Dashiell Hammet’s novels and Philip Marlowe in Raymond Chandler’s novels and not as brave or tough as traditional film and literary detectives. Mike Hammer starring Stacy Keach
was a popular detective TV show in the 1980s based on Mickey Spillane’s classic private eye character. He also has noir detective characteristics in that he is tough, honest, a lady’s man,
and dedicated to solving murders. In comparing The Fugitive and Dragnet, The Fugitive has a noir characteristic of
being on the outside fighting against the law government just like many noir films did in conveying a struggle against big business censorship, and the government. In contrast,
Dragnet has more of the realism factor found in early noir films as many of the TV episodes are based on actual cases. Dragnet also uses narration and emphasizes the fact that crime
does not pay as the criminals go to court and jail. This resembles the message the censorship board wanted to convey in WWII era films.
4.2 Neo-Noir Anti-Establishment Depictions
The Reagan and Bush presidencies can also be compared to the post-World War II era and promises for the future through Reagan’s trickle-down economics program stating that if
big businesses make a sound profit then everyone down the line will reap in the benefits as well. This is similar with the post-WWII government’s claims for a brave new world full of
prosperity for everyone at the defeat of Germany and Japan. Reagan was very supportive of corporations and anti-union as he forced big union strikes to end if they were detrimental to
the national economy. Various neo-noir films were made to reflect corruption in Reagan’s program and Bush’s anti-drugs government program. This anti-government sentiment is
found in films of that era like Internal Affairs 1990, about a corrupt cop involved in criminal activities; Bad Lieutenant 1992, about a corrupt New York city police detective; Q and A
1990, about a corrupt police detective; Unlawful Entry 1992, about a mentally disturbed
cop who invades a couple’s private lives; among various other films conveying an anti- government or anti-establishment mentality. Even TV shows like Twin Peaks, Dallas,
Dynasty, and Knots Landing reflect corruption and scandal among the upper class and depicts what really occurs in the public and private lives of the wealthy. Therefore, although these
films and TV shows do not have the same filming techniques as traditional noir movies, they still maintain the same social critiques that were prevalent in the 1940s.
The outsider and anti-establishment or anti-government theme is also found in the 1990s, especially through the TV series The X-Files. This series has two protagonists, Scully
and Mulder, who are paranoid about government conspiracies and cover-ups in search of uncovering the truth about various cases.
4.3 Modern Societal Issues Expressed through Noir
In terms of modern expressions of noir traits, they are most readily recognizable through noir themes in modern literary and film productions as retro-noir. For instance, if an
African American or other minority group member wishes to express hisher particular instances of repression, prejudice, or discrimination growing up in white America, that
person can do so through retro-noir. Also, in terms of storyline, the traditional crime and detective stories of the 1940s-1950s have been substituted with thriller and serial killer type
stories that integrate noir characteristics into the plot. This can be depicted through social crises that may mirror or be a variation of social crises in the mid-20
th
century. For example, sicknesses today like AIDS are different from sicknesses in the past like polio. Both of
these sicknesses can be expressed through a noir perspective that is dark, critical, and depressing, as a social critique. Even a sharp downturn from a wealthy lifestyle to a poor
lifestyle can be depicted through noirism as in the economic recession of the early 21
st
century and how many Americans lost their jobs, homes, comfortable lifestyles, and positive
outlooks on life. When people get stuck in a rut or fall into a black hole with no way to escape, without great sacrifice, it is reminiscent of the noir themes of the 1940s. Whenever
society is faced with feelings of repression, betrayal, helplessness, a loss of self-worth, paranoia, poverty, deception, or other negative aspects that break their will to persevere, it
allows for these feelings to be expressed through a noir literary or cinematic work. These problems can also be compounded when gender, class, or racial issues are intermixed with
them. Besides considering serious issues to make a social criticism about current conditions in society, neo-noir or retro-noir productions can also be made just for entertainment
purposes for those who are reminiscent about the past and desire to reinvigorate the lost or forgotten writing and filming style.
Neo-noir can be considered as representing philosophical aspects or themes that are present in modern popular culture. Some modern films with a neo-noir theme include Angel
Heart 1987 as Harry Angel played by Mickey Rourke unbeknownst to him is told to find himself by going on a quest; L.A. Confidential 1997 as a police officer named Bud White
played by Russell Crowe shoots an unarmed man who is accused of rape; and The Usual Suspects 1995 as FBI Agent Dave Kujan played by Chazz Palminteri finds that Verbal
Kint played by Kevin Spacey could or could not be the figure Keyser Soze, as he tells a story about an assassination that is made to be a drug heist but by the end of his story, it is not
clear if what he relayed is true or a lie. Various other films that have a neo-noir theme include Bonnie and Clyde 1967, Taxi Driver 1976, Reservoir Dogs 1992, and Sin City 2005.
After the noir era ended by the late 1950s, the mood could still be found as the style was reinvented into a neo-noir style. In neo-noir stories, there are still detectives, femme
fetales, and twisting thriller plots, but they are more developed than in the classic noir works. In classic noir plots, the detective is on a quest to solve a crime, but in neo-noir plots the
detective is more on a self-discovery like in Angel Heart or Blade Runner. Foster Hirsh says, “While there have been many local changes, noirs basic narrative molds have remained
notably stable. Neo-noir is as likely to take place in vast open spaces as in the pestilential city of tradition.”
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This is related to the fact that during WWII everything was city-centered, but after the war as capitalism got a strong foothold, everything started to spread out, which also
affected the locations of neo-noir stories. In line with changes to the locales, there were also changes in the lifestyles depicted in neo-noir works. This is apparent in considering that the
traditional nuclear family was no longer prominent, and people became more mobile. This resulted in people not having good social ties with their communities or neighborhoods
anymore, which is often seen in these neo-noir works.
4.4 Neo-Noir Femme Fetales
