I know noirs usually take place under cloudy skies, during rainy nights, and thus autumn is their spiritual season — hence why Noirvember exists, after all.
But it’s on muggy, humid evenings I really crave a big city-set mystery where everyone, even the nominal hero, is painted with smoky shades of grey. Maybe it’s because it was summer when I first dove into the Humphrey Bogart films as a teen, binging on “The Big Sleep,” “To Have and Have Not,” “Dark Passage” and “The Maltese Falcon.”
And while I adore classic film noir like “Laura” — (I’ll never forget the first time I watched that one, with my good friend Siobhan, who was as delighted by my surprise over the second act twist as I was in the twist itself.)
And neo-noirs like the darkly comic “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”— (In an alternate universe where Robert Downey Jr. never did “Iron Man,” there’s a whole series of Gay Perry/Harry Lockhart movies, and I’d honestly like to visit that timeline.)
I also love when folks take a noir framework and smash it into another genre. So this week, I’m highlighting four projects that flavored their noir with sci-fi, “Looney Tunes,” anime and superheroes, starting with:
4. “Dark City” (or, cyberpunk noir)
John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) is an amnesiac wanted for murder, pursued by both the police and a group of peculiar bald albino men known as “The Strangers.” As he runs through an ever-shifting cityscape trapped in a perpetual night in search of the truth, he discovers the world and the people in it are more malleable than anyone could have suspected.
Director/writer Alex Proyas — who also gave us the Gothic cult classic “The Crow” — created a frighteningly trippy, mind- and genre-bending dystopian noir that paved the way for “The Matrix.”
This is a visually stunning film that feels like a (mostly) lucid nightmare. The cinematography, special effects, sci-fi flourishes — it all combines into a noir atmosphere so rich and tangible that you can taste the smoke.
Of course, you’ve got so many of the necessary tropes, too: a desperate protagonist who may not be an entirely good guy, a damsel in distress who may also be a femme fatale (Jennifer Connelly), jaded/corrupt cops, mysterious villains with hidden motives, sultry nightclubs in a ragged city …
And while the visuals and solid performance from Sewell are the film’s two biggest draws, “City” also tackles huge philosophic questions of personhood and free will; just what makes us us? If your entire life is being manipulated by an outside force, if you can’t trust your own memories, can you ever truly love, or decide, or have a purpose?
Things are never black or white in noir, and “Dark City” is murkier than most. In the end, is there even a right or wrong choice to make?
3. “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” (or, screwball noir)
In an alternate universe 1947 Hollywood, humans and animated Toons co-exist, though not on equal terms. Despite being beloved entertainers, Toons are very much second-class citizens, segregated to Toontown.
So when the owner of Toontown (and the head of the Acme Corporation) is found crushed under a safe, the police immediately suspect Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer), a Toon whose wife, Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner), was recently photographed in a compromising position with the murdered man.
Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), a curmudgeonly private eye who’s despised Toons ever since one killed his brother Teddy, is pulled into the case by a frantic Roger, who swears he’s innocent. As the unlikely pair blunders their way through Hollywood, they uncover secret wills, disguised villains and a substance capable of killing the otherwise invulnerable Toons.
Will Eddie ever find justice for his brother, and rediscover his sense of humor? Does Jessica Rabbit truly love her husband? Can they prove Roger Rabbit was framed?
One of the (many) things I love about this movie is how it delivers so many of the standard noir trappings — a dangerous dame, a trusty Gal Friday, the cynical detective, a convoluted crime that was committed for either love or money — and yet accompanies them with a honking horn and water-blasting daisy. Noir, 99.999% of the time, is bleak and depressing. “Roger Rabbit” is the .001% that’s goofy and fun.
And 35 years later, the special effects that went into creating a world where real people interact with animated characters — which include Disney and Warner Bros. icons, so Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny actually share the screen! — is still impressive as heck. Just watch the sequence when Roger and Eddie are handcuffed together, and marvel at how Roger effects the objects around him; even the shadows and moving light sources are perfect! Absolutely wild.
2. “The Big O” (or, giant robot noir)
Paradigm City is a metropolis of hidden secrets and lost memories; forty years ago, every resident was struck with sudden amnesia in the wake of “The Event,” a cataclysm that destroyed everything beyond the domed city.
Roger Smith (Steve Blum) is Paradigm City’s top Negotiator: a private investigator/hostage negotiator/bodyguard/Jack of All Trades. He’s also the pilot of a giant robot known as Big O, a “Megadeus” that pre-dates The Event.
When a negotiation goes bad, Roger’s obligated to take in a beautiful robot called R. Dorothy who, along with his battle butler Norman, helps him fight criminals (who have Megadeuses of their own) and various monsters created by now-forgotten science.
“Big O” is what happens when you smash film noir, Batman and the Japanese “Gundam” franchise together. The largely monochrome art style is inspired by both art deco architecture and futuristic cyberpunk flourishes.
With robots that could pass for human, giant mecha and fantastical monster/character designs, there’s plenty here to satisfy sci-fi fans, while the dramatic voice-over narration, Roger’s often bleak worldview, mysterious ladies like R. Dorothy and Angel, and the jazzy, saxophone-and-piano-heavy soundtrack is catnip for noir lovers.
It’s also a quick watch, with only 26 action-packed episodes full of wild twists and gorgeous aesthetics.
1. “The Batman” (or, superhero noir)
Two years into his mission as Batman, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) is starting to lose hope he’s making any sort of a difference in crime-ridden Gotham City. When the devious Riddler (Paul Dano) begins murdering the political elite, exposing their secret crimes and hypocrisies in the process, Bats realizes he’s been inspiring the wrong people.
That Gotham needs more than just vengeance — it needs hope, too.
I know plenty didn’t care for this latest take on the iconic vigilante, and that even more people instantly wrote it off without even giving it a chance, thanks to the casting of former “Twilight” vamp Pattinson in the lead role.
And while I’ll readily admit it’s not a flawless film, it is one of the better Bats adaptations yet, and what it most succeeds at is the grimy, gritty, oh-so-noir atmosphere. This Gotham is grungy and brutal, controlled by corruption and crime bosses.
Bruce provides brooding voice-overs worthy of Sam Spade, and Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz) is equal parts distressed damsel and killer dame. And although, like most noir films, the story is bleak and violent from the very first scene on, “The Batman” does end on a surprisingly hopeful note — which is perhaps the most fantastical aspect of the whole film.
It’s not often a noir leaves the audience thinking there may actually be a light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s fitting for a superhero story. Especially one hoping for a sequel.
- ANGIE BARRY is a contributing columnist for Shaw Media. To suggest future topics for The B-List, which covers topics in pop culture, history and literature, contact her at newsroom@mywebtimes.com.