'' (2009)
* ''[[WintersWinter's Bone]]'' (2010) is an example of Neo-Realist Noir, setting a missing persons case in the isolated and meth-ravaged communities of the Ozarks.
* ''[[Drive]]'' (2011)
 
 
== Anime and Manga ==
* ''[[The Big O (Anime)|The Big O]]''
* ''[[Cowboy Bebop (Anime)|Cowboy Bebop]]''
* ''[[Ergo Proxy]]''. Especially the first few episodes.
* ''[[Ghost in Thethe Shell (Mangamanga)|Ghost in The Shell]]''
* ''[[Noir (Animeanime)|Noir]]''
* ''[[Darker Than Black (Anime)|Darker Than Black]]''. It's the real deal, but the character of Gai Kurasawa (a private detective), is used to parody it.
* ''[[Speed Grapher]]'' is set in a Tokyo which is a [[City Noir]] teaming with corruption and has its hero in [[Intrepid Reporter]] Saiga who is a good example of a [[Knight in Sour Armor]].
* ''[[Monster (Animemanga)|Monster]]'' has some elements of this trope.
 
 
== Comic Books ==
* ''[[One Hundred100 Bullets (Comic Book)|One Hundred Bullets]]''
* ''[[Sin City]]''
* ''[[Dogby Walks Alone]]'' - parodied by being placed in a [[Theme Park]] setting.
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* ''Incognito'' by Ed Brubaker.
* Brian Michael Bendis's ''[[Alias (Comic Book)|Alias]]'' by Ed Brubaker.
* ''[[Watchmen (Comic Bookcomics)|Watchmen]]'' contains significant noir elements.
 
 
== Fan Fiction ==
* The aptly named ''[[Coruscant Noir (Fanfic)|Coruscant Noir]]''.
* ''[[A Dark Knight Over Sin City]]''
* There's an ongoing [[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]] fanfic called [[Cities in Dust (Fanfic)|Cities In Dust]]: [[Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff|shit lets be hardboiled]] that puts the characters in a Noir AU.
* ''[[Nights in The Big City (Fanfic)|Nights In Thethe Big City]]''
* [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7206038/1/bDial_b_bM_b_For_bMutant_b Dial M For Mutant] puts the characters of X-Men: First Class into the noir setting, complete with copious use of 30's/40's slang.
* ''[[Calvin and Hobbes: The Series (Fanfic)|Calvin and Hobbes The Series]]'' sometimes uses this, resulting in an [[Out-of-Genre Experience]].
 
 
== Literature ==
* Most of Lawrence Block's work, Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries in particular.
* The ''[[Garrett PIP.I.]]'' novels by Glen Cook, [[Nero Wolfe]] in a gritty fantasy world.
* The novels of [[Dashiell Hammett]], [[Raymond Chandler]], [[James M. Cain]], and Jim Thompson.
* [[The Dresden Files]], which is Noir [[X Meets Y|meets]] [[Urban Fantasy]].
* And [[The Automatic Detective]] is Noir [[X Meets Y|meets]] [[Raygun Gothic]].
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== Spoofs and Parodies ==
* ''[[Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (Film)|Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid]]'' (1982)
* ''Play It Again, Sam'' (1972), a [[Woody Allen]] film that matches up Allen's "neurotic Jew" character with [[Humphrey Bogart]]. [[Hilarity Ensues]].
* ''[[Problem Sleuth (Webcomic)|Problem Sleuth]]'', at least setting-wise, plays with the genre and its tropes in part. The bulk of the work is an incredibly silly take on the [[Eastern RPG]], but it's decidedly within a [[Film Noir]] framework. And when it does noir, oh, ''[http://www.topatoco.com/graphics/00000001/mspa-office-print.jpg it does noir]''.
** In a similar vein, ''[[Homestuck (Webcomic)|Homestuck]]'''s Midnight Crew intermission plays with the [[Heroic Sociopath|darker]] end of the genre's spectrum, [[Timey-Wimey Ball|just with extra time travel]].
* ''[[Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]]'', an [[Affectionate Parody]] with {{spoiler|a [[Averted Trope|surprisingly happy ending]].}}
* The [[Affectionate Parody|Tracer Bullet]] stories in ''[[Calvin and Hobbes]]''.
* ''[[Sam and Max Freelance Police]]'', especially with the character Flint Paper.
** In ''[[The Adventures of Sam and& Max: Freelance Police (Video Game)|Sam and Max Freelance Police]] Season 3: Episode 3'', Max gets murdered and Sam has an '[[Heroic BSOD|embarrassing noirish rampage]]' that turns the game into a [[Film Noir]] spoof for a while, down to the lighting and the camera angles in the cutscenes. Highlights include Sam demonstrating his edgy true-to-life violence by [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique|slapping people in the face mid sentence]] and having a 'Noir' option during conversations which causes him to [[Wangst|give a largely incoherent metaphorical description about how amoral and miserable he is]].
* Less spoof than reference, but Tyrell Badd of ''[[Ace Attorney|Ace Attorney Investigations]] is a blatant noir detective down to the stubble, trenchcoat, and tragic past.
* ''The Black Bird'' is a film spoof of ''[[The Maltese Falcon (Film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'' without much originality.
* ''[[Rock Slyde (Film)|Rock Slyde]]'' (2009) is a modern film-noir parody starring [[Patrick Warburton]] as "Rock Slyde", private-eye and former [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|homosexual-pirate musical-pornstar]].
* One of the scenarios in the Artificial Reality machine in [[Red Dwarf (TV)|Red Dwarf]] is a film noir setting, complete with monochrome, a [[Femme Fatale]], [[Al Capone]]-style outfits and a car from the 30s.
 
