None's well that ends Noir

I felt that film noir was a very far-reaching genre that has had a huge impact on film. While the official time of the film noir is over, I feel that the genre is still alive. In many recent movies, there is at least a component of film noir. In the movie I am Legend with Will Smith, the overall tone and stark lighting give me the same feeling as a noir. In the movie, the mystery that must be solved by the protagonist is, rather than a gangster filled plot, is a scientific one. While this is not a traditional noir “case” it is a puzzle nonetheless.  The protagonist is flawed, but we are compelled to be on his side, and root for him to win.

Despite several similarities with film noir, most modern films are missing one classic component… The femme fatal. I have not seen a single modern film with a character that was as slimy and easy to loathe as the femmes fatal in “Out of the Past” or “Kiss Me Deadly”. That isn’t to say that the genre is extinct. In my opinion, it merely implies that it has changed. It has evolved to fit the times. Women in the fifties were often cut to fit a mold, and so the femme fatal was a way for film to challenge that mold. In current times, this is no longer required. The target of the noir is to call into question our fears and unvoiced concern of our surroundings.  There is no longer as immediate a concern for the outcome of the cold war, or over nuclear proliferation, but instead we fear things of our own creation. There are many elements of “Neo-Noir” in films like “The Matrix”, “I, Robot”, ”I am Legend”, and even, (arguably) “Batman Begins”. These elements are not identical to those of classic noir, but some, such as having the majority of scenes be at night, having the protagonist in a  no win situation. In two of these movies the protagonist dies, and in true noir style, they die doing what they feel is right. All of these movies use low key lighting, and while they do have more of an action component than traditional noirs, I feel that this is largely due to the demands of current viewers as well as the significant increase in the abilities of the special effects department.