Sam Sanchez

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100 Favorite Classic-Era Film Noir

A very loose ranking, especially in the bottom half.


I tried to stick a general definition of what I consider flim noir, though I may have played it loose in some cases and maybe omitted others that some might consider noir.


I did stick mostly to the classic era which is roughly from the early 40s through the late 50s. So I didn't include any more modern Noir in this list, but I did allow for some non-American noir which are often left off these types of lists.


100 is probably a bit excessive at this point, but after realizing I've seen a ton of these, and my genuine enjoyment of film noir definitely extends beyond just these 100, I…

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  • Pickup on South Street

    1

  • The Big Heat

    2

  • Ace in the Hole

    3

  • The Killing

    4

  • The Asphalt Jungle

    5

  • The Night of the Hunter

    6

  • Rififi

    7

  • Double Indemnity

    8

  • Sunset Boulevard

    9

  • The Maltese Falcon

    10

  • The Set-Up

    11

  • Touch of Evil

    12

  • Kiss Me Deadly

    13

  • The Big Sleep

    14

  • Night and the City

    15

  • Thieves' Highway

    16

  • Gun Crazy

    17

  • In a Lonely Place

    18

  • Strangers on a Train

    19

  • Out of the Past

    20

  • The Third Man

    21

  • The Big Combo

    22

  • Detour

    23

  • Panic in the Streets

    24

  • Sweet Smell of Success

    25

  • White Heat

    26

  • Leave Her to Heaven

    27

  • Nightmare Alley

    28

  • Where the Sidewalk Ends

    29

  • Odds Against Tomorrow

    30

  • Kiss of Death

    31

  • Elevator to the Gallows

    32

  • No Way Out

    33

  • Body and Soul

    34

  • Woman on the Run

    35

  • The Breaking Point

    36

  • Force of Evil

    37

  • The Chase

    38

  • The Hitch-Hiker

    39

  • Crime Wave

    40

  • Scandal Sheet

    41

  • Laura

    42

  • The Postman Always Rings Twice

    43

  • His Kind of Woman

    44

  • The Lineup

    45

  • Act of Violence

    46

  • They Live by Night

    47

  • The Blue Dahlia

    48

  • Criss Cross

    49

  • Pushover

    50

  • The Naked City

    51

  • Notorious

    52

  • Detective Story

    53

  • The Prowler

    54

  • On Dangerous Ground

    55

  • The Lady from Shanghai

    56

  • The Sniper

    57

  • The Big Clock

    58

  • The Web

    59

  • Violent Saturday

    60

  • Champion

    61

  • I Walk Alone

    62

  • The Crimson Kimono

    63

  • This Gun for Hire

    64

  • Moonrise

    65

  • Murder by Contract

    66

  • Cry Danger

    67

  • Too Late for Tears

    68

  • Scarlet Street

    69

  • Call Northside 777

    70

  • Side Street

    71

  • The Glass Key

    72

  • The Narrow Margin

    73

  • Shakedown

    74

  • Pitfall

    75

  • The Devil Thumbs a Ride

    76

  • D.O.A.

    77

  • Decoy

    78

  • Fourteen Hours

    79

  • Mildred Pierce

    80

  • The Killers

    81

  • Border Incident

    82

  • Cry of the City

    83

  • Night Editor

    84

  • House of Strangers

    85

  • The Harder They Fall

    86

  • Human Desire

    87

  • The Street with No Name

    88

  • Key Largo

    89

  • Drive a Crooked Road

    90

  • Crossfire

    91

  • Tension

    92

  • Dial 1119

    93

  • Raw Deal

    94

  • The Window

    95

  • The Sound of Fury

    96

  • Plunder Road

    97

  • City That Never Sleeps

    98

  • Armored Car Robbery

    99

  • Private Hell 36

    100