The Enforcer (1976)
Synopsis: After another act of excessive force, infamous San Francisco police officer “Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood, Play Misty for Me) is reassigned to a conventional desk job. But when […]
Tag Archives: Neo-Noir
Downbeat crime films made after 1959
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
Synopsis: A thief nicknamed “Thunderbolt” (Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven) befriends a young conman who goes by the name of “Lightfoot” (Jeff Bridges, Starman), and with the help of a couple of […]
Magnum Force (1973)
Synopsis: In San Francisco, California, someone is playing jury and executioner, murdering criminals who have evaded the law. It’s up to “Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven) to find the […]
Against All Odds (1984)
Synopsis: An unemployed football player (Jeff Bridges, Winter Kills) is hired to find the girlfriend (Rachel Ward, Fortress) of a shady night club owner (James Woods, Best Seller). Things get […]
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Synopsis: An ex-con (Jack O’Halloran, Superman) hires gumshoe Phillip Marlowe (Robert Mitchum, Out of the Past) to find his girlfriend. Marlowe also agrees to assist another client with a ransom […]
The Naked Face (1984)
Synopsis: Roger Moore (For Your Eyes Only) plays a Chicago psychiatrist, Dr. Judd Stevens, who suddenly becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Reaction & Thoughts: Based upon Sidney Sheldon’s […]
52 Pick-Up (1986)
Synopsis: After a clandestine love affair with a sex worker, a well-respected and wealthy businessman, played by Roy Scheider (The French Connection and Jaws), finds himself in hot waters with […]
Coogan’s Bluff (1968)
Synopsis: Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino) is Coogan, an Arizona Sheriff who comes to New York City to pick up a prisoner (Don Stroud, The Buddy Holly Story). The simple task […]
Cohen and Tate (1988)
Synopsis: Two hit-men (Roy Scheider, Jaws, and Adam Baldwin, My Bodyguard) brutally kill a couple, kidnap their kid and take the child on a long, long road trip to meet […]
New World (2013, aka Sinsegye)
Synopsis: When the head of a powerful crime organization dies in a car accident, cops see a unique opportunity to influence the internal politics of the corrupt conglomerate. Police department […]
Eyewitness (1981)
Synopsis: A night janitor, played by William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman), discovers a body during his shift. He didn’t see anything, he didn’t hear anything, he doesn’t know […]
The Nickel Ride (1974)
Synopsis: In Los Angeles, California, Cooper (Jason Miller, The Exorcist), a small-time crook, works as the “Key Man” for the mob; the person who literally holds the keys of warehouses […]
The Stone Killer (1973)
Synopsis: A California cop known for his harsh methods, Lou Torrey (Charles Bronson, The Evil That Men Do), gets transferred to New York after he kills a suspect. Torrey is quickly assigned to […]
The Evil That Men Do (1984)
Synopsis: Charles Bronson (The Stone Killer) plays an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement in order to avenge the murder of an old friend. His mission takes him to South America, […]
Chinatown (1974)
Synopsis: In the 1930s, Los Angeles, California, P.I. Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson, The Shining) is hired to tail a government official who is suspected of having an illicit love affair. […]
Windows (1980)
Synopsis: A recently divorced woman with a stuttering problem, Emily Hollander (Talia Shire, Rocky), is assaulted by a stranger in her own home. Although she is comforted by her close friend, Andrea […]
Tap (1989)
Synopsis: Cat burglar and ex-dancer, Max Washington (Gregory Hines, White Nights), has just been released from jail. As he asses his options, Max must decide between returning to his old […]
Best Seller (1987)
Synopsis: A mysterious hitman, Cleve (James Woods, Salvador), wants cop-turned-writer, Dennis Meechum (Brian Dennehy, First Blood), to write a book about his experiences as a henchman to corrupt politician, David […]
Dirty Harry (1971)
Synopsis: “Dirty Harry” Callahan (Clint Eastwood, Unforgiven) is a San Francisco cop assigned to capture a vicious serial killer (Andrew Robinson, Charley Varrick) nicknamed “The Scorpio Killer.” When conventional methods […]
Eye for an Eye (1996)
Synopsis: When her daughter’s murderer is set free thanks to a technicality, a grieving mother (Sally Field, Norma Rae) decides to do something to correct this miscarriage of justice. Frustrated […]
Thief of Hearts (1984)
Synopsis: A professional burglar (Steven Bauer, Primal Fear) who robs upper class houses accidentally steals a married woman’s (Barbara Williams, Watchers) secret diary. After reading the diary, the thief becomes […]
The Late Show (1977)
Synopsis: Aging L.A. gumshoe, Ira Wells’s (Art Carney, Harry and Tonto) glory days are long gone. Once an ace private detective, he is barely making ends meet nowadays. When Ira’s […]
American Gigolo (1980)
Synopsis: Julian Kaye (Richard Gere, Days of Heaven) is a young man who makes a living as a “companion” to wealthy older women. Julian makes a point of never getting […]
