The 10 Darkest Neo-Noir Films, Ranked

In the golden age of Hollywood, “film noir” began to gain widespread acclaim with classics like 1949’s The Third Man becoming a hit with movie audiences with its dark, gritty cinematography and captivating storylines. Classic ‘noir’ films were typically characterized by tropes including unhappy endings, stylized uses of black and white cinematography, cynical attitudes towards romance and antihero protagonists. Around the late 1960s, the noir style experienced a revival with the ‘neo noir’ subgenre which updated many of these tropes for a more contemporary audience, such as containing more explicit violence and often trading in black and white visuals for harsh shadows and contrast in color.

As implied by the use of ‘noir’ in the name, neo-noir films are often tonally and aesthetically very dark. Neo-noir films often follow antiheroes and often feature main characters who are severely psychologically troubled, such as Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle and Oldboy’s Oh Dae-su. Taking into account their themes, graphic content and pessimistic worldviews, these are 10 of the darkest neo-noir crime films.

10 Cold in July (2014)

Directed by Jim Mickle

Directed by Jim Mickle from a screenplay co-written by Mickle and Nick Damici, Cold in July is a neo-noir thriller based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale. The film follows Richard (Michael C. Hall), a family man whose life is turned upside down when he accidentally shoots and kills a home intruder. Traumatized by the encounter, Richard is thrown into the midst of a vast criminal conspiracy involving mafia connections and a snuff film ring.

Cold in July is characterized by its dramatic tonal shifts, maneuvering between comedic and deathly serious throughout its runtime. The film’s opening home invasion sequence is especially dark, portraying a much more emotionally complicated example of defending one’s home than is typically mythologized. Additionally, the film’s disturbing themes and the bloody violence at its climax add to its darkness. With its pulpy neo-noir storyline and slickly stylish aesthetic, the film is a highly effective thriller anchored by strong performances from Hall as well as Sam Shepard and Don Johnson.

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9 Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)

Directed by S. Craig Zahler

Written and directed by S. Craig Zahler, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a neo-noir action thriller that follows Bradley (Vince Vaughn), a drug trafficker who is sentenced to seven years in prison after being caught up in a police sting. Bradley is then visited by an associate of drug dealer Eleazer (Dion Mucciacito) ‘the Placid Man’ (Udo Kier) who informs him that if he doesn’t end up in maximum security prison and murder a person in the highly dangerous cell block 99, his wife Lauren (Jennifer Carpenter) and their unborn child will be tortured. Bradley is then forced to engage in a violent quest for the sake of his family, putting everything at risk for those he values.

The film has a slowburn structure that erupts in intense flashes of brutal violence and torture. Brawl in Cell Block 99 is a relentlessly intense and gritty homage to the classic grindhouse prison exploitation subgenre, with its dark themes and graphic content making it certainly not for those with weak stomachs. The movie received significant critical acclaim, specifically from Vaughn’s strong performance, which led to a 90% fresh rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and earning cult classic status.

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8 8MM (1999)

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Directed by the late Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker, best known for writing the screenplay to Seven, 8MM is a neo-noir thriller starring Nicolas Cage and Joaquin Phoenix and featuring excellent supporting performances from James Gandolfini and Peter Stormare. The film follows private investigator Tom Welles (Cage) as he investigates the validity of an apparent snuff film and ends up sucked into a dark criminal underworld of extreme fetish content and murder.

Although the film deliberately avoids being visually exploitative and overly graphic, its content is undoubtedly disturbing. As the film progresses, the protagonist becomes increasingly alienated from traditional morality as his desire for vengeance and the seduction of the darkness overcomes him. With great performances and genuinely shocking moments, 8MM is an underrated and deliciously dark neo-noir.

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7 You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Directed by Lynne Ramsay

Written and directed by Lynne Ramsay, best known for her disturbing 2011 psychological thrillerWe Need To Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here is a neo-noir thriller based on the 2013 Jonathan Ames novella of the same name. The film follows Joe (Joaquin Phoenix), a hitman who rescues trafficking victims using violent and brutal means, typically using a hammer as a weapon. When Joe is tasked with rescuing Nina (Ekaterina Samsonov), the young daughter of a politician, Joe is plunged into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone he cares about.

The film is beautifully directed and edited, creating a dreamlike and subtle atmosphere despite the film’s flashes of intense violence. Despite its disturbing subject matter, You Were Never Really Here‘s true darkness lies in its sensitive and realistic depiction of PTSD, from which both Joe and Nina are suffering. Everything from Phoenix’s stunning performance, the editing repeatedly bringing up flashbacks to Joe’s past traumas, and the film’s overall world-weary tone evokes trauma and grief, making the film a wonderfully dark meditation on living through immense pain.

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6 Manhunter (1986)

Directed by Michael Mann

Based on Thomas Harris‘ novel ‘Red Dragon’, Manhunter is a neo-noir thriller film written and directed by Michael Mann. The film follows criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) as he uses his unique talent for entering the minds of serial killers to investigate an active case involving a killer dubbed ‘the Tooth Fairy’ (Tom Noonan). Brian Cox also stars in the film in the crucial supporting role of cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecktor (spelled ‘Lecter’ in the novel and in other adaptations), who has been engaging in secret correspondence with the Tooth Fairy despite being incarcerated.

Manhunter marked the first portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in visual media, years before the acclaimed psychological horror film The Silence of the Lambs. The subject matter of Manhunter is naturally incredibly dark – few detective films tackle subject matter as gruesome as cannibalism – and Michael Mann’s stylish direction only emphasizes this grim tone. Despite not explicitly being a horror film, Manhunter contains sequences that are genuinely frightening and highly tense, offering a unique experience within the neo-noir subgenre.

