It's not even my favorite film noir from 1950 with a lead character named Dix.
But it was watchable, and that was certainly Bogart. And he really does say, "I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."
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Ado Annie!
Great Nick Ray film. Not for everybody. Fans only.
Body Heat.
I have no favorite films; I love so many I refuse to rank them. However, there few noirs I admire more than the rest. Doble Indemnity is among them, along with The Big Sleep and John Huston's re-make of The Maltese Falcon. But to a young person just discovering the genre, I recommend the astonishing Out of the Past.
Hmm…
I remember seeing it, but don’t remember much about it. So I guess I wasn’t that impressed.
My voted for best noir would be Double Indemnity.
"It's not even my favorite film noir from 1950 with a lead character named Dix."
Lol...good one, Althouse. No Way that In A Lonely Place is #1 Film Noir, neither is that other one that you referenced, although it is better than In A Lonely Place. #1 for me is Maltese Falcon, and The Third Man is also #1 for me. I love them both so much. Two other film noirs that are unsung but worth watching are Border Incident (1949), a damn good movie loaded with fine character actors, and Hit And Run (1957) which is a low budget puzzler written, produced, directed, and starring Czech emigree Hugo Haas.
A lot of Anthony Mann films are on the list. I don't think I've ever been disappointed in one of his movies, but they are hard to find. He's criminally undervalued. Thank you for sharing this. It is pretty strange to see "The Big Lebowski" counted as film noir.
I was happy to see Out of the Past included, but surprised it was ranked #2, although it is pretty good--Mitchum has so many good lines.
It would have been better to exclude the more recent neo-noirs, but the French Le Samouraï is among the best, overlaying American noir with 60s French cool.
Saw the film a few years ago and thought - hey, I've heard that line before. Smithereens song "In a Lonely Place". Underrated band.
Double Indemnity is the top noir not just because it's great, but because it has the line that summarizes the essential noir story arc:
"I killed him for money and for a woman. I didn't get the money... and I didn't get the woman."
Many include Hitchcock's Vertigo near the top of the list of greatest films, period. Here 61st. But the list interesting for all the films I wasn't aware of.
My vote goes to "The Big Sleep". "Double Indemnity"would probably be my second choice when I choose from movies made prior to 1960.
Of the modern noirs, there are several modern classics (made after 1970). "Chinatown", "Blood Simple", "Body Heat", "After Dark, My Sweet".
"In a Lonely Place" is a fine movie, but it wouldn't make any top ten list of any kind for me. In fact, I have only seen it the one time, and probably never would think about it again but for this blog post.
Another vote for Double Indemnity.
I'm a Bogart fan and never heard of this film. I'll watch it if it crosses my path.
For some reason, Bogart wearing a bow tie irritates me. I think he wore one in Sabrina.
I think I remember reading that Bogart considered this one of his best performances.
I just watched In A Lonely Place - never saw it or heard of it before. I liked it. ***spoilers ahead*** What probably (in my opinion) moves this up in the rankings is Bogart’s performance. Dix is an awful person with no redeeming qualities except his talent as a script writer. Yet he’s got friends, he’s greeted warmly, he has long term friendships - it took me a while to realize what a terrible guy he was. When he tells his agent he’ll buy him a new tie in the most off handed manner, it’s just devastating. Really well done. It’s a very subtle portrayal of a violent narcissist- reminded me of Phil Spector. (All the other films mentioned in these comments are also really good)
Is Strangers on a Train considered noir or are Hitchcock films a category of their own?
Bogart's performance in the movie is scary good but the character is ugly. The title reference is to the numerous gospel mentions of Jesus going off "to a lonely place" to pray. It adds another dimension of paranoia, megalomania, and martyrdom to the strange brew of this script. The film's emotionalism, a Nick Ray hallmark, does make it notable, though, IMO. Incidentally, it is one of the less literally noirish of the pictures since so many scenes occur in that broad, flat, southern California daylight.
This list passed my test when I found "On Dangerous Ground" in there, and as high as 16, no less. Nick Ray again, so it couldn't have been left out, I suppose. Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan are both very good in this one. An unusual setting, too. I don't know about all the foreign entries, most of which I haven't seen, and I think "The Postman Always Rings Twice" should be a lot higher than 93rd. But of the American movies, this list seems a thorough and intelligent job. The older ones are almost all distinctive and worth seeing.
