Who doesn’t love a great noir film? Many classics of the genre are also often listed among the best movies ever made, and most truly are deserving of the title. Neo-noir is both a fresh take on the classic genre and takes the best of its elements, having numerous representations over the years. The best examples of great neo-noir came out during the 1970s and 1980s, like Absence of Malice, Taxi Driver, and Chinatown.
Though neo-noir is extremely popular and encapsulating, its fans may not have noticed as many genre features in the past four years. Several that fall under it, like The Batman and Decision to Leave, were extremely popular, but for anyone wanting to explore the 2020s neo-noir further, there’s much more than just those two movies. Neo-noir still lives in some brilliant feature films that flew under the radar during the 2020s (so far). These are the best and most underrated neo-noir movies of the 2020s, ranked by their adherence to noir sensibilities and their overall quality.
10 ‘Eileen’ (2023)
Directed by William Oldroyd
Anne Hathaway seems to be having more and more fun in her career by choosing to star in movies that help her explore her range and simply enjoy herself. In Eileen, she plays the mysterious psychologist Rebecca St. John, opposing the great (new) talent Thomasin McKenzie as the titular character. Eileen lives with her alcoholic father and works as a secretary at a boys’ correctional facility. She’s unsatisfied and depressed but sparks up when she meets Rebecca. With Rebecca being intellectual, glamorous, and mysterious, Eileen falls in love with her quickly.
Alas, Rebecca is a lot more than what Eileen had anticipated; through spending time with her, Eileen makes choices that change her entire personality, awakening a dark and sinister part of herself. Eileen and Rebecca’s relationship spirals, along with Eileen’s mental health. Anne Hathaway is mesmerizing as Rebecca, but Thomasin McKenzie shines as Eileen, depicting her blooming from a shy girl to a bold woman. This psychological neo-noir thriller was based on Ottessa Moshfegh‘s award-winning debut novel and presents a truly unexpected narrative in service of a classic coming-of-age story with an edge.
- Release Date
- January 21, 2023
- Runtime
- 97 minutes
- Writers
- Luke Goebel , Ottessa Moshfegh
9 ‘The Kid Detective’ (2020)
Directed by Evan Morgan
The Kid Detective is a heavily underrated comedy movie that blends quirky and dark comedy with mystery and suspense brilliantly, putting Adam Brody at the forefront as a charismatic detective. The movie’s writer/director, Evan Morgan, didn’t have too many features under his belt before directing The Kid Detective, which is so far his best and most promising work. It follows a former child detective, Abe (Adam Brody), who’s now in his thirties and full of nostalgia for his old life and popularity.
He still works as an amateur detective, and though he has never really solved a crime before, a schoolgirl approaches him in hopes he’ll find out who killed her boyfriend. Abe goes on the case, and though clumsy, he reaches various conclusions about not just the boyfriend but a mystery that’s plagued him since childhood. Adam Brody is the perfect actor for a sort of socially awkward, unintentionally funny, intelligent character, and his potential for being a leading man is still somewhat unexplored. Fortunately for his fans, The Kid Detective is a charming and attention-grabbing crime comedy.
Watch on Starz
8 ‘Only the River Flows’ (2023)
Directed by Wei Shujun
The Chinese thriller Only the River Flows has all the characteristics of a neo-noir film. From its pacing and visual style to its storytelling, the movie leaves viewers excited about the future of the genre in Wei Shujun’s skilled hands. Only the River Flows follows the police chief of a rural Chinese town, solving a series of murders during the 1990s. The throwback is superbly done; the story immerses the viewers in the ambient, together with the filming style and fashion. The movie was based on the short novel Mistakes by the River.
In some ways, Only the River Flows is reminiscent of Bong Joon-ho‘s Memories of Murder. A serial killer on the loose, a rural crime, and a police officer who doesn’t want to let go of a case are the common threads between these two thrillers. Comparing them, however, shouldn’t take away from the excellence and visual beauty of Only the River Flows, which is a heavily underrated foreign feature that deserves more attention.
