Let’s talk about film noir—the genre that slinks out of the shadows, drags you into a smoke-filled room, and makes you like it. Since Double Indemnity set the gold standard for bad decisions and worse consequences, noir’s been the go-to genre for moral rot, cheap thrills, and slow-burning doom. You don’t watch film noir movies to feel good—you watch them to wallow in the gutter with gumshoes, grifters, and dames who’ll gut you with a smile. Writers like James Ellroy took that blueprint and poured gasoline on it, giving us even nastier, bloodier tales where no one’s innocent and happy endings are a cruel joke.
We’ve handpicked the 20 best noirs to kick off your binge, complete with the best versions to buy—Blu-ray, 4K, or deluxe box sets. Trust us—once you see these films in their restored, shadow-soaked glory, you’ll wonder why you ever squinted through that crusty “good enough” streaming version. “I wonder if you wonder,” he said in Double Indemnity—and if you’re still watching these on anything less than Blu-ray, we’re wondering too.
In noir, there’s no such thing as clean hands—everyone’s got a skeleton in their closet, and every choice drips with consequence. It’s a world where nobody’s who they seem, and if you think you can trust someone, well, you’ve got another thing coming. In this game, you either play by the rules of the street or let them play you—and neither path leads to redemption.
Noir films thrive on their tension, their cynicism, and that deliciously dark atmosphere—it’s like stepping into a world where right and wrong aren’t clear, and no one gets out unscathed. These are the movies that get under your skin, make you question your own decisions, and leave you wondering just how much you’d be willing to sacrifice for a taste of the good life—no matter how tainted that life may be. Plus, they’re addictive—once you’re in, you’re hooked. The genre keeps getting revisited because we can’t help but watch people spiral.
I’m not bad…you just wrote me that way.
Why is it called film noir? Simple—because everything about it screams darkness. Originating in the 1940s, French critics coined the term “film noir” (meaning “black film”) to describe those moody, shadow-filled crime thrillers where the good guys and bad guys blend together in a murky moral soup.
Born from post-war paranoia and hardboiled crime stories, directors like John Huston, Sam Fuller, Billy Wilder, and Orson Welles shaped the genre, using shadows, smoke, and sharp dialogue to show us the darker side of life. It’s like they took the American Dream and threw it in a dark alley. And let’s be real, they nailed it.
20 Film Noir movies so dirty, you’ll need a shower after watching
Double Indemnity (1944)
Why it’s essential: Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity isn’t just a noir classic—it is the blueprint. Adapted from James M. Cain’s pulp novella and co-written by legendary crime novelist Raymond Chandler, it delivers the holy trinity of film noir: a doomed antihero, a sultry femme fatale, and a murder plot that unravels like a ticking time bomb. Every line is razor-sharp, every shadow perfectly placed. Barbara Stanwyck’s wig might be questionable, but her performance is lethal. It’s a morality tale soaked in sweat, greed, and cigarette smoke, and its influence can still be felt in crime films eight decades later.
Runtime: 107 minutes
Pro tip: Also included in the Universal Film Noir Collection Vol. 1.
Buy this: The Criterion Collection Blu-ray – restored 4K digital transfer, commentary, and insightful extras.
$34.63 at Amazon
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Out of the Past (1947)
Why it’s essential: If Double Indemnity wrote the book on film noir, Out of the Past is the sultry, chain-smoking second edition. Jacques Tourneur’s masterpiece drips with fatalism, from its fog-drenched opening to its inevitable, soul-crushing finale. Robert Mitchum is the epitome of noir cool—laconic, world-weary, and doomed from the moment he says yes to one last job. Jane Greer’s Kathie Moffat isn’t just a femme fatale; she’s the femme fatale—so sweetly treacherous she could make a priest embezzle. The dialogue is tough, the cinematography tougher, and every frame oozes style and regret.
Runtime: 97 minutes
Pro tip: It’s often bundled in Film Noir Classic Collections.
Buy this: Warner Archive Blu-ray – a solid upgrade over the DVD with excellent black levels and grain retention.
