Posted by Don Malcolm on 7/24/2019, 4:30 pm, in reply to "Consolidated Master List, Neo-Noir (no foreign or hybrid genre) 2000-09"
Edited by Don Malcolm on 8/2/2019, 10:43 am
2007 was a strong year; note the precipitous decline of quality neo-noir in 2009.
IMDB Year Title
8.5 2000 Memento x
7.6 2000 Traffic (I was disappointed in this)
7.6 2000 American Psycho x
7.3 2000 Thirteen Days (10/10, I do not know if this is neo-noir) < - - -
7.0 2000 Boiler Room
7.0 2000 The Contender (7/10, politics, spin, smears)
8.0 2001 Mulholland Drive (re-watch)
8.0 2001 Mulholland Drive x
7.8 2001 Ocean’s Eleven (caper, mixed bag)
7.7 2001 Training Day (8/10) < - - -
7.6 2001 Blow
7.6 2001 The Man Who Wasn’t There x
7.4 2001 In the Bedroom
7.4 2001 Treed Murray
7.3 2001 Frailty
7.1 2001 Brigham City (8/10, religious themes in serial killer movie)
7.1 2001 Monster’s Ball (6/10, some plusses but has its problems)
7.9 2002 The Bourne Identity (6/10, film-length chase)
7.9 2002 The Bourne Identity x
7.7 2002 25th Hour (6/10, lack of focus, puerile)
7.7 2002 Road to Perdition (re-watch) < - - -
7.7 2002 Road to Perdition x
7.6 2002 Minority Report x
7.5 2002 Equilibrium x
7.2 2002 Narc (nothing special)
7.2 2002 Red Dragon (6/10, workmanlike blandish remake of Manhunter)
7.2 2002 Insomnia x
7.1 2002 Phone Booth (well-done “small scope” thriller, Colin Farrell always good)
8.1 2003 Kill Bill Vol. 1
8.0 2003 Mystic River x
7.7 2003 21 Grams (6/10, uneven drama)
7.6 2003 The Life of David Gale (5/10, many defects)
7.3 2003 11:14 (6/10, comedy, not especially noir)
7.3 2003 Identity (5/10, doesn’t play fair with viewer)
7.3 2003 Matchstick Men (8/10, Cage as neurotic con man)
7.3 2003 Monster (8/10, thorough character study, Theron terrific)
7.2 2003 Elephant (6/10, van Sant takes on school shooting in his idiosyncratic way...)
7.2 2003 Stander (Canada, set in SA, quite good as I recollect) < - - -
7.1 2003 Owning Mahowny (7/10, very strong film, gambling addiction) < - - -
7.1 2003 Runaway Jury (6/10, nice try but no blue ribbon)
7.0 2003 The Cooler
8.1 2004 Million Dollar Baby (9/10, amazing combination of dark tones as seeds of upbeat tones)
8.0 2004 Kill Bill Vol. 2 (8/10, honest to its style)
7.8 2004 The Bourne Supremacy x
7.7 2004 The Bourne Supremacy (5/10, too fast, too shaky)
7.7 2004 The Machinist (Bale too difficult for me to watch)
7.7 2004 Man on Fire x
7.5 2004 Collateral x
7.4 2004 District B13
7.2 2004 Mean Creek (7/10, teen revenge plan illuminates human nature)
7.0 2004 The Assassination of Richard Nixon (8/10, impressive)
7.0 2004 Wicker Park
8.0 2005 Sin City (7/10, visual excellence overpowers emotional, fantasy)
7.6 2005 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
7.6 2005 Lord of War (7/10, slow and somber, veteran, cf. Taxi Driver)
7.6 2005 Match Point
7.6 2005 Munich (6/10, not really neo-noir. What could have been a sharp account and riveting account turns into a flabby story, that only sporadically rises in quality.)
7.5 2005 A History of Violence x
7.4 2005 Brick
7.4 2005 Capote
7.4 2005 The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (8/10, good parts even if it does not gel) < - - -
7.1 2005 Hard Candy
8.5 2006 The Prestige (7/10, Victorian, overdone, bombastic drama/sci-fi, complex, dark)
8.5 2006 The Departed x
7.8 2006 Lucky Number Slevin x
7.7 2006 The Last King of Scotland (7/10, towering Forest Whitaker)
7.6 2006 Payback Straight Up (Point Blank, I liked it)
7.6 2006 Inside Man
7.4 2006 Running Scared (action-packed excess, well-liked by some critics) watch < - - -
7.2 2006 Out of the Blue (NZ movie, massacre)
7.2 2006 Street Thief (watch, way under-reviewed, supposedly films real thief, verite) < - - -
7.1 2006 A Scanner Darkly (animated)
7.1 2006 Find Me Guilty (6/10, Lumet goes after justice incompetence, but stops short)
7.1 2006 Déjà vu
7.0 2006 A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
7.0 2006 Crank
7.0 2006 Inland Empire
8.2 2007 There Will Be Blood x
8.1 2007 No Country for Old Men x
8.0 2007 The Bourne Ultimatum (6/10, meatiest of the 3 but many problems, loses realism)
8.0 2007 The Bourne Ultimatum x
7.8 2007 American Gangster x
7.7 2007 Gone Baby Gone
7.7 2007 Gone Baby Gone x
7.7 2007 Zodiac x
7.6 2007 Eastern Promises (8/10, UK, Canada, US) omit?
7.4 2007 Trade (9/10, strongly emotional noir) < - - -
7.3 2007 An American Crime
7.3 2007 Michael Clayton (7/10, modern disguised melodrama, a good film)
7.3 2007 Mr. Brooks (8/10, excellent, responsible appearance over reprehensible conduct)
7.3 2007 Shotgun Stories (well-done, Michael Shannon good as usual)
7.3 2007 Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead x
7.2 2007 In the Valley of Elah
7.2 2007 Fracture (7/10, Gosling vs Hopkins)
7.2 2007 Shooter (8/10, strong entry) < - - -
7.0 2007 Breach
7.0 2007 The Lookout (6/10, seduced into a bank hesit, slow first half)
7.0 2007 Mister Foe
8.9 2008 Lost Causes (only 7 votes)
8.1 2008 Gran Torino
7.9 2008 In Bruges (UK/USA, exc. Movie 8/10) A top 25 contender
7.9 2008 The Wrestler < - - -
7.8 2008 Taken (popular action flic, hardly neo)
7.7 2008 Changeling (6/10, period film, doesn’t catch fire, uneven)
7.4 2008 Law Abiding Citizen (7/10, justice system pilloried)
7.2 2008 Nothing But the Truth (well-written and directed 8/10)
7.2 2008 Frozen River x
7.1 2008 Body of Lies (6/10, cynical spy thriller, not a decided neo-noir)
7.1 2008 Bronson
7.1 2008 Julia (8/10, top-notch Tilda Swinton)
7.0 2008 Traitor (6/10, worthwhile, some very good points but some not so good weaknesses)
7.6 2009 Sherlock Holmes (7/10, very good flic but not really neo-noir)
7.1 2009 State of Play (8/10, excellent Hollywood version) < - - -
7.0 2009 Public Enemies (5/10, mediocre despite Depp)
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