Roscoe Pond's Top 25 Favorite 'Film Noir' Movies

There is a full list of over 100 Film Noir movies from the 1940s-1950s-1960s. I've seen 100 of them and I have ranked my top 25 below. It was tough too because there are so many good films.

Film Noir is mainly Black & White movies consisting of murder, gangsters, cops, detectives, private eyes and Femme Fatales. All dealing in darkness and more darkness. It is a genre long gone in 2025. Except for a few color films.

I am a huge fan of Film Noir like I'm a fan of Westerns. I'll be adding 25 more favorite picks down the road. - Roscoe Pond.

1. Double Indemnity (1944). Bored housewife Phyliss Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck) hires insurance salesman Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray). She seduces him into killing her husband for his life insurance money. Phyliss then pulls a gun on Walter and leads him down into Hell.

Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in the middle.

2. Touch of Evil (1958). On the U.S./Mexico border. A bomb explodes and kills two people. Ramon Miguel "Mike" Vargas (Charlton Heston) is a Mexican prosecutor who takes an interest in the investigation. U.S. Police Captain Hank Quinlan (Orson Welles) arrests Sanchez for the double murder. Vargas believes he was framed and is determined to solve the crime.

Charlton Heston Far Left and Orson Welles Far Right.

3. Laura 1944. One night in New York City. Laura Hunt (Gene Tierney) was brutally shot and killed in the face through a door. Police detective Mark MacPherson (Dana Andrews) investigates and comes upon multiple suspects. A major twist turns the investigation upside down. 

Gene Tierney Far Left and Dana Andrews Far Right.

4. Dark Passage 1947. Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) escapes prison and Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall) helps him hide in her apartment. She believes he was innocent with the murder of his wife. Vincent decides to undergo plastic surgery to change his identity. He is also determined to clear his name and find his wife’s killer.

A Publicity Still with Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.

5. White Heat 1949. Cody Jarrett (James Cagney) is the leader of the Jarrett gang. They leave behind dead bodies. Cody is “ratted on” and goes to prison. His mom whom he gives his complete devotion to is murdered. Cody escapes and goes after the person who killed her. He is “ratted on” again and is soon chased by the police.

Virginia Mayo and James Cagney.

6. In A Lonely Place 1950. Dix Steele (Humphrey Bogart) is an established Hollywood screenwriter. He is also known as a heavy alcohol drinker who likes to “beat” people up. His rage is uncontrollable. A hat check girl is soon bludgeoned to death and Dix is accused of killing her. All this happens while adapting a popular novel into a new film.

Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame.

7. The Killers 1946. Two hired gangsters travel to a small town and kill Pete Lund (Burt Lancaster). Jim Reardon (Edmond O’Brien) is an insurance investigator who visits Pete in the morgue. He named a cleaning lady in his beneficiary. Jim discovers that Pete was part of a gang who robbed a payroll company years before. His investigation leads to more dead bodies and a double cross for all that cash.

Ava Gardner and Burt Lancaster.

8. Lady in the Lake 1946. Phillip Marlowe (Robert Montgomery) is a private detective who is hired to find a missing woman named Crystal. She disappeared two months ago. As his investigation unfolds. Phillip is beaten up by the man Crystal was dating. Her dead body is then found in a lake. The murder mystery deepens even more. (The story is told through the first person. Phillip is the camera who the audience sees maybe twice throughout the movie. In reflection only though).

Robert Montgomery in the mirror reflection. Audrey Totter.

9. The Big Clock 1948. George Stroud (Ray Milland) is the editor-in-chief for “Crime Waves” magazine. He works in a building with a gigantic clock which never stops. He goes on-the-town with Pauline York. She is the mistress of George’s boss Earl Janoth (Charles Laughton). George leaves Pauline’s apartment and she is then murdered. A witness saw George leave that apartment and the search is on to find him. He is asked by his boss to find the real killer who might work in their office building.

Ray Milland.

10. The Maltese Falcon 1941. Private investigator Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) and his partner Miles Archer are hired by a female to find her sister. She came to San Francisco with Floyd Thursby. He comes up murdered and so does Archer. Sam tracks down Brigid O'Shaughnessy who asked to find her sister. Brigid was Thursby’s partner and they were searching for a rare statue called, “The Maltese Falcon.” Two other individuals search for that bird too as Sam investigates his partner’s murder.

Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet.

11. The File on Thelma Jordan 1950. Thelma Jordon (Barbara Stanwyck) lives with her rich aunt. She meets an assistant district attorney Cleve Marshall (Wendal Corey). One night, she frantically calls and tells him that her aunt was shot to death. She thinks it was a burglar who did it. Cleve arrives and they mess up the crime scene. A witness sees Cleve climb out a window making it look like a man had killed the aunt. Thelma had planned to leave town with her aunt's "loot."

Wendell Corey and Barbara Stanwyck. 

12. Strangers on a Train 1951. Guy Haines (Farley Granger) and Bruno Antony (Robert Walker) are strangers who meet on a train. An idea is brought up about swapping murders. Bruno suggests that Guy kill his dad and he will kill Guy’s wife. He forgets about it until his wife turns up murdered at a carnival. Bruno committed his act and expected Guy to commit his.

Farley Granger and Robert Walker.

