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I'm a big fan of film noir, and love the originals from the 40's and 50's. I also admire more recent attempts at the genre, and would be interested in anybody else's opinion of modern noir movies, both in their own right and compared to the classics.
For my money, BODY HEAT (1981), although extremely derivative of DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) (right down to using the same camera techniques on occasion, if I remember rightly) is, in my opinion, the best noir made in the last 30 years (in fact it is my all-time favourite movie - I've lost count of the number of times I've seen it. I've never met anybody who didn't like this movie and yet it resolutely refuses to become a classic). This film simply drips with a steamy - and increasingly claustrophobic - atmosphere, and marks an impressively assured directing debut from writer/director Lawrence Kasdan (who, unfortunately, has never ventured back into the genre). Admittedly, it's probably a movie that requires more than one viewing for it's quality and subtlety to be admired, but the performances of the entire cast (even Mickey Rourke!) are flawless, the cinematography skilfully evocative of the movie that was it's inspiration, and the script incredibly focused and compact.
Well, that's me finished; now it's your turn: So, what is your favourite Noir flick of the last thirty years?
For my money, BODY HEAT (1981), although extremely derivative of DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) (right down to using the same camera techniques on occasion, if I remember rightly) is, in my opinion, the best noir made in the last 30 years (in fact it is my all-time favourite movie - I've lost count of the number of times I've seen it. I've never met anybody who didn't like this movie and yet it resolutely refuses to become a classic). This film simply drips with a steamy - and increasingly claustrophobic - atmosphere, and marks an impressively assured directing debut from writer/director Lawrence Kasdan (who, unfortunately, has never ventured back into the genre). Admittedly, it's probably a movie that requires more than one viewing for it's quality and subtlety to be admired, but the performances of the entire cast (even Mickey Rourke!) are flawless, the cinematography skilfully evocative of the movie that was it's inspiration, and the script incredibly focused and compact.
Well, that's me finished; now it's your turn: So, what is your favourite Noir flick of the last thirty years?
