Re: Third cut for Top 25 neo-noir, etc. (Frozen River)
By that reasoning, why would it not be disqualified altogether? Not that I am recommending that, mind you. If anything, a neo-noir that pushes crime into a "normal" family setting is doing something sufficiently innovative in that the "grey area" in the story, analogous to the melo-noirs of the late 40s, sustains a viable humanistic overlay for the violence (physical or emotional) that is dominating the lives of the characters within the story being told. Leo's character pushes for "just one more job" and coerces her reluctant partner into it--that's a suitable echo of the hair-brained scheme trope that seems to be out of favor per the constricted tonal imperatives that have apparently emerged in neo-noir. Therefore, I think it's premature to remove it from the Top 25 list for the reasons stated.
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