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The 1980s saw a riveting, radical revival of the noir film. This surging cinematic movement contained works that were similar to the original noir model of the 1940s, but we’re decidedly steamier, and frankly, a bit raunchier. This mirrored not only the changing attitude of the times, but also reflected what audiences were craving…even grittier and more controversial subjects, and the explicit depiction of carnal pleasures. Ergo, the throbbing neo-noir was born.
A bevy of high-quality films were produced during this time, all of which contained many of the classic elements of the noir, but also added a little pizzazz, 80s style. Such films as Dressed to Kill and Black Widow are great examples of the delectable dishes that entertained while they titillated. Here is the complete compilation of the best neo-noirs that the “Me Decade” had to offer.
10
‘Dressed to Kill’ (1980)
Kicking off this list is the erotic thriller Dressed to Kill. Directed by crime, action, and thriller hybrid master Brian De Palma, the heat is turned way up in this semi-surreal take on the psychotic murderer trope. With an obvious nod to Psycho, there are several thematic qualities preset here, as well as some new, cleverly devised cinematic tactics (along with a title that, when reflected upon after the ending, makes the viewer break into a knowing grin).
The plot is initially centered on a randy homemaker named Kate Miller (a covertly wild Angie Dickinson) who unsuccessfully tries to bed her psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Elliott (the always engaging Michael Caine), and then hits the sheets with another, random guy. After the encounter, she, wouldn’t you know it, gets in the way of the blade of a mysterious blonde lady (ergo, the blonde, apparent lead is killed off early on, a la the Alfred Hitchcock classic). High-class sex worker, Liz Blake (Nancy Allen), witnesses the murder — only to become the prime suspect and the target of the actual killer. The eventual twist features something that could be viewed as problematic today, but in the immortal words of Daniel, The Karate Kid, “Hey! It’s the 80s!”
9
‘Cutter’s Way’ (1981)
Not all noirs are cynical in the same way. Some take a magnifying glass to the way certain members of society are treated, and present the harsh, stark reality they must contend with. Ivan Passer’s well-crafted film Cutter’s Way does this in a refreshing manner. Chocked full of solid performances and incisive takes on class and wealth, this neo-noir is dark in all the right places, and light (or rather, enlightening) where it needs to be, too.
Richard Bone (a young and plucky Jeff Bridges) and Alex Cutter (John Heard) are two buddies, eking out a meager existence in Santa Barbara, California. Alex is a Vietnam veteran, with the scars to prove it. One fateful night, Richard (thinks he) witnesses a wealthy man dumping a corpse into the trash (symbolic, no?), and the two buds become determined to expose the fraudulent guy: J.J. Cord (Stephen Elliott) — especially after Richard becomes a suspect in the dead person’s murder. All in all, this unique noir presents a scathing account of 1980s American society. It ends in a cinematically satisfying manner, but it’s poignant, laced with grim irony.
8
‘Black Widow’ (1987)
Bob Rafelson’s Black Widow really delivers on the femme fatale front. And, in a delightful spin on noirs, the troubled protagonist isn’t a man, but rather a woman. The story is that federal agent Alexandra Barnes (a fiery Debra Winger) has discovered that a seductive (and deadly) woman, Catharine Petersen (a slyly enticing Theresa Russell) has a nice long history of marrying super-rich dudes and then offing them, thereby amassing her own hard-won fortune. The problem for Agent Barnes is that Catharine is highly skilled at crafting false identities and giving the law the slip.
This movie is tense and engaging the whole way through (not to mention, quite spicy). Winger’s performance, as the indomitable law person on a mission, is a real tour de force. The plot becomes more and more intricate as the story goes, and the final twist is a humdinger. Catch this unrated flick…before you end up in Catherine’s web.
7
‘Body Double’ (1984)
If you’re going to pay homage to another filmmaker, it’s wise to borrow themes, plot devices, and visual elements from the greats. That’s exactly what Brian de Palma did with the erotically-charged Body Double, which gives more than a subtle nod to Alfred Hitchcock (there’s a real Rear Window vibe to the whole picture).
