Film Noir and Crime Films
(1890 – 2010)
Film Noir is a cinematic term to describe stylish and dark Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Film noir from the early 1940's to the late 1950's is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionism.
~~~~~ Film Noir Intro ~~~~~
A Walking Nightmare (1942) – 61 minutes
Detective James Dunn hired to find missing banker.
Big Town After Dark (1947) – 69 minutes
Crime reporter Hillary Brooke opposes local crime boss .
Blonde Ice (1948) – 73 minutes
Leslie Brooks marries wealthy men who die mysteriously.
Bluebeard (1944) – 73 minutes
Crazed puppeteer John Carradine murders women in medieval Paris.
Borderline (1950) – 88 minutes
Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor are caught in Mexican dope-smuggling ring, fearing each other is involved, but both undercover agents.
Boys' Reformatory (1939) – 62 minutes
Frankie Darro takes the rap for a burglary and is sent to a boys’ reformatory, where the inmates are under the thumb of corrupt guards and a brutal prison doctor.
By Appointment Only (1933) – 58 minutes
No murder, just an extra drama feature.
Convicted (1931) – 61 minutes
Murder on an ocean cruise. Reporter investigates.
D.O.A. (1950) – aka Dead on Arrival, 83 minutes
Dying from a slow poison, Edmond O'Brien has 24 hours to track down his own killer!
Dark Mountain (1936) – 62 minutes
Ellen Drew unwittingly marries a mobster but must flee back to first boyfriend when hubbie commits a murder.
Detour (1945) – 68 minutes
Classic Edgar G. Ulmer B-pic. Innocent Tom Neal hitchhikes across country and is sucked into murder and blackmail.
Door-To-Door Maniac (1961) – aka 5 Minutes to Live, 80 minutes
Johnny Cash terrorizes family to extort money.
Double Cross (1941) – 61 minutes
Gangland's glamorous gun moll trapped by the man she loves as the Motorcycle Squad closes in.
Fear in the Night (1947) – 72 minutes
Bank teller DeForest Kelly bothered by dreams of murder.
Gambler's Choice (1944) – 66 minutes
Bad gambler, Chester Morris, vs. childhood pal but now a cop, Russell Hayden.
Guilty of Treason (1949) – 86 minutes
Correspondent Paul Kelly in Hungary where commies persecute a liberal Cardinal.
He Walked By Night (1948) – 80 minutes
Genius/psycho killer Richard Basehart is hunted by the police. Told in semi-documentary style, this film inspired Jack Webb’s “Dragnet.”
High Voltage (1929) – 62 minutes
Stranded by storm, travelers confront drifter William Boyd.
Impact (1949) – 111 minutes
Brian Donlevy’s cheating wife plots to do him in.
Inner Sanctum (1948) – 62 minutes
Killer trapped in small town when flood washes out bridges.
Invisible Killer (1939) – 61 minutes
Murder at gambling joint.
Johnny One-Eye (1950) – 78 minutes
Pat O'Brien is a gangster who isn't quite the tough guy everybody thinks he is.
Kansas City Confidential (1959) – 98 minutes
Ex-con John Payne implicated in a bank heist.
Lady Gangster (1942) – 62 minutes, Faye Emerson, Julie Bishop and Jackie Gleason
The title tells it all.
Man in the Attic (1954) – 82 minutes
Jack Palance as Jack the Ripper!
The Mystery Train (1931) – 62 minutes
A group of passengers are trapped in a runaway Pullman car.
Open Secret (1948) – 68 minutes
John Ireland stumbles on a Jewish hate group.
Parole Inc. (1949) – 71 minutes, Michael O’Shea, Evelyn Ankers
Federal agent goes undercover.
Please Murder Me (1956) – 78 minutes
Angela Lansbury, Raymond Burr in homicide yarn.
Quicksand (1950) – 79 minutes
Mickey Rooney steals $20 and sinks into robbery and blackmail.
