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Black & White Shadows: My Favorite Classic Noir Picks from The Criterion Collection
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items Ever since I saw my first, I fell in love with film noir, and Criterion’s collection is where I go to get my fix. There’s something about the shadows, the tension, and those fatal decisions that always demands a rewatch.
This list includes all-time classics like Double Indemnity and The Big Sleep, but also some stranger, grittier picks like Detour and Kiss Me Deadly that stick with you in a totally different way. Whether you're into tight heist plots or watching flaw...
I definitely recommend hitting up Barnes and Nobles when they have their bi-annual Criterion sale for 50% off! Keep in mind criterion printings are sometimes hard to come by (Barnes and Nobles has the best selection by far), so pick them up wherever ...
This list includes all-time classics like Double Indemnity and The Big Sleep, but also some stranger, grittier picks like Detour and Kiss Me Deadly that stick with you in a totally different way. Whether you're into tight heist plots or watching flaw...
I definitely recommend hitting up Barnes and Nobles when they have their bi-annual Criterion sale for 50% off! Keep in mind criterion printings are sometimes hard to come by (Barnes and Nobles has the best selection by far), so pick them up wherever ...
Sections
4
The Black & White Essentials
Noir with a Psychological Edge
Noir That Broke the Mold
Noir Women Who Run the Show
The Black & White Essentials
This one’s basically the blueprint for the entire genre. Directed by Billy Wilder and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, it’s a razor-sharp insurance murder plot that still holds up as one of the best classic noir films ever made.
Double Indemnity [Criterion Collection]
You’re not watching this Bogart and Bacall classic for the plot—you’re here for the dense fog of mystery, femme fatales, and that hardboiled Raymond Chandler detective energy that only 1940s noir can deliver.
The Big Sleep
This is Robert Mitchum at his coolest. The fatalism is heavy, the lighting is moody, and the dialogue cuts deep. It's the quintessential doomed-love-and-crime noir experience
Out of the Past
Adapted from a Hemingway short story, this crime noir stars Burt Lancaster in his debut role and delivers a chilling tale of fate and betrayal. It’s sleek, moody, and the opening sequence is unforgettable.
The Killers (1946/1964) [Criterion Collection]
Noir with a Psychological Edge
Set in a noir-soaked postwar London, this is one of those films where every decision just digs the main character deeper. Richard Widmark plays a desperate schemer you can't help but watch unravel.
Night and the City [Criterion Collection]
This gritty Cold War spy noir has all the street-level tension of a crime thriller with the high stakes of government secrets. Samuel Fuller gives it an edge that feels way more modern than most 1950s noir films.
Pickup on South Street [Criterion Collection]
It’s low-budget and barely over an hour, but this cult classic noir hits like a punch to the gut. You’ve got a doomed drifter, a femme fatale, and a bleak worldview that makes it unforgettable.
Detour [Criterion Collection]
Blending police procedural realism with noir aesthetics, this semi-documentary style film was shot on location in New York. It’s a fascinating look at both crime and the city itself.
The Naked City [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]
Noir That Broke the Mold
Orson Welles steals the show in this postwar Vienna noir. Between the tilted camera angles, haunting zither score, and espionage-fueled tension, it’s one of the most atmospheric mystery films I’ve ever seen.
The Third Man [Blu-ray]
This one practically shouts “atomic age paranoia.” Mike Hammer is the definition of a blunt instrument, and the movie's explosive finale still feels shocking today. It’s a bold, brutal twist on the genre.
Kiss Me Deadly [Criterion Collection]
John Huston’s early heist film is all character and tension. It digs deep into the lives of the criminals, giving you a layered view of the underworld that feels way ahead of its time.
The Asphalt Jungle [Criterion Collection]
Noir Women Who Run the Show
These are noir films where the women don’t just play second fiddle—they take over the story
This detective noir starts with the murder of a woman—until she walks back into the room. Gene Tierney’s title role and the dreamy, unsettling tone make this a standout psychological noir mystery.
Laura [Blu-ray]
Rita Hayworth’s magnetic performance makes this romantic noir a must-watch. It's all heat, betrayal, and tension between two people who can't stand each other.
Gilda [Criterion Collection]
Directed by and starring Orson Welles with Rita Hayworth, this noir thriller is bizarre, beautiful, and full of strange twists. The famous hall-of-mirrors climax is still unmatched.
The Lady from Shanghai [Blu-ray]
This one blurs noir with melodrama. Gene Tierney plays a character who’s disturbingly obsessed with her husband, and her cold, calculated moves make this psychological thriller unforgettable.
Leave Her to Heaven [Criterion Collection]