The exceptionally intricate story follows a troubled actor, Jake Scully (Craig Wasson), who, while house-sitting, spies a beautiful woman, Gloria (Deborah Shelton), in the neighboring home…and then really begins spying on her. While performing a strip tease, Gloria seems to be murdered, and Jake soon finds himself sucked deep into a dark world of illusions — and the porno biz (where Melanie Griffith, as Holly Body, gives him a real eye-opening lesson in acting). Without revealing too much, there’s a well-orchestrated murder plot at the center of this whole thing, which entangles Jake more and more the further he uncovers the truth. Utilizing sultry stylization to the max, this slick flick delivers the steamy goods.
6
‘Manhunter’ (1986)
While famed writer-director Michael Mann-(hunter), perhaps foolishly, decided to forgo the title of the Thomas Harris book that this movie was based on (Red Dragon — which would have its own day later on in the form of the Ralph Fiennes vehicle), this is a very good film. Made five years before The Silence of the Lambs, this is the prequel to that story, and it masterfully depicts a cat-and-mouse game with the highest stakes.
Retired FBI agent Will Graham (William Petersen) was all set to live out his days in peace in Florida — after nearly getting murked at the hands of the psychotic genius Dr. Lektor (played, as always, with charming ferocity by Brian Cox). A new case arises where Graham’s preternatural expertise is needed, to catch a new serial killer dubbed “The Tooth Fairy” (the delightfully creepy Tom Noonan). But, you guessed it, Graham must have a little tête-à-tête with Lektor to garner some clues. This film, while lousy with corny slo-mo sequences and a somewhat irritatingly oppressive score, is a neo-noir gem, flipping the script on the villain archetype.
5
‘Blood Simple’ (1984)
Notorious dark comedy director brothers Ethan Coen and Joel Coen really came out swinging with this one. Blood Simple was their directorial debut, and they nailed this neo-noir in every fashion. Taking the concept of dramatic irony and running with it, the audience is always a step ahead of the villainous characters in this fun (if complexly woven) film.
The slow-burn story is centered on a real gem of a guy, a Texas bar owner, Julian Marty (Dan Hedaya), who is jealous to a fault. He enlists a P.I. turned hired gun, Loren Visser (the uniquely voiced, 80s staple M. Emmet Walsh), to kill his cheating wife, Abby (Frances McDormand in her first feature) and the bartender at his joint, Ray (John Getz). Of course, things go wildly awry as numerous misunderstandings occur (a single hand gun is used to frame multiple parties) and the wrong people naturally end up dead. The Coen bros pull out all the dramatic stops, creating conflict and firing misdirects at every turn. It’s a Texan country-fried heehaw of a good time, noir-style.
4
‘Thief’ (1981)
Michael Mann’s first neo-noir of the 80s was arguably his best. Utilizing shadows, light, and darkness like a maven of noirs past, his direction of this exhilarating thriller is something to be admired. Thief hits all the marks, as it’s a well-paced, stunningly shot, deep dive into complex character study.
The story is an age-old one: boy steals jewels, boy goes to prison, boy is released and continues his gem heist ways while operating a shell car lot to avoid recidivism. James Caan stars as the safe-cracker firecracker Frank, (in his own words) his most memorable role outside of Sonny in The Godfather. All Frank wants to do is get rich from his larceny and settle down with a nice woman (here, it’s the comely Tuesday Weld as Jessie). Things inevitably go off the rails, and Frank becomes entwined with a dangerous mob boss (is there any other kind?), Leo (Robert Prosky). In the ole “one last job, and then I’m out” trope, Frank’s hopes are inevitably dashed, as things come to a violent climax. What’s most impressive in this film is not just the nail-biting crime elements, but the way Frank is portrayed; a tragic guy who just can’t let go.
