Best Discoveries in Film Noir (Crime Movies) in 2024

This isn’t meant to be a boast, but I’ve seen a lot of film noir, especially American film noir from the classic era. I spent several years working my way through lists of hundreds of noir titles, and although I haven’t yet seen everything, I’ve seen most of the good ones. All that to say, you won’t find any 1940s-‘50s American noir on this list of discoveries. I saw several from that era for the first time in 2024, but none were memorable. (I also missed many crime films from the mid-1980s through the 1990s and am just catching up.)

Yet America isn’t the only country that made film noir movies. You’ll find titles from other countries on this list as well as neo-noir titles (or just plain “crime movies”) that stretch to 2019. I hope you’ll find something to discover.

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To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) William Friedkin - Kino Lorber Blu-ray

After reading William Friedkin’s memoir, I blind-bought this film, wondering why I hadn’t seen it. After watching, I was kicking myself for not seeing it sooner. In his review of the Kino Blu-ray on blu-ray.com, Dr. Svet Atanasov writes, “To Live and Die in L.A. is a close relative of two iconic films, The Naked City and The French Connection, and boasts a special contemporary identity.” I’d agree with that, especially considering that Los Angeles as a location (to say nothing of the mid-1980s) provides a game-changer far different from either of those films in its culture and persona.

When Detective Richard Chance (William Petersen) loses his partner to a killer, Chance is forced to take on a new partner (John Pankow) who’s a bit wheels-off. Meanwhile, a local counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) seems unstoppable and uncatchable until he becomes suspicious of one of his associates. Friedkin, working with cinematographer Robby Muller, may make you forget (for a while, anyway) the thrills of The French Connection.

The Burnt Orange Heresy (2019) directed by Giuseppe Capotondi - Sony Pictures, library DVD (also available on a Sony Pictures Blu-ray)

Based on a novel of the same name by one of my favorite crime writers, Charles Willeford, The Burnt Orange Heresy art critic James Figueras (Claes Bang) is hired by an eccentric art dealer (Mick Jagger) to steal a painting by a legendary but reclusive artist (Donald Sutherland). Figueras finds that his task isn’t easy, especially when he’s unsure of the loyalties of the woman (Elizabeth Debicki) he’s attracted to. Although the film didn’t do well at the box office and received only middling reviews, I found it a fascinating and unique heist movie. Scott B. Smith (A Simple Plan, The Ruins) wrote the screenplay.

If I Should Die Before I Wake (Si muero antes de despertar, 1952) Carlos Hugo Christensen - Flicker Alley Blu-ray (along with Never Open That Door)

Originally intended as the third segment in Never Open That Door (discussed here), If I Should Die Before I Wake was produced as a stand-alone film about a rambunctious schoolboy (Néstor Zavarce) who learns that a criminal has been luring young girls to his hideout by offering them candy. A combination of Grimm’s fairy tales and a Cornell Woolrich suspense story, If I Should Die is filled with noirish nail-biting suspense. Note that this film doesn’t get the full restoration found in Never Open That Door, but is a supplement on that release.

Ronin (1998) John Frankenheimer - Arrow Blu-ray (OOP)

I thought I’d seen this film when it was released, but five minutes in, I realized I hadn’t. I was captivated by every aspect of this crime thriller, certainly one of the great heist films of the 1990s, with a team of professionals seeking to nab a briefcase with “undisclosed contents” from those desperately fighting for it: Irish terrorists and the Russian mob. Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgård… they’re all great, and so are the chase scenes.

Red Rock West (1993) John Dahl - Plan B Blu-ray

If Ronin is one of the best heist movies of the ‘90s, Red Rock West is one of the best neo-noir pictures from the same decade. The film stars Nicolas Cage as Michael, a Texan and former Marine driving to Wyoming for a promised job that doesn’t pan out. When Michael walks into a remote bar to drink away his troubles, he finds they’re just beginning: The bartender mistakes Michael for the hitman he hired to knock off his wife, but then the real hitman (Dennis Hopper) arrives. The story never lets up until the end credits.

Mr. Klein (1976) Joseph Losey - Criterion Channel (also on Blu-ray)

With the passing of Alain Delon earlier this year, I knew I wanted to see one of his films, preferably one I hadn’t previously viewed. I’m glad I watched Mr. Klein, which could be Delon’s greatest performance. Delon plays Robert Klein, an unscrupulous art collector in WWII France. Klein takes advantage of Jews trying to sell their works of art to have money to flee Nazi persecution, yet the callous Klein pays them only a fraction of what their collections are worth. But the art collector soon finds himself the object of scrutiny from the authorities who think he’s Jewish. Klein learns there’s another Robert Klein in Paris, so it’s a clear-cut case of “the wrong man.” Or is it? Mysterious, labyrinthine, and intense, Mr. Klein is a great thriller, an important WWII film, and a personal look at director Joseph Losey’s feelings about his exile to Europe due to the HUAC hearings. I plan to pick up this Blu-ray soon, eager to explore the many layers of this fine film.

Victims of Sin (Víctimas del pecado, 1951) Emilio Fernández - Criterion Channel (also on Blu-ray)

Previously reviewed here

Assault on the Pay Train (1962) Roberto Farias - AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

Previously discussed as part of my Noir City DC experience

Across the Bridge (1957) Ken Annakin - AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

Also previously discussed as part of my Noir City DC experience

Let me know what noir/crime films you discovered in 2024. The comments are open!