Neo Noir of the 90's: Vol. 1

From the Greek “neo” for new and the French “noir” for black, Neo Noir is a term used in film and literature. It refers to a genre that primarily uses elements of the film noir movement of the 40’s and 50’s with modern spin on style, themes and sometimes content.

Vol. 1 – L.A. Confidential (1997) – This film stars Guy Pierce, Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe as three detectives investigating a murder in a late night coffee shop in the star struck City of Angels in 1953. Each of these men takes their own path to reject the official story and decide to probe deeper into the mystery.

This is one of those films that I re-watch every couple of years, always wondering how it will hold up through the years. As I’ve grown older, I’ve found that I grow out of a lot of films that I appreciated more when I was younger. Most of these films came out in the 90’s; when I was in high school and had no idea why I was in love with cinema. I’m happy to report that I still regard this as a fantastic film and one of the best of its decade. Probably the best thing this movie has going for it is its character’s complexity. Lieutenant Exley, Detective White and Detective Vincennes all have very different motives and are each given a separate arc. It’s hard enough to write a good arc for one character and a lot of films fail miserably at it. The construction and execution of three separate arcs that all lead to the same place, is what sets this film apart.

Most of the noirish elements we see have to do with the period that the story takes place. The costumes, cars, props and even the billboards seen in the cityscape all seem to exist together beautifully. I took special notice of how some of the cars and neighborhood seemed to be much older and rundown than the rest. This type of attention to detail gives the world that is built a more lived in feel.

One of the things however that makes this film a neo noir in my book is Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito’s characters. Basinger plays Lynn Bracken, a high end prostitute that is supposed to look like screen legend Veronica Lake. She’s here essentially to give a ‘hooker with a heart of gold’ spin on an old noir trope: the Femme Fatale. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for that roll. Devito plays Sid Hudgens, a tabloid writer that makes deals with Detective Vincennes to bust Hollywood’s stars. He perfectly represents the seedy underbelly of a noir world. He has no heart of gold and no arc. His motives are purely selfish. This type of archetypical character is a throwback to the backbone of classic noir.

If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly suggest you watch it. Its rich story and characters are reason alone. If you have seen it, I would say it deserves a second look. This is the type of film that gets better with repeat viewings. Its attention to detail gives you something new to discover and its complex plot will most likely reveal something you had missed or forgotten since your last visit.

Enjoy.