Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during and after World War II in the United States—roughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term film noir[1] translates literally to English as "dark film" or “black film”, because they were quite dark both in lighting and in sinister stories often presented in a shadowy cinematographic style. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, and visual elements.
Definition[edit]
The neologism neo-noir, using the Greek prefix for the word new, is defined by Mark Conard as "any film coming after the classic noir period that contains noir themes and noir sensibility".[2] Another definition describes it as later noir that often synthesizes diverse genres while foregrounding the scaffolding of film noir.[3]
Characteristics[edit]
Neo-noir film directors refer to 'classic noir' in the use of Dutch angles, interplay of light and shadows, unbalanced framing; blurring of the lines between good and bad and right and wrong, and thematic motifs including revenge, paranoia, and alienation.[5]
Typically American crime dramas or psychological thrillers, films noir had common themes and plot devices, and many distinctive visual elements. Characters were often conflicted antiheroes, trapped in a difficult situation and making choices out of desperation or nihilistic moral systems. Visual elements included low-key lighting, striking use of light and shadow, and unusual camera placement. Sound effects helped create the noir mood of paranoia and nostalgia.[6]
Few major films in the classic film noir genre have been made since the early 1960s. These films usually incorporated both thematic and visual elements reminiscent of film noir. Both classic and neo-noir films are often produced as independent features.
After 1970, film critics took note of "neo-noir" films as a separate genre. Noir and post-noir terminology (such as "hard-boiled", "neo-classic" and the like) are often rejected by both critics and practitioners.
Robert Arnett stated, "Neo-noir has become so amorphous as a genre/movement, any film featuring a detective or crime qualifies."[7] Screenwriter and director Larry Gross identifies Jean-Luc Godard's Alphaville, alongside John Boorman's Point Blank (1967) and Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973), based on Raymond Chandler's 1953 novel, as neo-noir films. Gross believes that they deviate from classic noir in having more of a sociological than a psychological focus.[8] Neo noir features characters who commit violent crimes, but without the motivations and narrative patterns found in film noir.[3]
Neo noir assumed global character and impact when filmmakers began drawing elements from films in the global market. For instance, Quentin Tarantino's works have been influenced by Ringo Lam's 1987 classic City on Fire.[9] This was particularly the case for the noir-inflected Reservoir Dogs, which was instrumental in establishing Tarantino in October 1992.[10]
This was further expanded upon with the John Wick film franchise in the 2010s. Directed by stuntman Chad Stahelski, the series utilizes noir motifs including the use of light and shadow, complex moralities in its hero and villains, and classic noir motives.[11] In the first film the title character is motivated by revenge; in the second he is placed in a difficult situation and branded as a pariah from his community; and in the third and fourth he seeks a path to redemption and exiting his former life. The series also draws inspiration from the hard-boiled genre's theme of an anti-hero attempting to take down a sprawling criminal organization. Though Wick is not an agent of the law, he is depicted as representing the side of retributive justice and moral forthrightness in a setting otherwise populated by criminals. The series also has a heavy emphasis on violent action, particularly with the use of firearms. In this, Stahelski draws inspiration from Hong Kong action cinema and Korean neo-noir, such as Hard Boiled and The Man from Nowhere.[12][13]