Watch on Apple
7 ‘No Sudden Move’ (2021)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh has been making some sleeper hits over the past few years, and No Sudden Move is definitely on that list. Soderbergh manages well in the neo-noir genre, but the Don Cheadle-led feature flew under the radar for most fans. In No Sudden Move, events take place in 1954 Detroit. Cheadle portrays a gangster named Curt, who was invited alongside Ronald (Benicio del Toro) and Charley (Kieran Culkin) to do a job for a mysterious henchman called Doug Jones (Brendan Fraser).
This crime thriller counts as one of Soderbergh’s best movies; it uses the star-packed cast to its best extent, giving each actor a chance to shine in their respective roles. Benicio del Toro is a welcome face in any crime genre movie, and the chemistry between him and Cheadle is essential for driving the plot. No Sudden Move also boasts some dark comedy moments, which faithfully follow Soderbergh’s style; Ed Solomon‘s script skillfully brings neo-noir elements into this movie, which The AV Club‘s critic Mike D’Angelo called “at once hilarious and distressing.”
- Release Date
- June 24, 2021
- Runtime
- 90
- Writers
- Ed Solomon
6 ‘Synchronic’ (2020)
Directed by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson
Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson have a long career, but somehow, their movies always fly under the radar. Their specialty is science fiction, and they followed through with Synchronic. This Netflix movie wasn’t widely accepted, but fans of the duo surely have seen it multiple times by now. It was released in 2020 but reached Netflix audiences globally in 2021. This sci-fi movie stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan as Steve and Dennis, best friends and paramedics; they encounter numerous people in their day-to-day work, with more recent cases starting to relate to a synthetic drug called Synchronic.
When Steve gets accidentally injected with it one day, he starts experiencing its mysterious side effects. Synchronic is in the same universe as Benson and Moorhead’s other movies (Resolution and The Endless), even sharing continuity with them. This approach could be why the movie went unnoticed for a while; the filmmakers love creating movies within the same universe, which can potentially alienate some viewers unwilling to commit to two other projects. Synchronic is worthwhile despite these small connections.
Synchronic
- Release Date
- September 7, 2019
- Runtime
- 102 minutes
- Writers
- Justin Benson
5 ‘Nightmare Alley’ (2021)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
While most Guillermo del Toro features have grand premieres and are followed with much care and attention due to his undying fanbase, Nightmare Alley came and went without too much pomp. It’s surprising since the movie was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, including Best Cinematography and Costumes. Martin Scorsese called Nightmare Alley “truer to the animating spirit of film noir than the many ‘homages’ that have been made over the years;” since Scorsese himself made some of the best neo-noir movies of our time, audiences have the best kind of recommendation for the movie.
Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is based on William Lindsay Gresham‘s novel of the same name from 1946. It follows Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a criminal on the run who hides by posing as a carnival worker. The movie documents his rise from a low-brow worker to a popular medium, all while dealing with people and forces trying to uncover him. Nightmare Alley‘s relentlessly bleak ambient is the greatest tell of just how noir it is; the costumes and cinematography are truly Oscar-worthy and very on-brand for del Toro, whose unending curiosity and love of film managed to bring another brilliantly unnerving story to life.
- Release Date
- December 17, 2021
- Runtime
- 150 minutes
- Writers
- William Lindsay Gresham , Kim Morgan , Guillermo del Toro
4 ‘Emily the Criminal’ (2022)
Directed by John Patton Ford
Emily the Criminal is one of the highlights of Aubrey Plaza‘s stellar career and a fantastic directorial debut for John Patton Ford. This crime thriller shows her at her most powerful: a dramatic lead with an incredible range. In Emily the Criminal, Plaza portrays the titular character, who works in food delivery. Emily works hard to pay off her student loan, but with a record, she finds it impossible to find a steady, full-time, and well-paid job. One day, she meets the organizer of an elaborate fraud ring, Youcef (Theo Rossi), and starts working with him.
