Just like how punk evolved out of the 80s and became grunge in the 90s, so too did classic film noir grow out of the 50s and 60s, becoming an entirely new genre in the years that followed: neo-noir. The idea behind neo-noir is that it's a genre that borrows from the themes and style of film noir but also synthesizes other genres into the fold. It often features themes of revenge and blurs the lines between right and wrong, and also tends to focus on an antihero as the protagonist.
While any film bearing features of film noir that was released post-1960 is technically a neo-noir film, the genre saw a surge in popularity in the 90s and 2000s that continues to this day. Considering this list focuses on "modern" neo-noir, it will only look at films released in the last 20 years, between 2002 and 2022. Here are the best modern neo-noir films and where to stream them.
9 Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003)
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Where to stream: Netflix (US)
This list would warrant criminal charges if it didn't feature Quinten Tarantino somewhere. Practically every movie the man makes fits into the neo-noir genre to some degree. That said, none of them embody it quite so well as Kill Bill Vol. 1.
The Bride's (Uma Thurman) quest for revenge against her abusers is unforgettable. The absurdist gore, spectacular action, fantastic soundtrack, and gorgeous cinematography all come together to create what may be Tarantino's most complete work and one of the few films where his script doesn't do the heavy-lifting. While The Bride's methods may be questionable, it's impossible to deny that she's earned the right to get her revenge however she sees fit, and boy does she ever get it.
8 Eastern Promises (2007)
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Where to stream: Amazon Prime & HBO Max
The second film in director David Cronenberg's attempt to move away from his body-horror roots, Eastern Promises is an ugly tale of crime and abuse and the price that comes with exposing it.
When a pregnant Russian teenager dies during childbirth, her midwife Anna (Naomi Watts), takes the girl's journal home to see if her Russian father can translate it and find the baby's family. Instead, Anna becomes embroiled in the activities of the Russian mob when she discovers the abuse that led to the girl's pregnancy. The head of the mob's son, Kirill (Vincent Kassel), and his bodyguard Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), begin circling ever closer to Anna and her family, hoping to keep the secret of the baby - and its mother's death - from seeing the light of day.
7 Shutter Island (2010)
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Where to stream: Netflix (US) & Amazon Prime
Martin Scorsese's departure from crime films into the world of psychological thrillers threw off filmgoers when Shutter Island was first released, resulting in mixed reviews from both critics and fans. It's a film worth returning to, though, because, outside the zeitgeist, it's one of the finest thrillers of its era.
Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) travel to Shutter Island to inquire about the disappearance of Rachel Slando from the insane asylum stationed there. Naturally, not everything is as it seems. While it's not worth spoiling, the film's ending is one for the ages and makes rewatches all the more enjoyable when viewers can pick up on the hints hidden within every frame.
6 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
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Where to stream: HBO Max & Amazon Prime
One of the films on this list that veers the closest to classic film noir territory, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang marked the comebacks of director Shane Black (of Lethal Weapon fame), as well as Robert Downey Jr., who considers it to have been the calling card that landed him the role of Iron Man just three years later.
Harry Lockheart (Robert Downey Jr.) is running from the police when he stumbles into a screen test in NYC. He unintentionally wins the screen test and is shipped to LA for further auditions. Upon arriving, Harry witnesses a murder and teams up with a cop named "Gay" Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer) to try and solve the case. Easily one of the funniest black comedies of the decade, Downey Jr. and Kilmer's chemistry alone, boosted by Shane Black's sharp-tongued dialogue, make this one a must-watch.
5 Nightcrawler (2014)
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Where to stream: HBO Max & Netflix (US) until September 9th
The directorial debut of Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler is a seething indictment of modern journalism's obsession with graphic or violent news footage and the lengths to which they'll go to get it. It's an exceedingly uncomfortable movie, but that's part of what makes it great.
Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a petty thief who stumbles onto a late-night crime scene and a group of "Stingers" who are recording it in order to sell the footage to news stations. Louis steals a bike, pawns it to buy himself a camera, and begins seeking out graphic accidents that he can film. Louis' subsequent downward spiral is like watching a train crash in slow motion. Nightcrawler is Jake Gyllenhaal at his absolute creepiest (it's something about the eyes), and there's just no other film out there that's quite like it.
4 Oldboy (2003)
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Where to stream: N/A
Not to be confused with the Spike Lee remake from 2013, Korean director Park Chan-wook's second film in his "Vengeance" trilogy is considered by many to be one of the greatest revenge stories of all time. The infamous "hallway fight scene" alone elevates this film into modern classic territory.
Drunk absentee father, Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik), is inexplicably kidnaped and imprisoned in a hotel room for 15 years. Then, just as inexplicably, he is released. To try and maintain his sanity, Oh Dae-su spent those 15 years training for the off-chance that he can one day discover who kidnaped him. Upon his release, that becomes his only purpose. What starts out seeming like a simple revenge story grows much more sinister by the film's end. Avoid spoilers for this one at all costs.
3 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
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Where to stream: Amazon Prime & Apple TV
The sequel that seemed impossible upon its announcement, Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 is a polarizing film. It has been rightly criticized for its runtime, pacing, and misogynistic undertones. It has also been praised for transporting the source material into the modern era and for making a sequel that was initially viewed as needless into something that is now considered essential in the Blade Runner canon.
K (Ryan Gosling) is a replicant working for the LAPD as a blade runner, hunting and killing rogue replicants. When K begins having flashbacks of childhood memories, he starts to suspect that he may not actually be a replicant but that he was born a human. K's journey is almost a mirror to that of Deckard in the original film. All the moral quandaries surrounding what makes someone "human" are still present, and the film even answers a few lingering questions from the original Blade Runner that were debated over for 35 years.
2 John Wick (2014)
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Where to stream: Netflix (US), Amazon Prime, & Apple TV
The film that saw Keanu Reeves return to action movies, John Wick is not just a modern classic of the action genre; it pioneered a way of shooting action sequences that persists to this day, superseding the previous "shaky cam" trend that was popularized by Paul Greengrass' Bourne films.
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is spurred out of retirement when a gang of thugs breaks into his house, steals his car, and kills his dog. Little did they know that Wick is one of the deadliest killers in the world, and they've just put themselves in his crosshairs. Featuring the greatest utterance of the line "Oh" in film history, John Wick not only brought Keanu Reeves back into the action scene but also spawned an entire franchise off of his titular character.
1 The Dark Knight (2008)
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Where to stream: HBO Max & Amazon Prime
No surprise here. The Dark Knight is director Christopher Nolan at his absolute best. It's not only one of the best modern neo-noir films, but it's also one of the greatest Batman stories ever told, in comics or otherwise.
Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has just settled into his permanent role as Batman when The Joker (Heath Ledger) explodes onto the scene. What initially seems like an anarchist crime spree, The Joker is soon revealed to be no ordinary villain. His goals aren't just money or power but are directly tied to watching Batman fall from grace. Featuring a legendary performance by the late Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight is an essential piece of neo-noir cinema, and given the direction that superhero movies are headed in today, there will never be another film like it.