Film Noir
The Original ‘Scarface’ (1932) Review: The World Is Yours
Released to fanfare and derision in April 1932, Howard Hawks’ brilliant Scarface is the ultimate Pre-Code gangster movie.
By Tod Molloy
Film Noir Movie Reviews
Film Noir
‘Baby Face’ (1933): Baby Puts The Censors In The Corner
A decade before ‘Double Indemnity,’ Barbara Stanwyck brought the Pre-Code era to a close with her sultry turn in Warner’s ‘Baby Face.’
Film Noir
‘City Streets’ (1931) Review: Gangster Cowboy Noir
Released by Paramount Pictures in April 1931, Rouben Mamoulian’s City Streets is an overlooked classic of the Pre-Code era.
Film Noir
‘The Public Enemy’ (1931) Review: Pre-Code Beer and Blood
With a $150,000 budget and box office returns exceeding $550,000, The Public Enemy followed Little Caesar in a string of commercially successful gangster films.
Film Noir
‘Little Caesar’ (1931) Review: A Brutal Slice Of Early Noir
Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett, Little Caesar paved the way for films like The Godfather, Mean Streets and King Of New York.
Neon Noir
‘John Wick Chapter 4’ Review: The Long And The Tedious
What began as a ruthlessly efficient genre film has devolved into yet another bloated action franchise.
Film Noir
‘Blood Money’ (1933) Review: Pre-Code Crime With Drops Of Gangster Noir
Derided by censors upon its 1933 release, Blood Money was one of Old Hollywood’s final Pre-Code films.
Film Noir
Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ (1931): Birth Of The Film Noir Anti-Hero
4 years after his visionary science fiction film “Metropolis,” Austrian-born Fritz Lang delivered his expressionistic suspense masterpiece, “M.”
Neo-Noir
Jim Thompson’s ‘The Killer Inside Me’ (1952): Book vs. Movie
Published in 1952, ‘The Killer Inside Me’ marked Thompson’s bold return to Noir fiction after a brief stint working as a journalist.
Neo-Noir
Killing Them Softly (2012): Drowning In Your Hope And Change
When their underground poker operation gets robbed by bumbling amateurs, the Louisiana mob goes into crisis mode. Time to call in Jackie Cogan.
