Tag Archives: film noir

a noir road movie in the ’40s (film: Detour – Edgar G. Ulmer, 1945)

‘Detour‘ (1945) is a very special and unusual film in the cinematic landscape of the ’40s. Although it was made in Hollywood, it is not a production of the major studios. The way it was made is closer to what … Continue reading

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a duel of giants (film: Flic Story – Jacques Deray, 1975)

‘Flic Story‘ (1975) is one of the last films in a remarkable series of films ‘noir’ inspired by the world of French gangsters, made between the 1950s and the 1970s. The master of the genre was Jean-Pierre Melville, whose last … Continue reading

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Edward G. Robinson at his best (fim: Scarlet Street – Fritz Lang, 1945)

‘Scarlet Street‘, the 1945 film by Fritz Lang, once again demonstrates that many of the secrets of the filmmaking profession were already discovered and used by the masters of cinema of those times. Here is a film made almost 80 … Continue reading

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Orson Welles roads-opening movie (film: The Stranger – Orson Welles, 1946)

The 1946 ‘The Stranger‘ is one of Orson Welles‘ attempts to make films within the Hollywood production system. It was a commercially successful gamble, but one that would remain an exception in Welles‘ directorial career. Many of his subsequent films … Continue reading

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justice under terror (film: Nachts wenn der Teufel kam / The Devil Strikes at Night – Robert Siodmak, 1957)

The life path and the career of Robert Siodmak has been winding, full of ups and downs, worthy of the script of a biopic waiting to be written and brought to screens sometime in the future. The German director of … Continue reading

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superb Londonian crime drama (film: The Long Good Friday – The Long Good Friday, John Mackenzie, 1980)

The two very good reasons to see (or re-watch) ‘The Long Good Friday‘ (1980) are Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. The two actors play the two main roles, and these roles seem to be their first consistent roles in feature … Continue reading

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Brigitte Bardot investigates (film: Voulez-vous danser avec moi? – Michel Boisrond, 1959)

Director Michel Boisrond had already secured in the mid-1950s a name for himself in the history of French cinema, being among the first to cast in leading roles Brigitte Bardot and, a little later, Alain Delon. The collaboration with Brigitte … Continue reading

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the loneliness of the contract killer (film: Le rapace – José Giovanni, 1968)

The life of writer, screenwriter and director José Giovanni can be good material for the script of a movie waiting to be made in the future. Giovanni was far from a nice guy in his youth, and when he became … Continue reading

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the mean streets of London (film: Legend – Brian Helgeland, 2015)

Brian Helgeland‘s 2015 film ‘Legend‘ is a biopic of the Kray twin brothers, two gangsters who dominated the London underworld from the late 1950s until 1968 when they were both arrested, tried and sentenced to life in prison for separate … Continue reading

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identity games (film: Hit Man – Richard Linklater, 2023)

I always look forward to the films of Richard Linklater, whom I consider one of the most interesting American filmmakers. His films manage to bring to the screens novel landscapes of American reality and characters that involve their viewers. His … Continue reading

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