Characteristics of Film Noir

In film noir, the main characters are often anti-heroes.  They are almost always morally ambiguous and conflicted.  They are usually drawn from the underside of life. 

People often think of film noir in connection with cops, detectives, spies, and mobsters but there are many other characters: writers, preachers, insurance salesmen..

Noir story lines are generally elliptical and twisting. Sometimes they are barely comprehensible. First person narration and flashbacks are common.  Unambiguous happy endings are rare.

The atmosphere is almost always oppressive and the focus is on fatalism, menace, pessimism, and anxiety.  There is a general feeling that anything can go wrong and probably will. Horror lies just beneath the surface of everyday life.

The protagonists are always men but women almost always play critical roles.  Women are either dutiful, reliable and trustworthy, or, far more often Femme Fatale: mysterious, double-crossing, unloving, unreliable, and predatory.