Essays
Little Caesar (1931): An Early Slice of Noir
Watching 'Little Caesar’ from a contemporary point of view reminds us how little gangster films have changed across the years.
Essays
Essays
The Green Cockatoo (1937): Graham Greene Takes Flight
A decade before The Third Man left its indelible mark on Western culture, a lesser known adaptation hit the silver screen.
Essays
Scarface (1932): The World Is Yours
Dwarfed by the enormous popularity of Brian De Palma’s 1983 remake, interrogating the original Scarface requires a close and careful reading.
Essays
City Streets (1931): Gangster Cowboy Noir
Although charming and surprisingly modern, City Streets is best consumed as an artifact of movie making.
Essays
The Third Man (1949): Those Dots Don’t Look Like People
No film embodies the style and substance of the classic Film Noir period better than 'The Third Man.'
Essays
Night and the City (1950): Get Rich or Die Running
Scored by the echoing footsteps of its desperate protagonist, 'Night and the City' is a Film Noir masterpiece.
Essays
Somewhere in the Night (1946): Remembering Forgotten Noir
Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1946 amnesia noir deserves another look.