Brick (2005)

Storyline
Brendan Frye a loner and an outcast at school receives a strange phone call from Emily Kostich his ex girlfriend whom he still loves asking for help and claiming that she was in trouble she later asks him to forget about it. But not long after Brendan finds Emily dead and is determined to find out who killed her and why. He infiltrates Emily's friends at the time of her death, a group of teenagers involved in drugs and dealing. Using the help of his nerd friend 'The Brain' Brendan gets into the inner circle of the friends lead by 'Pin' only then can he start to unravel the mystery surrounding Emily's death and find the person who killed her.

 Brick classed as a Neo Noir certainly has the influences of Film Noir with the protagonist being clear from the outset and the introduction of the 'red herring' femme fatal who dies very early on and the emerging second to replace her. All the characters seem to have some sort of dark past hidden away or a vendetta to perform. Although other characters that do not normally appear in the regular conventions of Film Noir, the 'best friend' character that Brick has in the form of 'the Brain'  character which Brendan enlists to help him as a 3rd party observer he also confides all the aspects of the case but never plays a physical role in it. The other main factor is that it is set in a High School so some of the other conventions have been twisted to fit this setting. But the main Film Noir elements are there, mirrors, low key lighting, extreme angles. The story is very fast moving with fast dialogue keeping the pace going and the audience hooked. The film also takes influences from other genres with the script being very quick witted and with younger/teen language involved but not too much that it become solely a teen film. As there are many twists in the storyline which can be hard to keep up with.


Trailer

The film had a very small budget and the entire film was shot in 20 days. But the cast was preparing and rehearsing 3 months prior to filming. There are many special effects within the film, the were done very simply and many were produced using practical and in-camera effects. For example scenes were filmed in reverse order to achieve the desired effect. This was used when the car speeds past Brandon whilst he is on the phone. They filmed the car going down the road in reverse and playing it the scene backwards in higher speed giving the illusion it is traveling a lot faster than it really is. The director also used extreme angles and interesting camera work which made the film very visual and interesting to watch which is even noticeable and stunning in the trailer (above).

LA Confidential (1997)

Storyline

Set in 1950's Los Angeles three very different cops with very different policing styles team up to find out the truth behind a crime. Ed Exley is the golden boy of the force who doesn't mind loosing friends in his battle to get ahead in life. Bud White however is prepared to break all the rules to get justice combined with his violent temper makes his very strong minded. With the addition of Jack Vincennes a man who is after the celebrity status and is always interested in making money. Although Jack's conscience leads him into following Ed's example, leaving Bud to try his own methods to uncover the truth.

The film is technically a Neo Noir with it's modern elements. But with the themes involved and the often bleak settings class it within the Neo Noir genre. 

With all the male characters having a dark murky past and varying ways of handling them makes them all very unique although they all have the same job and are going after the same thing. At the beginning therefore it is hard to tell which one of them will become the main protagonist. But as the story continues it is clear that Bud with his questionable morals will fall and become the anti-hero. Another recognizable Noir trait is in the form of the Femme Fatal who couldn't be more obvious with her odd ways and friendships along with her beauty and development of a firm relationship with one of the three men bringing him into a chain of strange events. 

The film also uses a narrater which has been appreciated as a common Film Noir theme. The narrater is in the form of a writer of Hush-Hush magazine a sleazy Hollywood magazine who seems to be covering the story and relays the information to the audience.

Trailer

The Black Dahlia (2006)

Storyline
Set in 1946 two police officers Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert and Lee Blachard form a friendship which soon becomes a love triangle when Bucky falls in love with Lee's girlfriend Kay Lake. When the corpse of Elizabeth Short is found mutilated named by the press as the 'Black Dahlia' Lee becomes obsessed with the murder and finding out the truth. Bucky forms a relationship with Madeline Linscott who forms a resemblance to the murder victim Elizabeth Short. But as Lee becomes more obsessed he disappears and is later found dead at this point Bucky starts to date Kay but is found by Kay with Madeline. Kay questions the similarity of the Madeline and Elizabeth which inspires Bucky to question Madeline's family after finding accusing evidence against them. It is revealed to him that Ramona Linscott mother of Madeline had killed Elizabeth he also finds out the truth about Lee's murder from Madeline's sister Martha. On receiving this information he tracks down Madeline at a motel room and shoots her dead.