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Why it’s essential: Noir meets Hollywood horror in Billy Wilder’s masterpiece, where faded fame curdles into full-blown madness. Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond is the ultimate cautionary tale—a silent-era icon left behind by talkies, clinging to delusions of grandeur in a crumbling mansion. William Holden’s jaded screenwriter is the perfect foil, equal parts opportunistic and trapped. With razor-sharp dialogue and a haunting score, Sunset Boulevard is as much an indictment of Hollywood as it is a noir classic.
Runtime: 110 minutes
Pro tip: Worth double-dipping for collectors when the inevitable UHD disc drops—it’s only a matter of time.
Buy this: Paramount Presents Blu-ray – remastered in 4K (HDR on digital only), with a wealth of extras.
The Big Sleep (1946)
Why it’s essential: Bogart and Bacall turn up the heat and the confusion in Howard Hawks’ labyrinthine noir. The plot famously makes zero sense—even Raymond Chandler couldn’t explain it—but that doesn’t matter. It’s all about the vibe: a cynical private eye, a string of bodies, and enough double entendres to melt your bourbon. Humphrey Bogart is Philip Marlowe, and Lauren Bacall steals every scene with her sultry charm. It’s noir at its most stylishly chaotic.
Runtime: 114 minutes (pre-release version), 114 minutes (theatrical cut)
Pro tip: Great to pair with To Have and Have Not if you’re building a Bogie/Bacall box set.
Buy this: Warner Archive Blu-ray – includes both the theatrical and pre-release versions.
$18.71 at Amazon
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Touch of Evil (1958)
Why it’s essential: Orson Welles directs (and stars in) this sweaty, corrupt, and claustrophobic border-town noir. From its iconic three-minute tracking shot to Charlton Heston’s questionable casting as a Mexican cop, it’s a fever dream of sleaze and grandeur. Welles is pure grotesquerie as the bloated, bigoted Captain Quinlan, and the moral rot runs so deep, it’s practically the main character. It’s noir’s last gasp—and one hell of a mic drop.
Runtime: 111 minutes (Reconstructed Cut), 95 minutes (Theatrical), 108 minutes (Preview)
Pro tip: Watch the Reconstructed Cut first—it’s the version closest to Welles’ original vision, overseen by editing legend Walter Murch.
Buy this: Arrow 4K UHD Limited Edition – includes multiple cuts, commentaries, and top-tier packaging.
Laura (1944)
Why it’s essential: A noir soaked in elegance and obsession, Otto Preminger’s Laura is a cocktail of murder, memory, and misdirection. Dana Andrews’ detective falls hard for a dead woman—or so he thinks. With its lush cinematography, razor-sharp dialogue, and David Raksin’s haunting score, this is noir wrapped in high society’s finest silk gloves, hiding a dagger underneath.
Runtime: 88 minutes
Pro tip: A great entry point for noir newbies—easy on the grit, heavy on the intrigue.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – impeccable transfer, interviews, and archival material.
The Killers (1946)
Why it’s essential: Robert Siodmak adapts a Hemingway short story into one of noir’s most electrifying origin stories. Burt Lancaster’s debut as doomed boxer Ole Anderson is pure tragedy, while Ava Gardner redefines the femme fatale archetype. Moody, fatalistic, and dripping with dread, The Killers doesn’t just follow the genre’s rules—it helped write them.
Runtime: 105 minutes
Pro tip: The bonus material doubles as a masterclass in noir style and storytelling.
Buy this: Criterion Blu-ray – includes BOTH the 1946 and 1964 versions, with expert analysis and commentary.
Detour (1945)
Why it’s essential: Pound for pound, the nastiest little noir ever made. Shot for peanuts and running barely over an hour, Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour distills noir down to its rawest elements—fate, failure, and the kind of woman who’ll wreck your life for kicks. The budget’s non-existent, but the mood is pure doom.
Runtime: 68 minutes
Pro tip: Watch it late at night, with nothing but the glow of the screen and the sound of your regrets.
Buy this: Criterion Blu-ray – newly restored from the original 35mm elements.
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Why it’s essential: Noir goes nuclear—literally. Robert Aldrich’s adaptation of Mickey Spillane’s pulp thriller is a brutal, paranoid descent into postwar madness. Ralph Meeker’s Mike Hammer is less detective, more thug-for-hire, and the glowing briefcase? It’s the stuff of cinematic legend. Weird, violent, and shockingly modern.