Roar of the Press (1941) – 71 minutes
While on their honeymoon , a reporter and his new bride stumble upon a ring of fifth columnists.
Rogues Gallery (1944) – 60 minutes
Two reporters suspected of killing an inventor.
Scarlet Street (1945) – 103 minutes
Henpecked Edward G. Robinson is pulled into world of crime and deception by seductive Joan Bennett and her boyfriend Dan Duryea.
Shoot to Kill (1947) – 64 minutes
Gangster framed by crooked DA. Wife and newspaper reporter team up.
Strange Illusion (1945) – 80 minutes
B-movie update of Hamlet has troubled teen Jimmy Lydon doubting smooth-talker Warren Williams who is wooing his mother.
Suddenly (1954) – 77 minutes
Frank Sinatra leads a trio of assassins to shoot the President when he visits town.
The Big Combo (1955) – 84 minutes
Police Lt. Cornel Wilde vs. mob boss Richard Conte.
The Capture (1950) – 100 minutes
Lew Ayres is an oil man who guns down a thief who may have been innocent.
The Great Flamarion (1945) – 78 minutes
Vaudeville star Erich von Stroheim entangled with married assistant.
The Green Glove (1952) – 88 minutes
Glenn Ford seeks religious artifact in post-World War 2 France.
The Hitch-Hiker (1953) – 71 minutes
Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy out for a hunting trip are taken over by a murderous fugitive.
The Hoodlum (1951) – 61 minutes
Lawrence Tierney is career criminal who gets out of prison and gets back at it.
The Last Alarm (1940) – 61 minutes
A retired fireman teams up with his daughter and her fiance to catch a serial arsonist.
The Limping Man (1953) – 75 minutes
Lloyd Bridges is innocent G.I. involved in murder case in London.
The Naked Kiss (1964) – 92 minutes
Constance Towers is a prostitute trying to start new in a small town.
The Red House (1947) – 100 minutes
Old house deep in the woods holds fearful secret for Edward G. Robinson.
The Second Woman (1951) – 91 minutes
Brooding drama of architect Robert Young who feels responsible for girlfriend’s accidental death.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) – 117 minutes
Gripping melodrama with Barbara Stanwyck bound to her husband by a crime she committed long ago. Kirk Douglas’ film debut!
The Stranger (1946) – 95 minutes
Orson Welles is an escaped Nazi war criminal hiding in small town and about to marry Loretta Young until Edward G. Robinson tracks him down. Directed by Orson Welles.
The Wrong Road (1936) – 56 minutes, Lionel Atwill, Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack
Spoiled young lovers rob bank and hide the loot. Lionell Atwill tries to find it.
They Made Me a Criminal (1939) – 92 minutes
Boxer John Garfield flees believing he has committed a murder while he was drunk. Pursued by Claude Rains, he meets up with the Dead End Kids.
They Made Me a Killer (1946) – 64 minutes
Young girl tries to prove man innocent of robbery and murder.
Three Steps North (1951) – 85 minutes
After a prison sentence an American GI stationed in Italy (Lloyd Bridges) discovers that his hidden loot has disappeared and goes searching for it.
Too Late for Tears (1949) – 99 minutes, Elizabeth Scott, Arthur Kennedy, Dan Duryea, Don DeFore
Atmospheric thriller about a bag of cash dropped into car of bad-girl Elizabeth Scott and husband Arthur Kennedy.
Trapped (1949) – 78 minutes
FBI enlists con Lloyd Bridges to help trail counterfeiters.
Trapped by Television (1936) – 62 minutes
Lyle Talbot, Mary Astor in crime drama about new TV system.
Two Dollar Bettor (1951) – 72 minutes
An honest bank employee gets hooked on horse racing, and starts to embezzle bank funds in an attempt to recoup his losses.
Whistle Stop (1946) – 85 minutes
Gangster George Raft romances Ava Gardner in a small town.
X Marks the Spot (1942) – 58 minutes
Private Eye seeks to uncover events that led to his father's death.
