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Farewell My Lovely
»rank: 10741
: :0f all the Philip Marlowes, Robert Mitchum's in Farewell, My Lovely resonates most deeply. That's because this is Marlowe past his prime, and Mitchum imbues Raymond Chandler's legendary private detective with a sense of maturity as well as a melancholy spirit. And yet there's plenty of Mitchum's renowned self-deprecating humor and charismatic charm to remind us of his own iconic presence. As in the previous 1944 film version, Murder, My Sweet, Marlowe searches all over L.A. for the elusive girlfriend of ex-con Moose ...
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Body Heat
»rank: 4459
: essential video:While scoring high-profile credits as a screenwriter (including The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and Raiders of the Lost Ark), Lawrence Kasdan made his directorial debut with this steamy, contemporary film noir in the tradition of Double lndemnity and other classics from the 1940s. ln one of his most memorable roles, William Hurt plays a Florida lawyer unwittingly drawn into a web of deceit spun by Kathleen Turner (in her screen debut) as a married socialite who plots to ...
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La Confidential
»rank: 11843
: essential video:ln a time when it seems that every other movie makes some claim to being a film noir, L.A. Confidential is the real thing--a gritty, sordid tale of sex, scandal, betrayal, and corruption of all sorts (police, political, press--and, of course, very personal) in 1940s Hollywood. The 0scar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy's series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz)--a compelling blend of L.A. history and pulp fiction ...
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Judas Kiss
»rank: 10619
: essential video:ln a time when it seems that every other movie makes some claim to being a film noir, L.A. Confidential is the real thing--a gritty, sordid tale of sex, scandal, betrayal, and corruption of all sorts (police, political, press--and, of course, very personal) in 1940s Hollywood. The 0scar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy's series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, The Big Nowhere, and White Jazz)--a compelling blend of L.A. history and pulp fiction ...
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Angel Heart (Unrated)
»rank: 2275
: :Set in Harlem and New 0rleans in 1955, this supernatural thriller stirred a brief controversy when released in 1987 because some scenes featuring Lisa Bonet (then a popular cast member of The Cosby Show) were considered too sexually explicit to be rated R. The edited material was restored for the unrated video release, and the movie now makes a fitting double bill with Fallen, with its similar plot about a sullen detective (Mickey Rourke) who is hired to find a missing person by ...
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Memento (2000)
»rank: 12490
: essential video:Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) shine in this absolute stunner of a movie. Memento combines a bold, mind-bending script with compelling action and virtuoso performances. Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that 'the incident' that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to make new memories. Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard continues his search ...
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China Moon
»rank: 2543
: :Ed Harris, Madeline Stowe, and Benicio Del Toro star in this tricky modern noir. Harris plays Kyle Bodine, a police detective with a keen eye for detail and seemingly all the answers. His axiom is that murderers 'always screw it up sooner or later,' and if you think those words won't come back to haunt him, you don't know your suspense movies. He soon runs into Rachel (Stowe), who is rich, beautiful, and married to an abusive husband. The plot rolls along nicely ...
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Payback (1994, Unrated/Special Director's Cut, SP)
»rank: 4095
: :Ed Harris, Madeline Stowe, and Benicio Del Toro star in this tricky modern noir. Harris plays Kyle Bodine, a police detective with a keen eye for detail and seemingly all the answers. His axiom is that murderers 'always screw it up sooner or later,' and if you think those words won't come back to haunt him, you don't know your suspense movies. He soon runs into Rachel (Stowe), who is rich, beautiful, and married to an abusive husband. The plot rolls along nicely ...
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The Usual Suspects
»rank: 5128
:Description:Winner of two 1995 Academy Awards(r), including Best 0riginal Screenplay, this masterful, atmospheric film noir enraptured audiences with its complex and riveting storyline, gritty, tour-de-force performances (including an 0scar(r)-winning* turn by Kevin Spacey) and a climax that is truly deserving of the word stunning. Also starring Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak and Pete Postlethwaite, this 'thoroughly engrossing film (HB0) is so gripping and diabolically clever (The Wall Street Journal) that it becomes a maze you'll be happy to get lost ...
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The Bride Wore Black
»rank: 17091
:Description:An engrossing, enigmatic tale of passion and revenge, this 1969 Golden Globe(r) nominee* from François Truffaut and co-writer Jean Louis Richard is 'cool, witty and disturbingly heartless' (Saturday Review). The bewitching Jeanne Moreau is 'simultaneously stunning, chilling and altogether remarkable' (Boxoffice) as a woman who will stop at nothing to avenge her husband's death! Julie (Moreau), a beautiful young bride, has just married her childhood sweatheart and love of her life. But just moments after the ceremony, her beloved is murdered on the ...
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