3
‘Blue Velvet’ (1986)
Blue Velvet asked the question: can Dennis Hopper out Dennis Hopper…Dennis Hopper? And the answer is a resounding, hilarious yes. The godfather of the obscure and logically opaque, David Lynch, delivers one of the finest films of his oblique oeuvre with this mind-blowing neo-noir. This sumptuous film exposes the lie that is the “normal, American suburb,” and presents a dangerous underworld of criminal activity, detached ears, and nitrous-sniffing lunatics.
Lynch expertly sets the stage for the quintessential noir. All the archetypes of the classic form are here and accounted for, but, in Lynchian fashion, displayed in a perverse, unsettlingly bizarre manner. Kyle MacLachlan as Jeffrey Beaumont, the naive boy-next-door, is fantastic, as is Isabella Rossellini, as Dorothy Vallens, the sexy yet traumatized and frantic model of the femme fatale. One can not mention Blue Velvet, of course, without bringing attention to Dennis Hopper as Frank Booth — the psychical manifestation of id, lust, and highly entertaining evil. He’s really at his best here, playing — scarily enough, in roughly his own words — a heightened version of himself.
2
‘Body Heat’ (1981)
Writer-director Lawrence Kasdan’s pivotal neo-noir Body Heat is certainly true to its name. Really leaning into the “anti” in anti-hero, the film’s protagonist is so conniving on paper that he’s almost totally irredeemable. However, William Hurt’s portrayal of this (at times) cunning character is just so delicious that you somehow want him to succeed. Right alongside him is Kathleen Turner, who at the time was turning heads and producing arguably her best work (her sultry, guileful femme fatale here is reminiscent of the great dames of old school noir).
The tale herein is about a morally flexible lawyer, Ned Racine (Hurt), who links up with Matty Walker (Turner), and the two engage in an undeniably incendiary affair. She’s married to a wealthy (duh, of course) businessman, Edmund Walker (Richard Crenna). So, naturally, the blindly enamored (read: clueless) Ned is coaxed into hatching a plot with Matty to eliminate her moneybags hubby and make off with the pilfered moolah. Ned enlists his skeezy client, Teddy Lewis (Mickey Rourke, in his breakout role), to devise a plan to basically blow Edmund to smithereens. And then, as expected, double-crossing galore takes place and Ned finds himself in quite the perilous pickle. The film is set in Florida, and the audience can really feel the humidity, bathing the body, and the sweat, oozing out of every pore. Indeed, heat is the key word here, and it’s experienced in every sense of the torrid word.
1
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
While this fine film fits into the sci-fi category, as it features androids and a dystopian future, it’s a hard-boiled noir at its core. Blade Runner raises a host of philosophical questions, all while creating a bizarrely real (and quite rainy) fantasy world that somehow manages to simultaneously appear sleek and hi-tech and grimy and visceral. While director Ridley Scott has produced some of the most iconic films in history, this is his magnum opus.
The story is about a quartet of “replicants” (human-passing robots) that go rogue and steal a spaceship. They come back down to earth so they can meet their “creator” face-to-face (in a clearly religious allegory). Alas, there are “blade runners” — people employed to “retire” (aka assassinate) problematic replicants — and Deckard is the man tasked with eliminating this pesky lot of bots. This simplified version of the events depicted here doesn’t remotely do the story justice. The characters are all phenomenally drawn, with profound depth to each of them. Star Wars fans can avert their eyes for a second, but this is probably Harrison Ford’s most heartfelt, layered, and impactful role, as the anti-hero terminator Deckard. Even the androids have a ton going on, emotionally. In fact, never have robots been so sensitively portrayed on the silver screen (…and A.I. probably loves this). Rutger Hauer, with definitely his finest performance ever, is amazing as the dangerous, tortured replicant Batty. He’s a “villain” — but all he really wants to do is live (which, again, brings about a heady existential query: what is life?). Sean Young, in a role that permanently put her on the map, is Rachael, Decker’s’ love interest — a replicant that doesn’t even know that she isn’t human. How’s that for a mind-melt? Overall, Blade Runner is a neo-noir triumph in every way, showcasing the best robots ever (apologies, Terminator).
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Joe Leone
Almontather Rassoul
