The Maltese Falcon
(1941)
Casablanca
(1942)
The Glass Key
(1942)
The first recognised American film noir is one of the best, and is the film that made Humphrey Bogart a star. [More...] Impeccable performances from Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman make this one of the great romantic films of all time. [More...] Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake star in this slick, and surprisingly sadistic, film noir. [More...]
This Gun for Hire
(1942)
Shadow of a Doubt
(1943)
Laura
(1944)
This respectable adaptation of a Graham Greene novel starring Alan Ladd inspired the great French thriller Le Samourai. [More...] Joseph Cotten gives a chilling performance in this, one of Alfred Hitchcock's darkest suspense thrillers. [More...] This haunting study in obsession is one of director Otto Preminger's best films and stars Gene Tierney at her seductive best. [More...]
Murder, My Sweet
(1944)
Double Indemnity
(1944)
To Have and Have Not
(1944)
Dick Powell is the definitive screen Philip Marlowe in this superlative adaptation of a Raymond Chandler novel. [More...] Billy Wilder directed this stunning film noir thriller, in which Edward G. Robinson, unusually, gets to play the good guy. [More...] Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall appear together for the first time in this atmospheric war time drama, inspired by an Ernest Hemingway novel. [More...]
Ministry of Fear
(1944)
The Big Sleep
(1946)
Notorious
(1946)
One of the masters of German expressionism, Fritz Lang, directed this chilling adaptation of a Graham Greene novel. [More...] As Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Bogart stumbles into one of the most labyrinthine of film noir plots, with Lauren Bacall. [More...] Could the pairing of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman explain why this is one of Hitchcock's most popular thrillers? [More...]
The Killers
(1946)
The Dark Corner
(1946)
Nightmare Alley
(1947)
Burt Lancaster stars in one of the most perfect examples of film noir, with and Ava Gardner playing the definitive femme fatale. [More...] This slick, well constructed film noir features Lucille Ball in one of her best straight dramatic roles. [More...] With its stark expressionistic design, this is one of the most eerily dreamlike of film noirs, with a great performance from Tyrone Power. [More...]
The Lady from Shanghai
(1947)
Dark Passage
(1947)
Crossfire
(1947)
This moody film noir was directed by Orson Welles and includes some moments of sheer genius. [More...] Despite a ludicrous plot, this is an ingenious and entertaining film noir, with Bogart again paired with Bacall. [More...] This compelling psychological drama was one of the first American films to tackle the thorny issue of race hatred. [More...]
Out of the Past
(1947)
Key Largo
(1948)
White Heat
(1949)
Possibly the greatest of the classic film noirs, with Robert Mitchum as the doomed hero and Jane Greer as his femme fatale. [More...] Edward G. Robinson returns to form as a ruthless gangster boss, opposite Bogart and Bacall in this gripping thriller. [More...] James Cagney goes out literally in a blaze of glory in this stunningly realised gangster thriller. [More...]
Sunset Boulevard
(1950)
In a Lonely Place
(1950)
The Asphalt Jungle
(1950)
Billy Wilder's sour critique of Hollywood has become a classic, thanks to Gloria Swanson's portrayal of a faded movie star. [More...] Nicholas Ray takes another swipe at Hollywood with Bogart playing a jaded screenwriter with a split personality. [More...] Director John Huston redefines the American gangster film, bringing much greater realism and modernity. [More...]
The Big Heat
(1953)
I Confess
(1953)
The Wrong Man
(1956)
One of the most shockingly visceral of the classic film noir thrillers, stylishly composed by Fritz Lang. [More...] One of Hitchcock's best examples of the transfer of guilt idea, with a remarkable performance from Montgomery Clift. [More...] Henry Fonda is a man desperately trying to save his name and his wife's sanity in this dark realistic thriller from Hitchcock. [More...]

For DVDs of American Film Noir...