The corny lines as Althouse cited -- they are another noir hallmark, yes? And sentimentality and melodrama mix too readily, often; but all those aspects are part of the freedom of the B movie, made with far less attention from studio bigwigs. Additionally, the original material was often a book with some purplish passages. I sure love all the black-and-whites. These movies are a great way to appreciate the cinematography of the b&w era.
Saw this in my college days. It is a wonderful movie and should have a wider audience. Nicholas Ray is a great director.
@Eva Maria
I'm so glad to have prompted you to watch it right away. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Spoilers. It's an interesting variation from the usual story about a wrongfully accused man, because he really is a violent, dangerous man. At first, you think, well, maybe it's his creativity, part of thinking up good stories. That's why the agent and the woman don't reject him. And in the end, you might still sympathize with him, because he wouldn't have gone so far and crossed over into near murder (twice!) if the looming accusation hadn't put him under so much stress.
I think I'd enjoy it more on second view, because I wouldn't be distracted by practical thoughts about what the woman *should* do. She was ignoring all those red flags.
Based on our hostess’s recommendation, the clip, and Bogie, this movie is going on my must-watch list.
Touch of Evil is pretty damn noir too. With an amazing long take opening shot as a bonus.
I've heard much about IN A LONELY PLACE over the decades, but I've never had access to see it. It is rarely aired on television, and I haven't seen it shown at any revival movie theaters, (once prevalent, now rare). I'm sure it has been available to me through those means, but at times when I was unaware of it or unable to avail myself of its availability. I still want to see it, so I will now hunt it down until I find it. Thanks for the reminder that it exists.
Readering writes, "Many include Hitchcock's Vertigo near the top of the list of greatest films..."
I'm rather surprised to see Vertigo on this list, mainly because Hitchcock films are often treated as members of their own genre. One could fit Vertigo into the noirs category using its betrayal theme, but we must always be wary of stretching definitions too far. Folks are free to include Vertigo among the noirs, but it's a square peg in a round hole. One can insert a square peg in a round hole, but it takes a little whittling, and one can stretch the film noir concept to include anything that's not fundamentally comedic.
Speaking of comedy, allow me to recommend Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, an inventive noir parody that pairs Steve Martin with many of the Hollywood greats using fresh dialogue composed to fit hilariously into film noir original dialogue and some very clever editing, though sometimes the comedy is completely wordless. Burt Lancaster's reaction to Martin's coffee preparation is classic.
And on the subject of authentic film noir that eschews the usual elements of crime and corruption paired against an overmatched lone crusader with a trench coat for armor, allow me to recommend Night and the City, a gripping study of abject hopelessness.
Robert Cook writes, "I've heard much about IN A LONELY PLACE over the decades, but I've never had access to see it."
The rights to In a Lonely Place are currently owned by the Criterion Collection. All the Criterion titles are occasionally leased to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, but it may be a very long wait for a particular title to show up.
I just checked, and it's available through Amazon Prime for four bucks. I'd rented it now while its still there. None of the streamers publish their lease expiration dates.
Amexpat writes, "For some reason, Bogart wearing a bow tie irritates me. I think he wore one in Sabrina."
To avoid irritation avoid The Harder They Fall. Just kidding. This was Bogart's last film. His cancer was so advanced that in some scenes Bogart's lines are overdubbed by a voice actor doing a Bogart impersonation because Bogart himself was in too much pain to speak his lines.
The Harder They Fall is an authentic noir with a theme derived from a well-known sports scandal of the period, 1956. It's a fine companion piece to Night and the City, as it reminds us that suffering is more about bleeding souls than bleeding bodies.
Amexpat writes, "For some reason, Bogart wearing a bow tie irritates me. I think he wore one in Sabrina."
To avoid irritation avoid The Harder They Fall. Just kidding. This was Bogart's last film. His cancer was so advanced that in some scenes Bogart's lines are overdubbed by a voice actor doing a Bogart impersonation because Bogart himself was in too much pain to speak his lines.
The Harder They Fall is an authentic noir with a theme derived from a well-known sports scandal of the period, 1956. It's a fine companion piece to Night and the City, as it reminds us that suffering is more about bleeding souls than bleeding bodies.
Amexpat writes, "For some reason, Bogart wearing a bow tie irritates me. I think he wore one in Sabrina."