The story puts Emily in a position of almost no choice; with the system rigged against people like her, she realizes her potential as a criminal and succeeds better than anyone expects. Aubrey Plaza portrays Emily with exceptional calm and relatability; she shows a woman constantly on the verge, fighting to find her place in a system that continuously tries to bring her down. Emily the Criminal is a dark thriller that doesn’t take long to warm up and become suspenseful.
- Release Date
- August 12, 2022
- Runtime
- 97 Minutes
3 ‘Femme’ (2024)
Directed by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping
Sam Freeman and Ng Choon Ping wrote and directed the short movie Femme in 2021, with Harris Dickinson and Paapa Essiedu in the lead roles. When the movie got a BAFTA nomination for its intense and captivating plot, the two creators decided to create a feature-length movie, but this time with different leads. George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett are a captivating pair of leads in this crime thriller full of covert romance and unnerving tension, depicting multidimensional characters with equal parts of good and bad in them.
Femme revolves around Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), a drag performer in a London nightclub; Jules notices Preston (George MacKay) watching him on the street after a show, and after confronting him in a nearby shop, Preston beats up Jules. He becomes secluded but plots his revenge, while Preston struggles to accept himself, his sexuality, and Jules. The chemistry between the two leads is palpable, and though Mackay is a Hollywood-level actor, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett shines just as brightly as Jules. Femme is a gritty queer thriller that plays with the neo-noir genre exceptionally.
Femme
- Release Date
- March 22, 2024
- Runtime
- 99 Minutes
- Writers
- Sam H. Freeman , Ng Choon Ping
Watch on Hulu
2 ‘Last Night in Soho’ (2021)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright has a particular knack for making memorable horror comedies, but Last Night in Soho doesn’t play in the same way. More of a noir thriller/horror than anything, Last Night in Soho is Wright’s boldest foray into the genre; because it’s both typical and atypical for Wright, this movie went a bit under the radar for so many viewers. The movie stars Thomasin McKenzie as Eloise, an aspiring fashion designer; she’s accompanied by Anya Taylor-Joy as the beautiful and talented Sandie and Matt Smith as the seedy club manager Jack.
Eloise rents a room in the house run by an older woman, Ms. Collins, while attending the London College of Fashion. She’s obsessed with the Swinging Sixties, especially fashion and music. When Eloise gets transported to the sixties in her dreams, she meets Sandie, an aspiring singer. The lines between dream and reality become blurred for her as she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous mystery. Last Night in Soho is a psychological horror and a neo-noir thriller. Edgar Wright expertly blends these genres, putting together a visually stunning movie complete with fantastic performances.
Last Night in Soho
- Release Date
- October 21, 2021
- Runtime
- 118
- Writers
- Edgar Wright , Krysty Wilson-Cairns
1 ‘Holy Spider’ (2022)
Directed by Ali Abbasi
Holy Spider is a Persian-language crime thriller set in Iran’s holy city of Mashhad. It won big at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, with the lead actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi winning the Best Actress award. It was based on the real-life killings of 16 women that took place in the holy city of Mashhad, with the serial killer dubbed Spider Killer by the local media. The movie raised a lot of concern and controversy in Iran, forcing director Ali Abbasi to move the production to Jordan; fortunately for him (for lack of a better word), Abbasi was able to go all out when depicting parts of the crimes.
Holy Spider
won big at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, with the lead actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi winning the Best Actress award.
The movie follows a fictional female reporter, Arezoo Rahimi (Ebrahimi), as she investigates the mystery behind all the femicides taking place in Mashhad. The killing pattern is the same, and all the victims are sex workers. Rahimi becomes even more involved in the case by teaming up with her paper’s editor, Sharifi; they soon learn the killer’s identity and reasons for his crimes. The movie is quite violent and doesn’t stop from depicting the horror of self-justified murder. Holy Spider‘s neo-noir elements elevate it into a fantastic, though difficult, watch.
Watch on Netflix
