In this "In Focus," we take you down the seedy back alleys of film noir and introduce you to the femmes fatales, the two-bit losers, and the world-weary detectives--as well as the cinematographers and directors--that make film noir one of the most dynamic forms of film. Try the links below as we examine 10 of the greatest noirs. Plus! Alain Silver examines the ending of film noir classic Kiss Me Deadly.

An Introduction

The Big Combo
directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Allied Artists, 1955

The Big Heat
directed by Fritz Lang
Columbia, 1953

The Big Sleep
directed by Howard Hawks
Warner Brothers, 1946

Double Indemnity
directed by Billy Wilder
Paramount, 1944

Force of Evil
directed by Abraham Polonsky
Enterprise Studio/MGM, 1948

Gun Crazy
directed by Joseph H. Lewis
United Artists, 1950

The Lady from Shanghai
directed by Orson Welles
Columbia, 1948

Pickup on South Street
directed by Samuel Fuller
20th Century-Fox, 1953

Shadow of a Doubt
directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Universal, 1943

Sweet Smell of Success
directed by Alexander Mackendrick
United Artists, 1957

Additional Choice Noirs

Plus! Alain Silver on the ending of Kiss Me Deadly

And Film Noir Web Links