The elegant and restrained genre of Film Noir is perhaps one of the few born out of necessity. This style of storytelling came about post World War II, when budgets were tight, and censorship was high due to the Hays Code. Hollywood had to get creative because of the realities of the era, and crime movies with moody lighting and double-entendre were prevalent. No genre is as stylish and dark — literally.
Sentiments may have changed, but noir never does. The 21st century gave rise to a new era of the genre: neo-noir. The greatest neo-noir movies aren’t as formulaic as their predecessors, but one thing unites all the following films. They are the best crime stories with complex protagonists of the 21st century.
Brick Celebrates Film Noir More Than Any Other Movie
Before Knives Out, there was Rian Johnson’s love letter to noir, Brick. While the director’s current franchise captures the hallmarks of the whodunit genre, Brick has all the darkness and grueling emotional trauma of the best movies from the ’40s. The teen drama stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a high school student who becomes obsessed with his ex-girlfriend’s disappearance.
Brick is the perfect example of the best noir because of how much reverence it gives to detective stories. Brendan takes on the role of the classic investigator from the hard-boiled detective novels that Johnson was inspired by. The dialogue and many characterizations, such as the trope of the femme fatale, are present in the story. Heavily stylized, Brick is one of the greatest noirs because of its attention to detail and how much it functions as a classic mystery.
Nightcrawler Makes Every Other Noir Protagonist Look Tame
There are noir stories, and then there is Nightcrawler. Though it doesn’t adhere to the typical mechanics of a Film Noir, such as Brick, it is a great translation of the genre into a modern equivalent. It takes the noir archetype of an anti-hero and makes it so reprehensible that it could only exist in the modern age.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou, a stringer who makes his living filming accidents and selling them to local news stations for money. He is fascinating as the sociopathic character who will do anything for money. His chameleon aspects are a perfect commentary on how people do anything in late-stage capitalism. The noir tale tops the list as the best because it isn’t a carbon copy of anti-heroes but instead throws up a mirror to the audience, forcing them to contend with the worst versions of themselves.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Uses Humor To Tell a Classic Mystery
As with any Shane Black film, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang sets his wacky characters on their journey at Christmas. Though not the only neo-noir to use humor as a storytelling device, it is the best version of the setup because of the chemistry between the actors and the genuinely intriguing mystery. Before he made Marvel history in Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. starred as Harry Lockhart, the epitome of someone in the wrong place at the wrong time.
After a case of mistaken identity, Harry falls into a comedy of errors when he and private detective Perry van Shrike witness a crime. The humor of the narrative comes from Harry’s ineptitude next to a consummate professional, Perry. Harry is the absolute last person who should be solving a mystery, and yet, the case itself is straight out of a detective novel. Black has made no secret of making a good mystery, and this is the best noir out of the bunch.
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Is One of the Darkest Interpretations of the Genre
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo throws out the concept of a literal detective for something new, but the story is still the best noir of this century. David Fincher demonstrates the gritty crime genre best, and the remake of the Swedish film is one of his darkest. Beautifully structured, this noir follows two characters equally motivated to catch a man who hates women. Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara are another depiction of the buddy detective trope, but they deal with harrowing themes found in most noir stories.
Craig plays Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced journalist looking to rejuvenate his reputation by finding out who murdered a young girl in the ’60s. He is joined by Lisbeth Salander, a whip-smart researcher who brings her own baggage to the case. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo‘s characterizations are better than many other noirs, putting female autonomy and agency in the driver’s seat.
Zodiac Is David Fincher’s Best Noir
David Fincher has impressed with gritty crime features in the past, but his magnum opus is Zodiac. The mystery is one of the greatest noirs because it is real. The story is taken from Robert Graysmith’s account of trying to solve the case of the Zodiac Killer. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Graysmith in a more affable role than he played in Nightcrawler.
A cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle, Graysmith takes it upon himself to discover the identity of the Zodiac. The case is one of the most notorious unsolved mysteries whose mystique has carried over into the 21st century. The 2007 film captures all the dread and terror of this dark thriller that is a career best for Fincher.
Oldboy Is One of the Most Iconic Neo-Noirs
Oldboy has to be seen to be believed, and even then, some probably wished they hadn’t seen it at all. When it was first released, it was genuinely surprising and has gone on to inspire action sequences in other films. Visually, it was iconic, and that is before starting to analyze the content. Oldboy is an undisputed thriller that truly takes on the darkest parts of noir in the best way.
Now, no one would be able to pull off the twists that the film has because Oldboy did it first. After being imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-su is inexplicably released, and he goes on a well-earned revenge kick. Those who know the twist know, which makes it impossible to forget. Oldboy is more fast and loose with classic noir tropes, but it more than delivers on the ending.
In 2011, Ryan Gosling was just starting to be appraised for his dramatic performances, and Drive put him over the edge. He portrays an unnamed stunt driver who also makes money by being a getaway driver for criminal activities. This setup is perfect for neo-noir stories, and Drive hits on many of the hallmarks like infidelity and the femme fatale.
Drive is remembered, however, because of its stylistic depiction of the slick night streets of L.A. and the powerhouse performances from its actors. Gosling reoriented his career with the film, paving the way for him to appear in the best sci-fi noir almost a decade later.
Blade Runner 2049 Perfects What Works in the Original Blade Runner
Blade Runner 2049 is at the top of the best 21st-century noir list because it continues the story laid out in Blade Runner while telling a completely new story. Once again, Gosling proves he is a force to be reckoned with as a dramatic actor, perfecting what he set out to do in Drive. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the sci-fi mystery follows the replicant K, who uncovers a strange conspiracy that causes him to doubt his own memories.
The story incorporates plotlines from the original Blade Runner, but the story really belongs to K. He is a tragic character like any decent noir protagonist, fighting against a corrupt system that, in many ways, feels futile.
No Country For Old Men is the Perfect Western Noir
No Country for Old Men fires on all cylinders when it comes to stories. It is considered a modern classic in the hands of the Coen Brothers, that is not just a decent neo-Western, but a captivating crime thriller that is as bleak as any neo-noir could hope to be. The story hits on the best noir tropes like greed, the futility of existence, and inescapable violence. Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, a former welder who decides to steal a satchel full of cash after discovering a cartel deal gone wrong.
He almost immediately regrets his decision when the scariest hitman with the worst haircut comes calling. Javier Bardem is terrifying as the assassin Anton Chigurh, who cannot be reasoned with. He enjoys his job a little too much and is out for blood just because Llewelyn inconvenienced him. No Country for Old Men is a masterclass in filmmaking that isn’t just the top of any noir list, but the top of the best movies of the 21st century.
Christopher Nolan Delivered the Best Modern Noir of the 21st Century
On Christopher Nolan’s first mainstream film debut, he obliterated any other chance for a noir film to be the best of the 21st century. The director adapted the film Memento from his brother Jonathan Nolan’s short story, and no other movie really had a chance after that. The non-linear narrative follows Leonard, a man unable to make short-term memories after the murder of his wife.
Still determined to find out who killed her, Leonard keeps track of his life through a complex system of tattoos and notes to himself. As the narrative unfurls, viewers get more context and learn what Leonard ultimately cannot. The ending is a twist in classic noir fashion that changes the perspective of the entire movie. Nolan defined himself as an artist with a celebrated psychological thriller right out of the gate.