 
== Live Action TV ==
* ''[[Veronica Mars]]'' somehow effectively used this style in a San Diego high school setting.
* ''[[Charmed (TV)|Charmed]]'' had an episode based around a book taking them to a place with this style.
* An episode of ''[[Moonlighting]]'' did this well.
* ''[[Smallville]]'' had a Jimmy centric episode set in a noir dream sequence.
* Other than being set in Hawaii, ''[[Magnum, PIP.I.]]'' tended this was as well, complete with [[Private Eye Monologue]].
* [[Kamen Rider Double]] is based on Noir.
* ''[[Terriers]]''
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* The BBC two part Drama "Exile"
* ''[[Peter Gunn]]''
* ''[[The Shadow Line (TV)|The Shadow Line]]'' is heavily inspired by [[Film Noir]], borrowing many plot elements and a very dark and cynical tone.
* Season 5, episode 10 of ''[[Monk (TV)|Monk]]'', "Mr. Monk and the Leper," was filmed as a noir, and there are both color and black and white versions, which were shown back-to-back when the episode premiered (the B&W version aired first).
* ''[[Angel (TV)|Angel]]'' was heavily influenced by [[Film Noir]], mostly up to about half way through the third season, but it retained certain [[Film Noir]] traits until the very end, such as the moral abiguity. {{spoiler|The final scene of the show is in the classic [[Film Noir]] setting of rainy alleyway}}.
 
 
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* ''[[Grim Fandango]]'' (1998)
* ''The Black Dahlia'' (1998) - correct setting, period clothes and corny dialogue to boot.
* ''[[Discworld Noir (Video Game)|Discworld Noir]]'' (1999) - [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]]
* ''[[Max Payne (Video Gameseries)|Max Payne]]'' (2001) - Also [[Max Payne (Filmfilm)|a movie]]
** Its sequel even used the tagline "A Film Noir Love Story". Which is somewhat ironic, given that the protagonist is much less cynical jaded in the sequel than in the original.
* ''Deja Vu''
* ''Jack Orlando: A Graphic Adventure''
* ''Dead Head Fred''
* ''[[Gabriel Knight (Video Game)|Gabriel Knight]]'' ''Sins of The Fathers'' Combines Noir with horror much the same way as the film ''[[Angel Heart]]''.
* The ''[[Thief]]'' series (1998- ). [[Troperrific|Dear God]], the ''Thief'' series...
* ''[[Hotel Dusk: Room 215]]'' (2006) and it's sequel, ''[[Last Window]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Heavy Rain]]'' (2010)
* The later ''[[Hitman]]'' games start to veer into this territory by virtue of [[Growing the Beard]] and aiming for a more [[Darker and Edgier]] feel. Several missions in the third and fourth game (''Contracts'' and ''Blood Money'') have a genuinely noir tone.
* ''[[LA Noire]]'' (2011) [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin|fittingly enough]].
* [[The Shivah]], by [[Wadjet Eye Games]]
* ''Emerald City Confidential'' is described by the producer as follows: 'Harsh city streets, grey rainy skies, femmes fatales, tough guys, trenchcoats, fedoras and plot twists. It's [[Wizard of Oz|Oz]], seen through the eyes of Raymond Chandler'.
* ''Blackwell Legacy'' uses some elements of the noir (one of the protagonists is a [[Deadpan Snarker]] ghost from the 30's). People in Wadjed Eye Games must really like this genre.
* ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Video Game)|Deus Ex Human Revolution]]'' (2011) consists of both Film Noir and [[Cyberpunk]] (à la [[Blade Runner]]).
* [[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]] (2000) also heavily borrows from the noir aesthetics and narrative structure. Technically, this is a noir game with government agent and conspirators replacing more common private dick and crooks.
* By virtue of evoking late 80s scifi movies, ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' evokes this in parts, especially on Omega, Ilium and the Citadel. Thane and Samara's loyalty missions are even investigations with much less action than the rest of the game (oddly enough, both characters are stoic badasses with philosophical sides).
* ''[[Video Game/Blade Runner|Blade Runner]]'' (1997) follows the movie with its distinctive noir feeling mixed with s-f settings.
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* ''Automata'', and it's sequel ''Blood and Oil''; two short stories created by the [[Penny Arcade]] duo. [http://penny-arcade.com/archive/results/search&keywords=automata/\]
* A shortlived [http://studiotriumph.com/talbot/?comic=1 webcomic] placed [[Lawrence Talbot]] into a film noir setting. [[Fridge Brilliance]], as Talbot's whole bag has always been existential angst.
* [[Living Withwith Insanity]] did this in its [http://www.livingwithinsanity.com/index/?p=364 most recent arc.]
* [[Two Rooks]] combines crime noir with a dystopian setting.
* [http://www.sintitulocomic.com/2007/06/17/page-01/ Sin Titulo] definitely has noir undertones (and it uses color very sparingly).
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Batman: theThe Animated Series]]'' had chiaroscuro lighting, snap-brim hats, a gun moll for [[The Joker]], and a number of other ''noir'' traits.
 
 
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