The Changing Nature of Noir

Recently, I watched a box-set of 'THREE MUST-SEE MOVIES' from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. This included Fight Club, The Usual Suspects and Memento. All three films could be described as thrillers; they all combine mystery, pacing, and a twisting plot in order to evoke tension.

Browsing through various DVD extras, I was surprised to find that both The Usual Suspects and Memento were regarded as works of film-noir. On further investigation, I found that all three of the movies in the set were labelled under the genre of 'Neo Noir' on The Internet Movie Database. As a prefix, 'Neo' means 'new,' and is usually used in the case of something being revived or reinvented. With this understanding, it is easier to see why these films fit under the neo-noir genre; they contain certain elements present in original film-noir, but do not attempt to replicate classic film-noir. After making sense of neo-noir, I was further intrigued by the current popularity of neo-noir as opposed to classic-noir or immitations of classic-noir. In order to establish exactly what neo-noir has to offer to modern cinema, I first needed to clarify what it directly borrows from original noir.

The most commonly borrowed aspects of film-noir are the dark, malevolent atmosphere and the flawed, morally ambiguous chracters. Crime-based narratives provide a firm platform upon which these elements of film-noir can flourish, which explains why so many neo-noir films revolve around stories of heists, murder and gang warfare. So if neo-noir borrows on both narrative and thematic fronts, then the only true source of originality is in style and context.















Even this poster for the theatrical release of Blade Runner emulates the style of those that were used for classic film-noir.

Neo-noir has a certain amount of charm that other genres lack, because the films it describes portray film-noir in a new and unique light. The most obvious, and perhaps the most famous example of this is that of Ridley Scott's 1982 film Blade Runner. The narrative follows almost all of the traditional film-noir conventions, but is set in Los Angeles in the year 2019. The film is particularly clever in the way that it integrates the rudimentary film-noir plot elements into the futuristic setting. Where the classic film-noir take on the plot may have been: a cop must hunt down and kill a group of highly-dangerous escaped convicts, the neo-noir take is: a 'Blade Runner' must hunt down and retire (kill) a group of Replicants (androids). Whether the directors of neo-noir films are conscious of it or not, they are carrying film noir influences into new and unique areas.



Suprisingly, the most prominent of all these 'new areas' seems to be that of intellectual thought. As directors synthesise film-noir and other cultural influences, they soon find themselves with an expansive melting-pot of ideas that need to be explored. More often than not, this results in more compelling and philososphical films that contain a specific moral, or are designed to make the audience think in a certain way. The above clip from the ending of Blade Runner illustrates this trend perfectly, as the main antagonist discusses the nature of his own life as a Replicant.

Another good example is that of Memento (below), which directly challenges the viewer to make sense from the unconventionally arranged narrative. The film's protagonist suffers from a mental conditions which prevents him from making new memories. As a result, he can only remember things for a short amount of time, and relies on notes, pictures and tattoos to guide him. The film begins with the protagonist shooting someone, and then the rest of the film is made up of clips chartering the protagonist's progress up until this point, all in reverse order. This method works incredibly well, because each new scene brings a sense of both satisfaction and mystery; you discover what led to the beginning of the previous scene, but are left wondering what led to the current one. Some people state that Momento is a non-linear film, however, as Director Christopher Nolan points out, the film is most definitely linear, because if the narrative did not follow a set path, the entire structure of the film would fall apart.




Even more interestingly, there is no real reason to restrict neo-noir to the confines of the medium of film. With the ever-expanding world of media distribution, it is no surprise that noir influences find their way into video games and music videos. The video for Franz Ferdinand's 'Walk Away' (below) is a prime example from 0:50 onwards, utilizing the film-noir style and stock-characters to tell a clichéd tale in a short space of time. The video is definitely a work of post-modernism, as it clearly exaggerates the conventions of noir (particularly the shadows on the wall at 1:44) but also goes against general conventions, revealing the filming studio at the end for dramatic effect.




Another manifestation of the neo-noir trend is Rockstar Games' Max Payne series of video games, which, so far, has taken a gritty look at present-day crime. Interestingly, Rockstar are also currently working with Team Bondi on a game called L.A. Noire. The website claims that the game will be "an interactive detective story set in the classic noir period of the late 1940's". If the game lives up to these claims, and to the quality of the announcement trailer (below), it will be sure to stand out from the crowd; I am sure that gaming audiences will welcome a game that combines free-roaming, mission-based action with an immersive and distinct time period.




It seems, then, that film-noir was never really left behind at the end of the 50s. Noir is no longer just a genre or style; it has become a meme in the true sense of the word. It has embedded itself in the roots of popular culture, and its influences can be found spread across all areas of entertaining media. With regular deveopments in media technology, such as 3D viewing, the reaches of noir can only be extended.

Perhaps film-noir will re-establish itself as a cinematic trend in the coming years, or perhaps it will remain as an underlying and pervading influence, but either way, noir looks set to stay.