Although 'The Black Dahlia' is a Film Noir it comes under the title of Neo Noir a film shot in the style of Film Noir but includes modern elements and modern filming techniques. Being in colour for example is one of the main things that classes it as a Neo Noir. But it still maintains the basic structure of story line and elements that makes a Film Noir. The presence of the Femme Fatal and the Protagonist/Anti-Hero along with all the twists and hidden truths.

Trailer 

Double Indemnity (1944)

                                           Storyline 
Set in 1938 a sales man, Walter Neff of  'All Risk Insurance Co.,' falls in love with his clients wife Phyllis Dietrichson. They begin an affair which soon turns into a murder plot where they plan to kill Phyllis's current husband and then claim the insurance money. Walter sets up the account so that when the husband dies they will get twice the amount of money due to the 'double indemnity clause'. But complications arise when Walter's friend and college Barton Keyes becomes suspicious when Phyllis's husband turns up on dead on the train tracks days after the insurance policy has been signed. Suspecting foul play on Phyllis's behalf with the aid of another man Keyes starts to look into the case more to the dismay of Walter.


Conventions and Themes

The high contrast black and white the typical and very familiar filming style of Film Noir. The characters too are very recognizable. The femme fatal being the stereotypical 'blonde bombshell' using her femininity to control the protagonist into doing what she wants. Her questionable and murderous morals also give her away as the femme fatal. Walter the leading male protagonist/anti-hero shows all the typical traits also. How he quickly falls for Phyllis and his keen manor to help her without too many quarrels with the plan and the motives behind them. Indicating to the audience that he is from troubled backgrounds and has been prone to dark thoughts similar to the ones proposed by his lover Phyllis. With this being one of the early Film Noir's when the genre was very popular and relevant it displays many of the things that we now expect to see in Film Noir they have been done in a very classic way. Smoking cigars and venetian blinds are used frequently throughout the film in many different situations and settings.

Trailer

Characters Of Film Noir

 Anti-Hero

Or the protagonist is usually the main character, more often than not male. He lacks the typical traits of a hero but is identified by the audience as a hero or the closest thing to it. The main personality faults they have to stop them being a true hero is their morals sometimes being slightly off, with criminal or destructive thoughts. He may also be quite venerable and be taken advantage of by other characters.

Femme Fatal

The phrase translates to 'fatal/deadly woman'. She is  very attractive woman who is the main culprit who leads the 'Anti-Hero' astray. She is portrayed as being very strong willed and independent traits that weren't common in women at the time which made them seem all the more dangerous. 

Narrator 

Either an unseen, off-screen voice commenting on the events of the film. It can also be one of the main characters reminiscing or telling the story, a voice unheard by the characters but gives the audience a back story and aids them in their understanding of the film.

Origins Of Film Noir

Film Noir originated in the 1930's and continued to b a popular film style until the late 1960's. The term 'Film Noir' literally translating into black film indicates the sort of themes that are common in the films. A general dark air about it, with low key lighting and sinister locations and atmospheres. There are many stereotypical aspects to Film Noir which you expect to see, venetian blinds, cigar smoke and mirrors for example, these elements often crop up in the Film Noir genre. The camera work used is also very particular with strange dramatic angles and close ups creating the suspense and intensity within the films.

Even the story-lines tend to have a clear structure with an expected narrative, the main character finding himself in an odd situation in which he has to go against all the odds to come out on top but not always succeeding in his plans. More often than not in the middle of all the chaos there is a woman who is the source of temptation of the main male and it is she who has caused the problem. They were portrayed as independent women acting out against something commonly some sort of male dominance in their life, a partner, father of brother that they wish to break free from.  The stories were often very complicated with twists and surprises throughout, making it hard for the equilibrium to be restored so it was common for there to be a new one made.
The introduction of Neo Noir is a cling on from the original genre it recognizes the basic themes of Film Noir but set in modern times with the addition of modern elements and themes as well.