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5 Nightcrawler (2014)

Directed by Dan Gilroy

Nightcrawler is a neo-noir thriller written and directed by Dan Gilroy and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Riz Ahmed. The film follows Lou Bloom (Gyllenhaal), a freelance videographer who captures footage of the aftermath of gruesome crimes and accidents in order to sell them to news stations. Lou is shown to be completely amoral, exploiting both the subjects of his videos and the people closest to him and prioritizing his financial and social capital over everyone’s lives and safety.

The film is a character study of a deeply unnerving individual, with Gyllenhaal providing arguably the greatest performance of his career. Everything about Lou, from his gaunt appearance to his obviously calculated and disingenuous way of speaking, is designed to put the audience ill at ease from the start, and his cruel and depraved actions greatly escalate as the film progresses. With its darkly comedic script, uncanny lead performance and themes of toxic capitalist ‘hustle culture’, Nightcrawler is one of the 21st century’s best thrillers.

Nightcrawler

When Louis Bloom, a con man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.

 

Release Date

October 31, 2014

 

 

Director

Dan Gilroy

 

 

Cast

Jake Gyllenhaal , Michael Papajohn , Marco Rodríguez , Bill Paxton , James Huang , Kent Shocknek , Rene Russo

 

 

Runtime

117 minutes

 

 

Main Genre

Crime

 

 

Studio

Open Road Films

 

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4 Taxi Driver (1976)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader, Taxi Driver is a neo-noir psychological thriller. The film follows a taxi driver named Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) as he begins to experience a psychological unraveling, becoming obsessed with the idea of assassinating a senator (Leonard Harris) due to his infatuation with campaign staffer Betsey (Cybill Shepherd). Additionally, Travis becomes fixated on violently rescuing 12-year-old trafficking victim Iris (Jodie Foster) from Sport (Harvey Keitel), the man who is exploiting her.

One of the grittiest movies of the 1970s, Taxi Driver exposes the dark underbelly of New York City through the lens of a man who has begun to crack under the pressure of city life. The film is a character study about extreme loneliness and isolation, brought to life through Robert De Niro’s phenomenal lead performance and Scorsese’s stylish direction. Additionally, the film tackles an extremely dark and controversial subject through Iris’ subplot, making the film undoubtedly at home on this list.

Taxi Driver

A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.

 

Release Date

February 9, 1976

 

 

Director

Martin Scorsese

 

 

Cast

Robert De Niro , Jodie Foster , Cybill Shepherd , Harvey Keitel , Leonard Harris , Peter Boyle

 

 

Runtime

113

 

 

Main Genre

Crime

 

 

Studio

Columbia Pictures

 

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3 Blue Velvet (1986)

Directed by David Lynch

Written and directed by David Lynch, Blue Velvet is a psychological neo-noir thriller starring Laura Dern, Kyle McLaughlan, Isabella Rossellini and Dennis Hopper. The film follows college student Jeffrey Beaumont (McLaughlan) as he returns to his hometown and becomes entangled in a dangerous criminal scheme after becoming obsessed with a severed ear he finds in a field. Taking the investigation into his own hands, Jeffrey becomes involved with troubled singer Dorothy Vallens (Rossellini) and becomes a target of the violent and unpredictable Frank Booth (Hopper).

The film is one of the 1980s’ best psychological thrillers due to its masterful direction and electrifying atmosphere. Commonly regarded as one of Lynch’s best films, Blue Velvet is also one of his darkest. Involving many scenes of sadomasochistic and abusive sexual dynamics, as well as kidnap and murder, the conspiracy Jeffrey uncovers in Blue Velvet exposes one of the most sinister criminal underworlds in the neo-noir genre.

Blue Velvet

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

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2 No Country For Old Men (2007)

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

Based on the 2005 Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, No Country For Old Men is a neo-noir Western thriller written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film follows Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin), a man who finds a briefcase full of money after a drug deal gone awry, as he is pursued by formidable bounty hunter Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem). The case is overseen by Sherrif Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) who is attempting to locate and capture Chigurh, and all three men’s lives are jeopardized by the chase they are engaged in.

One of the greatest Westerns of the 21st century, No Country For Old Men is notorious for its incredibly bleak atmosphere and uncompromising atmosphere. The film’s darkness comes largely from its disturbing coldness towards human life, as typified by villain Anton Chigurh’s symbolic action of asking potential victims to call the results of coin tosses in exchange for their survival. The film’s violence is brutal, relentless and horribly pointless, and the film earned extremely well-deserved critical acclaim including winning Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director at the Academy Awards.

No Country for Old Men

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong and more than two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

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1 Oldboy (2003)

Directed by Park Chan-wook

Oldboy is a South Korean action-thriller neo-noir film directed by Park Chan-wook and starring Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung. The film follows Oh Dae-su (Choi), a man held captive in a hotel room for 15 years with no explanation, who investigates and swears revenge on his captor upon release. Featuring excellent action scenes such as the film’s iconic hallway fight, and a phenomenal lead performance from Choi Min-sik, Oldboy is one of the most acclaimed South Korean films of the 21st century.

The film subverts typical revenge movie tropes by portraying Oh Dae-su’s quest for retribution as senselessly violent and personally unfulfilling, with his whole life being completely upended when he finally discovers the truth about his imprisonment. Oldboy is notorious for its extremely disturbing twist, which devastates both its protagonist and its audience as the futility of Oh Dae-su’s attempts to get revenge on his captor is made startlingly clear.

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