Runtime: 106 minutes
Pro tip: That ending isn’t a glitch—it’s a statement. Welcome to the end of the world, noir-style.
Buy this: Criterion Blu-ray – phenomenal restoration, interviews, and Cold War-era context.
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Pickup on South Street (1953)
Why it’s essential: Cold War noir meets gritty street crime in Sam Fuller’s paranoid thriller. Richard Widmark plays a pickpocket who snags more than he bargained for—top-secret microfilm—and ends up caught between the Feds and Commie agents. Tough, tense, and laced with red-baiting grit.
Runtime: 80 minutes
Pro tip: A great intro to Fuller’s pulpy, hard-hitting style. Think noir with brass knuckles.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – pristine transfer, loaded with Fuller’s tough-guy commentary.
Night and the City (1950)
Why it’s essential: London gets the noir treatment in this bleak, relentless tale of desperation and doomed ambition. Richard Widmark is a schemer with too many enemies and not enough luck. Few noirs are this claustrophobic, this sweaty, or this tragic.
Runtime: 101 minutes
Pro tip: The UK cut leans more on character, the US version on tension—watch both and pick your poison.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – includes both UK and US versions for the full experience.
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Why it’s essential: The original “perfect crime” that goes anything but. John Huston’s noir procedural is the blueprint for every heist-gone-wrong story that followed. Add Marilyn Monroe in a breakout role and Sterling Hayden in full brooding mode—this is canon.
Runtime: 112 minutes
Pro tip: A must-own if you’re into Dog Day Afternoon, Heat, or any heist film that ends in tears.
Buy this: Criterion Blu-ray – excellent restoration and thoughtful essays on Huston’s tightrope direction.
Gun Crazy (1950)
Why it’s essential: The lovers-on-the-lam archetype, filmed with raw urgency. Peggy Cummins’ Annie Laurie Starr is equal parts charm and danger, and the famous bank robbery shot in a single take? Still jaw-dropping. Boom.
Runtime: 86 minutes
Pro tip: Essential for Tarantino fans—this is where his brand of pulp heartbreak was born.
Buy this: Warner Archive Blu-ray – crisp transfer, minimal extras, but a must-have regardless.
Night of the Hunter (1955)
Why it’s essential: Charles Laughton’s only directorial effort is part Southern Gothic fable, part dreamlike noir, with Robert Mitchum as a murderous preacher. Lyrical, horrifying, and impossible to shake—this one crawls under your skin.
Runtime: 92 minutes
Pro tip: Not pure noir, but its shadowy soul earns it a seat at the table.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – a treasure trove of restoration and scholarly extras.
The Naked City (1948)
Why it’s essential: A police procedural before the term even existed. Filmed entirely on location in post-war New York, it captures the grit and grind of real city life. A landmark in docu-noir style.
Runtime: 96 minutes
Pro tip: Watch it for the city itself—it’s the true star. Pity that NYC no longer has this level of charm.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – restored print and strong supplements on its realist innovation.
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Why it’s essential: Billy Wilder’s Oscar-winning deep dive into alcoholism plays like a psychological noir, with shadowy city streets, inner demons, and one of the most harrowing benders ever put to film. Ray Milland’s performance is raw, sweaty, and brutally honest—this isn’t your average guy-with-a-drinking-problem movie; it’s a full-on descent into hell with a whiskey chaser. You may never drink again. Time to pour the Whispering Angel down the drain.
Runtime: 101 minutes
Pro tip: It’s noir without the gunplay, but the despair, obsession, and isolation? Soul crushing and one of the most sobering movies you will ever watch.
Buy this: Kino Lorber Blu-ray – newly restored in 4K with commentary and documentaries on Wilder’s uncompromising vision.
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Why it’s essential: It’s the granddaddy of film noir, and honestly, if you haven’t seen it, what are you even doing here? Humphrey Bogart sneers his way through a nest of backstabbers and grifters, chasing a bird statue no one really understands but everyone’s willing to kill for. John Huston directs like he’s got something to prove—which he did—and the result is pure, uncut noir.
