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Thanks to institutions like TCM host Eddie Muller’s “Noir Alley” and the annual monthlong “Noirvember” celebration created by film critic Marya E. Gates, film noir has enjoyed a pop-culture resurgence decades after its heyday in the 1940s and ’50s. The subgenre defined by moral ambiguity, criminal activity, sharp dialogue and shadowy images continues to influence modern thrillers and mysteries.It’s even found its way into superhero stories, with Prime Video's new show “Spider-Noir,” starring Nicolas Cage as a noir-style variation on Marvel’s Spider-Man.Noir films were some of the first movies that led to my love of classic cinema, and whenever I visit my dad, we bond over watching “Noir Alley” together. Although some of my favorite lesser-known noirs (including 1948’s “Road House” and 1951’s “Cry Danger”) aren’t available to stream, there are plenty of excellent noirs you can watch right now. Here are five of my top picks.‘The Maltese Falcon’
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One reason that private detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) is such a noir icon is that he’s so nonchalant about the danger he gets himself into. Throughout writer-director John Huston’s famously convoluted adaptation of the Dashiell Hammett novel, Spade derisively refers to the title object as the “dingus,” blithely dismissing the precious artifact that multiple people are willing to kill in order to possess.Bogart brilliantly portrays the cynical but tenacious private eye, and Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet are offbeat and menacing as Spade’s antagonists. Even when it’s tough to follow what they’re talking about, they’re never less than fascinating to watch. Huston presents the story with inventive visuals that have become noir shorthand, bringing life to every procedural detail. There’s a reason it’s the prototype for every hard-boiled detective story for the next 80-plus years.Rent/buy at Apple or Amazon‘Double Indemnity’
