Neo-Noir

Neo-noir is the continuation of Film Noir with some features altered. This can range from changing the generic narrative of Film Noir, relationships between characters, costume, theme as well as many more. Here I will be talking about some Neo-Noir films, and how they're different to Film Noir.

Bound (1996)

Bound is a neo-noir crime thriller film, starring Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon, and was directed by The Wachowski's. 

In 'Bound,' many aspects have been changed. Firstly, characters. The 'every-man' is an 'every-woman'. Corky, has a regular, some would say 'boring' job as a painter and plumber, which is very typical, as in classic Film Noir's, this would make the character seem more attainable and achievable to the audience. Another difference in terms of characters and their relationships is that Corky, and the other principal character, Violet, have a sexual/romantic relationship. A relationship between two women in the 40s would have never been shown in a film, so this is a nice difference, as it represents the LGBTQ+ community in a Neo-Noir in a way that wouldn't have been conceivable in the classic Film Noir period.

Narrative

Violet, playing what would be described as the 'femme-fatale' at first, forms a relationship with a hesitant Corky, as at first she's not sure if she can trust Violet. 

Violet's boyfriend in the film, Caeser, is double crossed by Violet, which is common in Film Noir's, although the film focuses on Corky and Violet's relationship. I can see how Ceaser and Violet's relationship would be the typical 'every-man' and 'femme-fatale,' and if this was a Film Noir, their relationship would be the focal point.

The ending is also not a conventional Film Noir ending. Usually, the 'femme-fatale' is killed or flees from the situation and the 'every-man' is injured, in prison, or something along those lines. However, in Bound, Corky and Violet form a relationship and show that two people who are very different both deserve to live, and should not be punished by the way the act. This film also celebrates sex, sexuality and female empowerment, instead to portraying it as something negative, which is often seen in Film Noir. 

'Bound' trailer

Costume

In 'Bound' costumes are somewhat conventional, but also keeping it up-to-date. Violet wears tight dresses and high heels, which is what a conventional 'femme-fatale' would wear. In the first scene the audience sees a big rack of high heeled shoes along with a rack of dresses. 

Corky wears jeans, baggy t-shirts, which is un-conventional, but if the classic 'every-man' was living in present day, he may wear something like that, especially if he was a plumber/decorator. 

However, both Corky and Violet wear black leather jackets, which is paying homage to the 1950s, a decade where Film Noir was popular. 

Blade Runner (1982)

Blade Runner is neo-noir science-fiction film starring Harrison Ford and directed by Ridley Scott.

Setting

Blade Runner is set in a futuristic, 'sci-fi' Los Angeles, in 2019. Even though this is very un-conventional, 2019 LA is a bustling city with shops, restaurants, loads of people, much similar to where a traditional Film Noir would be set. 

'Blade Runner' trailer

Character

Rick Deckard, the 'every-man' was a blade runner. He had the job of hunting replicants (bio-engineered beings) and exterminate them. However, Rick Deckard is retired. So, if we translated this job into something Rick Deckard would be if he were living in 2015, he would have been a retired police officer. Even though this sounds quite run-of-the-mill, a police officer is still not something that a conventional 'every-man' would have.  

As I have been writing about the differences between Film Noirs and Neo-Noirs, I'm going to list some tropes of Film Noir which I have seen in most modern Noirs. Here are some collages I made, comparing elements in Film Noir and Neo-Noir:

Smoking

Shadows

Overall, Film Noir never really ended in my opinion, and has been re-invented over the years, and even though they may be very different (which is usually a good thing, in terms of messages they give to the audience). However, elements have still been left over through the years, mixed with new ideas, creating a fantastic new genre.