Sub-genres and Story Lines

Unlike many other film genres it is hard to define any specific sub genres within noir as it is already such a specific and defined genre itself. Although many experts claim that noir is not a genre but is a sub genre itself of crime and gangster film and some claim that its not a genre but the tone, style and mood of a film. There is however two main types of noir and they are:

Traditional Noir

This is what most people will think of when they think noir and was around in the early 1940s until the late 1950s. Typically they are black and white although this has been a point of debate. Traditional noir is very stylish with interesting camera angles and creative use of shadows and lighting to show the themes of mystery. The typical noir story will include a detective, a crime and a femme fatal although this is not always the case. Some noir films are more crime based while others more are more romance based but here are exceptions to these two types of noir stories. These include films such as The Third Man and The Maltese Falcon.



Neo-Noir
Neo noir is a film which usually has many of the themes and ideas of a noir film but often in a more contemporary or sometimes futuristic setting. Many people would class any noir film after the late 1950s as a neo noir. These are usually broader having very different story lines from one another just sharing the key elements of noir such as the mystery the noire genre is known for. These include films like Brick and The Usual Suspects.