The Best Film Noir Movies By All Genre Movies Lists  [161 more lists]

A list of the best film noir movies. While not every film noir is on this list, the best ones are. If you believe we missed one though, feel free to add it in yourself. Film Noir began in the 1940's and continued into the 1950's. Today we have neo-noir. Borrowing high contrast cinematography from Germany, film noir based its storytelling on characters who were ultimately doomed. Film noir filmmakers were also masters of skirting the Hays Code (censorship in the name of decency) through the use of implication, subtext, and suggestive dialogue. Today, Film Noir is easily one of the most resilient genres to survive the Hays Code, with films that still stand up to today's modern films.