Femme Fatales in Noir

The murder of gangster Nick Prenta touches off an investigation of mysterious socialite Lorna Hansen Forbes, who seems to have no past, and has now disappeared. In flashback, we see the woman's anonymous roots; her poor working-class marriage, which ends in tragedy and her determination to find "better things." Soon finding that sex appeal is her only salable commodity, she climbs from man to man toward the center of a nationwide crime syndicate...a very perilous position.

A middle-aged cashier who has been trying to make it as an artist for most of his life, yearns for recognition and love. On a fateful encounter, he rescues a beautiful young woman from her violent boyfriend. Mistaken for a wealthy artist, he is quickly ensnared in a deceitful scheme orchestrated by the woman and her partner, where they exploit his wish of being accepted and his benevolence for their own gain.

Unhappily married Scott Henderson spends the evening on a no-name basis with a hat-wearing woman he picked up in a bar. Returning home, he finds his wife strangled and becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Every effort to establish his alibi fails; oddly no one seems to remember seeing the phantom lady (or her hat). In prison, Scott gives up hope but his faithful secretary, "Kansas," doggedly follows evanescent clues through shadowy nocturnal streets. Can she save Scott in time?

After being away for a few years, working class Steve Thompson returns to his hometown of Los Angeles to move back into the family home with his parents and younger brother. Steve quickly falls into old, familiar routines: getting his old job as a driver at the Horten's Armored Car Service where his Pop works, hanging out at his old watering hole the Round Up bar and restaurant despite many of the faces there having changed, and reuniting with two people, his friend, Police Lt. Pete Ramirez, and his ex-wife, Anna. Ma Thompson knows that despite the two having only lasted as husband and wife for seven months, Steve cannot stay away from Anna, and both Ma and Pete know that Anna is bad news for Steve. And although Steve believes he and Anna have made an emotional connection with each other all over again, he learns that she has ended up marrying a gangster, Slim Dundee, a regular at the Round Up. With the emerging circumstance, Steve devises a spur of the moment plan appealing to Slim's crooked side not only to get Anna back but to obtain enough money for he and Anna to escape together. But what some state may not be their true motivation, which affects what happens between Steve, Anna and Slim.

In flashback, New York nightclub pianist Al Roberts hitchhikes to Hollywood to join his girl Sue. On a rainy night, the sleazy gambler he's riding with mysteriously dies; afraid of the police, Roberts takes the man's identity. But thanks to a blackmailing dame, Roberts' every move plunges him deeper into trouble.

When Johnny comes home from the navy he finds his wife Helen kissing her substitute boyfriend Eddie, the owner of the Blue Dahlia nightclub. Helen admits her drunkenness caused their son's death. He pulls a gun on her but decides she's not worth it. Later, Helen is found dead and Johnny is the prime suspect.

Dave Bannion, a determined homicide detective, investigates the suspicious suicide of fellow cop Tom Duncan. Duncan's mistress contradicts the official story, leading Bannion to uncover a deeper conspiracy tied to crime boss Mike Lagana. He clashes with Lagana's brutal and unwavering enforcers and forms an uneasy alliance with an unlikely ally to confront the corruption plaguing the city before anyone else gets hurt.

A frightened woman is running barefoot on a highway, trying desperately to flag a car. After several cars pass her by, the woman sees another car approaching, and to make sure either the car stops, or she's killed, she stands in the path of the oncoming car. Private Investigator Mike Hammer is at the wheel, and after almost hitting the woman, he tells her to get in. The woman's name is Christina Bailey. She is obviously on the run, being barefoot and wearing nothing but a trench coat, and the scent of fear. Whoever was after her eventually catches up with them. Christina has information they want, but dies while being questioned. The killers fake an accident by pushing Hammer's car off the road, but he survives, waking up in hospital three days later. As Mike starts to investigate Christina's death, he's told by the police to stay out of it, but the hard-nosed private investigator proceeds anyway. Little did he know that Christina's secret would lead to death and destruction.

After a former boxer turned gas station attendant is fatally shot by hitmen, an insurance investigator unravels the complex events leading to his death, uncovering a tale of betrayal and crime. This noir classic, based on Hemingway's short story, is renowned for its sharp dialogue and suspenseful plot. It's a riveting exploration of fate and corruption, perfect for aficionados of mystery and classic film noir.

An Irish sailor becomes entangled in a dangerous web of love, deceit, and murder after he meets a beautiful but troubled woman. His journey into her world leads him through a maze of lies and a sensational trial. Known for its groundbreaking cinematography and iconic mirror maze scene, this film noir is a mesmerizing tale of betrayal and manipulation. A must-watch for fans of the genre and those who appreciate intricate, visually stunning storytelling.

When Mildred Pierce's out-of-work husband leaves her for another woman, Mildred decides to raise her two daughters on her own. Despite Mildred's financial successes in the restaurant business, her oldest daughter, Veda, resents her mother for degrading their social status. In the midst of a police investigation after the death of her second husband, Mildred must evaluate her own freedom and her complicated relationship with her daughter.

In Buenos Aires, a shrewd gambler saved from a robbery by enigmatic casino owner Ballin Mundson soon becomes his trusted lieutenant. The plot thickens when Mundson returns from a mysterious trip with a stunning new wife, Gilda, who shares a dark past with the gambler. With the casino’s dark secrets threatening to surface and a violent confrontation looming, the stakes get higher than anyone could anticipate.

In 1995, Kelli Peterson started a gay and straight club at her Salt Lake City high school. The story of her ensuing battle with school authorities in interspersed with looks back at the diary of Michael Wigglesworth, a 17th-century Puritan cleric, at the 30-year love affair of Sarah Orne Jewett and Annie Adams Fields, at Henry Gerber's attempt after World War I to establish a gay-rights organization, at Bayard Rustin's role in the civil rights movement, and at Barbara Gittings' taking on of the American Psychiatric Association's position that homosexuality is illness. One person comments, "To create a place for ourselves in the present, we have to find ourselves in the past."

Walter, an insurance salesman, and Phyllis, a married woman, are complicit in killing her husband to collect on the man's insurance policy. For the supposedly "perfect crime" suspicions about the duo soon follow. A definitive film noir that you won't forget, gripping from start to finish and with a raw look at fear, loneliness and human violence.

Drifter Frank Chambers arrives at a quiet California roadside restaurant where he meets and falls for drop-dead gorgeous Cora, the wife of restaurant owner Nick Smith. After weaseling his way into a job, the two begin a deadly love affair and cook up plans to end her marriage and start a new life together. After a few botched attempts at a clean break, they are forced to put their honeymoon on hold after being rerouted into the arms of a D.A. hot to convict and a corrupt lawyer with designs on Cora. Frank and Cora thought they packed just enough luck to avoid what should be unavoidable but the duo failed to account for the possible intervention of a formidable force that doesn't need a badge.