13. The Asphalt Jungle 1950. Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe) gets out of prison and scrapes up $50,000. He hires several underground “experts” to steal jewelry worth millions. The heist goes as planned, but the escape falls apart. The police close in on each robber.

Sam Jaffe, Jean Hagen and Sterling Hayden.

14. Nightmare Alley 1947. A Carnival Barkie named Stanton "Stan" Carlisle (Tyrone Power) likes to fool people out of their money. He wants more and is taught a “mind” trick from a regular act he becomes a part of. Stan and his wife Molly end up in nightclubs at Chicago using this “mind” trick. They make even more money. Stan decides to steal from rich clients of a therapist he has been seeing. His greed knows no bounds.

Joan Blondell and Tyrone Power.

15. Murder, My Sweet 1944. Private investigator Phillip Marlowe (Dick Powell) has bandages removed from his burnt eyes. He tells the police what happened to him. An Ex-con named Moose hired Phillip to find his missing girlfriend Velma (Claire Trevor). Velma is also named Helen, but Moose doesn’t know this. Phillip is knocked out and a dead body is found next to him. He is also drugged and admitted into a sanitarium. Another man is killed and Helen/Velma might be involved.

Mike Mazurky and Dick Powell.

16. Sudden Fear 1952. Myra Hudson (Joan Crawford) is a rich and famous playwright. She falls in love with Lester Blaine (Jack Palance). She doesn’t know that he has a scheming girlfriend named Irene Neves (Gloria Grahame). Myra leaves Lester everything in her “will.” Him and Irene plan Myra’s murder who finds out about it. She plans her own revenge. 

Joan Crawford.

17. The Killing 1956. Johnny Clay plans to rob a horse racetrack in broad daylight. He adds up $2 million in cash and hires inside men who work at the track. The plan runs smoothly without any slip ups. Johnny returns with the money to a meeting hideout. He finds dead bodies after a brutal shootout. Can Johnny get away with all that money?

Sterling Hayden.

18. Night and the City 1950. Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) is an American con man who works at London. He is always on the take for money especially in the world of male wrestling. He cons his way in with a father/son team who want to wrestle clean. Fabian needs money for a professional match up and uses those around him for cash. His under-handed deals fall apart and a wrestler dies outside of a pro match. A contract hit goes out on Fabian.

Gene Tierney and Richard Widmark.

19. Woman in the Window 1944. Professor Richard Wanley (Edward G. Robinson) goes to a library to meet with other college scholars. He falls asleep and then wakes up before the library closes. He walks outside and sees a painting of a woman named Alice Reed. She appears behind him and he goes back to her apartment. A man enters and thinks Richard is dating Alice. There is a struggle and Richard kills him in self-defense. Alice and Richard decide to cover it up as everything gets darker.

Joan Bennett and Edward G. Robinson.

20. Kansas City Confidential 1952. Joe Rolfe (John Payne) drives a flower truck and delivers to a local bank. Four unknown men plan to rob that bank using a flower truck just like Joe’s. The men wear similar masks to hide their identity. They don’t know each other and keep the masks on after the robbery. Joe drives his regular route and is arrested for that huge theft. He is cleared and decides to search for the actual thieves. Joe catches up with one robber and takes on his identity. He travels to Mexico for a big showdown.

John Payne in the center.

21. The Big Sleep 1946. Private investigator Phillip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is asked to clear up some debts of Carmen Sternwood. She owes a bookseller named Arthur Geiger. Phillip follows Arthur to his home and finds him dead. Carmen is drugged and a camera misses its’ film. Arthur’s body then disappears. Vivian (Lauren Bacall) is Carmen’s older sister. She gives Phillip scandalous pictures of Carmen and a blackmail for photo negatives. Another dead body appears.

Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.

22. Detour 1945. Al Roberts (Tom Neal) sits in a diner and wonders what he had done. He was hitch hiking to California and was picked up by a male bookie named Charles Haskell Jr. They take turns driving and Charles goes unconscious. He falls out of the car and hits his head on a rock. Charles is dead. Al gets frantic and takes on the identity of Charles. He picks up Vera who also is hitch hiking. She questions Al’s identity and black mails him. 

Tom Neal.

23. Sorry, Wrong Number 1948. Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck) is the daughter of a rich father. She's spoiled and is married to Henry Stevenson (Burt Lancaster). She is bedridden because of an illness and is always on the phone. While Henry is away on business and the maid has the night off. Leona overhears a planned murder of a woman in New York. She is shocked and no one believes her including the police. Finally, she figures out that the doomed woman is her and it might be too late to get help.

Burt Lancaster and Barbara Stanwyck.

24. Out of the Past 1947. Jeff Markum (Robert Mitchum) is hired by Whit Sterling to track down his girlfriend Kathy Moffet (Jane Greer). She shot Whit and stole $40,000 from him. Jeff finds her and they fall in love. A man named Fisher follows Kathy and threatens to blackmail her. She kills Fisher with a gun and without telling Jeff. She returns to Whit as another scheme is hatched by her

Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer.

25. Ride the Pink Horse 1947. Luke Gagin (Robert Montgomery) travels to San Pablo, New Mexico to seek out a gangster named Frank Hugo. Gagin plans to blackmail him and receive money. It is a revenge tactic because Hugo killed his war time buddy. Things get complicated by the local village and an FBI agent. 

Robert Montgomery and Wanda Hendrix.