To avoid irritation avoid The Harder They Fall. Just kidding. This was Bogart's last film. His cancer was so advanced that in some scenes Bogart's lines are overdubbed by a voice actor doing a Bogart impersonation because Bogart himself was in too much pain to speak his lines.
The Harder They Fall is an authentic noir with a theme derived from a well-known sports scandal of the period, 1956. It's a fine companion piece to Night and the City, as it reminds us that suffering is more about bleeding souls than bleeding bodies.
From the same author, Dorthy B. Hughes, The So Blue Marble, a mid-century mystery thriller. Don't miss it. Hughes was a genius at creating menacing atmospheres and sociopathic characters.
Hughes went on to write In a Lonely Place, Ride the Pink Horse, The Fallen Sparrow, and others.
It's an interesting variation from the usual story about a wrongfully accused man
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using that hook to connect Trump into the meme should make demand for this noir go viral!
will be opposite of Trans-Bud-Light-Years/weeks/days/seconds
Another vote for DOUBLE INDEMNITY. One reviewer said Fred MacMurray was the embodiment of the banality of evil. Perfect description of his Walter Neff.
Where is Dick Powell's "Murder, My Sweet" 1944?
I can't resist putting in a plug for Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley, normally airing at midnight Saturday night and then 10:00 Sunday morning. The host, Eddie Mueller, is a great story teller and his picks range from classics to recently unearthed or foreign movies. We saw "In a Lonely Place" there. Alas, all April they're doing Salute to Warner Brothers 100th Anniversary and Noir Alley won't be back till that's over.
"The Postman Always Rings Twice" I thought was a good one.
Started it on the Criterion Channel last night. Fell asleep. Not the movie's fault as it was probably too late in the evening to embark on that journey.
Yes, thanks to "Eva Marie" for some excellent analysis. I've seen
"lonely place" twice in the last 10 years. I've enjoyed it both times, and thought Bogart did a fine job. But I can't remember anything about the movie other than that. So, its not the Number 1 Film Noir in my book. Its not even in my "Top 10 Bogart movies"
Looking at the Top 100 film noir list, they really stretched the meaning of the label "Film Noir". I mean "vertigo" is NOT film noir. And neither is "LA confidential". I know, they had to expand the meaning to get 100 films that people knew. They probably should have done a Top 50 list, but that would've gotten them fewer clicks and less $$
Any list that doesn't include DOA in the top film noir 100, should be rushed to cemetary and buried without a service.
Whatever Eddie Muller says is good for me. Like 'em all.
In a Lonely Place
Criss Cross
Sunset Blvd.
The Asphalt Jungle
Double Indemnity
The Maltese Falcon
Nightmare Alley
Night and the City
It may not be the best, but it's pretty darn good. One of the reasons i watch the "noir" genre is that most of them are filmed in Los Angeles in the late '40's, early 50's and feature places that aren't around anymore (like Angels flight). Also, places that are the same, 70+ years later. Totally cool
Vicki from Pasadena
Double Indemnity. Barbara Stanwyck, Fred McMurray, Edward G. Robinson.
Purists will argue that film noir was born in 1941 with the release of John Huston’s The Maltese Falcon
I wouldn't consider Maltese Falcon to even be film noir. It's a hardboiled detective movie.
They also list Taxi Driver as a noir movie. TAXI DRIVER! Seriously...Are you talking to me?
I've been seeing these pictures of Bogart at that time. He looks really old.
What a great list. Thanks for posting that.
For my money it doesn't get any better than Double Indemnity. I watch it 10-12 times a year. It has the best lines, and characters. The interaction between Walter and Phyllis and Walter and Lola, as well as the father-son dynamic between Walter and Keys is just top notch.
Curious why Memento wasn't on the list. I always considered it Noir.
Dick Powell is mentioned in passing twice (first with a sly reference to his Richard Diamond character, and then second to the film "Murder, My Sweet") but sadly that film isn't in the list. It should be, though.
A great film the has elements of noir but takes place in a decidedly Western-like construct is "Bad Day at Black Rock". The menacing aura that surrounds the characters from the moment Spencer Tracy steps off the train is incredible. If anyone here finds themselves in the Eastern Sierra town of Lone Pine, you can drive out to the location where the "town" was constructed for the film. The spot is marked on Google Maps.
Re MURDER, MY SWEET I though Dick Powell made a better Philip Marlowe than Bogey. I like the way words came out of Powell's mouth. Maybe because he had been a singer.
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