Best of American Film Noir

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

The first recognised American film noir is one of the best, and is the film that made Humphrey Bogart a star.

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Impeccable performances from Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman make this one of the great romantic films of all time.

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Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake star in this slick, and surprisingly sadistic, film noir.

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This respectable adaptation of a Graham Greene novel starring Alan Ladd inspired the great French thriller Le Samourai.

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Joseph Cotten gives a chilling performance in this, one of Alfred Hitchcock's darkest suspense thrillers.

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This haunting study in obsession is one of director Otto Preminger's best films and stars Gene Tierney at her seductive best.

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One of the masters of German expressionism, Fritz Lang, directed this chilling adaptation of a Graham Greene novel.

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As Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Bogart stumbles into one of the most labyrinthine of film noir plots, with Lauren Bacall.

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Could the pairing of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman explain why this is one of Hitchcock's most popular thrillers?

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Possibly the greatest of the classic film noirs, with Robert Mitchum as the doomed hero and Jane Greer as his femme fatale.

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Edward G. Robinson returns to form as a ruthless gangster boss, opposite Bogart and Bacall in this gripping thriller.

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James Cagney goes out literally in a blaze of glory in this stunningly realised gangster thriller.

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Billy Wilder's sour critique of Hollywood has become a classic, thanks to Gloria Swanson's portrayal of a faded movie star.

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Nicholas Ray takes another swipe at Hollywood with Bogart playing a jaded screenwriter with a split personality.

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Director John Huston redefines the American gangster film, bringing much greater realism and modernity.

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One of the most shockingly visceral of the classic film noir thrillers, stylishly composed by Fritz Lang.

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One of Hitchcock's best examples of the transfer of guilt idea, with a remarkable performance from Montgomery Clift.

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Henry Fonda is a man desperately trying to save his name and his wife's sanity in this dark realistic thriller from Hitchcock.

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