Runtime: 100 minutes
Pro tip: Forget the 1931 version—this one has Bogart, a femme fatale with zero chill, and enough double-crosses to require a diagram.
Buy this: Warner Archive Blu-ray – sharp as a knife in a trench coat pocket, with deep blacks and extras that actually matter.
The Hitch-Hiker (1953)
Why it’s essential: Ida Lupino’s lean, terrifying road noir is the only classic-era entry directed by a woman—and it’s one of the most intense. Based on a true story, it plays like a ticking time bomb in the desert.
Runtime: 71 minutes
Pro tip: Essential for noir completists and feminist film buffs alike.
Buy this: Kino Lorber Blu-ray – solid restoration and tribute extras to Lupino’s trailblazing career.
Le Samouraï (1967)
Why it’s essential: French, existential, and impossibly cool. Alain Delon’s silent assassin stalks through Melville’s ultra-minimalist vision of noir, where every word, every look, and every trench coat matters.
Runtime: 105 minutes
Pro tip: Queue this up with Drive, Ghost Dog, or John Wick—you’ll see the lineage instantly.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – one of the most stylish HD noirs on disc.
Under the radar picks?
These aren’t the usual suspects, but they pack just as much grit, sweat, and moral rot. If you’ve already devoured the essentials, these lesser-known but unforgettable noirs are your next hit.
Stray Dog (1949)
Why it’s essential: Kurosawa does noir? Damn right. A rookie cop loses his gun and descends into post-war Tokyo’s criminal underbelly. Gritty, sweaty, and shot like a fever dream. You’ve never seen Toshiro Mifune like this and it pre-dates his iconic roles in Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Sanjuro, and Throne of Blood.
Pro tip: Pair it with High and Low and The Bad Sleep Well for a masterclass in Japanese crime cinema.
Buy this: Criterion Collection Blu-ray – gorgeous restoration with a smart Kurosawa/film noir crossover essay.
This Gun for Hire (1942)
Why it’s essential: Alan Ladd as a hitman with a code, Veronica Lake with that hair, and a plot thick with wartime paranoia. Noir before noir even had a name. Fun fact — Ladd had to stand on milk crates to make up for his lack of height in some scenes.
Pro tip: Ladd’s icy killer walk practically invented the cool assassin archetype.
Buy this: Shout! Factory Blu-ray – includes extras that highlight the film’s early influence on the genre.
The Prowler (1951)
Why it’s essential: A cop seduces a lonely housewife and things spiral… predictably south. Joseph Losey’s noir is sleazy, slow-burning, and way smarter than it first lets on.
Pro tip: Watch this when you want your noir with a side of mid-century moral rot.
Buy this: Flicker Alley Blu-ray – restored from rediscovered elements, includes an essential Eddie Muller commentary.
The Bottom Line
These aren’t just movies—they’re the blueprint for every double-cross, moody stare, and fedora-tip that came after. You skip these, and you’re not watching noir—you’re just pretending. Like Phyllis says in Double Indemnity: “There’s a speed limit in this state, Mr. Neff… and you were going about 90.” Same goes for blowing past this list. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
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Anton Hayden
April 19, 2025 at 10:33 am
Took the time to read through this and I may go broke buying about 10 of these.
Wonderfully done. Criterion Collection should be sharing this on all of its SM. Maybe the best endorsement ever.
American directors don’t make films like this anymore. No CGI or buildings get blown up in any of these films.
Ian White
April 19, 2025 at 10:44 am
Sterling,
Greatly appreciate the kind words. Spent a few days putting this list together. I own all of them and would sooner give up a pair of speakers over my film noir collection. It’s the writing that makes these films so special. Who could write this well, today? Not one screenwriter I could think of. And yes — Criterion should probably send me a nice gift box or one of their wool baseball hats as a thank you. I’d wear it proudly.
Mr. Neff.
Richard Hardy
April 19, 2025 at 12:33 pm
Excellent list. I recently saw Panic in the Streets which was very good.
Ian White
April 19, 2025 at 1:43 pm
Richard,
Thank you for the kind words. Elia Kazan and Richard Widmark had to be a winning combination.
Best,
IW