There are 49 film noir films on the site, released from 1932 to 2011, and 39 of them are ranked. The best-rated is The Third Man (1949, 97 Metascore) and the biggest box office hit is Touch of Evil (1958) with $2.3M worldwide. The 1940s were the busiest decade with 21 releases. Alfred Hitchcock has directed more notable film noir films than anyone else on the site (7).
The Third Man (1949) is the best-rated film noir movie on the site with a Metascore of 97 (93/100 on the critics-and-audiences blend that ranks it), ahead of The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).
#1 of 39 film noir films Best-rated film noir movie
1949 Mystery Thriller 1h 44m English
97 Metascore $1.4M worldwide
Directed by Carol Reed
Also near the top: The Maltese Falcon (1941, 97 Metascore) and Double Indemnity (1944, 95 Metascore).
About The Third ManThe top 12 of 39 ranked film noir films. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases). 6 of the top 12 were released in the 1940s.
1949 · Mystery, Thriller · 1h 44m
Dir. Carol Reed No Echo Score: ranked 93/100 on critics & audiences
1941 · Mystery, Film-Noir · 1h 40m
No Echo Score: ranked 93/100 on critics & audiences
1944 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 47m
Dir. Billy Wilder No Echo Score: ranked 92/100 on critics & audiences
1958 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 35m
No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
1955 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 32m
Dir. Terry Sanders No Echo Score: ranked 91/100 on critics & audiences
1950 · Drama, Film-Noir · 1h 50m
Dir. Billy Wilder No Echo Score: ranked 88/100 on critics & audiences
1946 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 41m
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences
1949 · Action, Drama · 1h 54m
Dir. Raoul Walsh No Echo Score: ranked 87/100 on critics & audiences
1956 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 24m
Dir. Stanley Kubrick No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
1951 · Thriller, Crime · 1h 41m
Dir. Alfred Hitchcock No Echo Score: ranked 86/100 on critics & audiences
1945 · Adventure, Thriller · 1h 40m
Dir. Howard Hawks No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
1961 · Drama, Thriller
Dir. Louis Malle No Echo Score: ranked 85/100 on critics & audiences
The best-rated film noir movies that run 90 minutes or less, led by The Killing (1956) at 84 minutes.
Runtime: 84 min The Killing 1956 · 91 Metascore 
Runtime: 86 min The 39 Steps 1935 · 93 Metascore 
Runtime: 79 min Force of Evil 1949 · 89 Metascore 
Runtime: 82 min On Dangerous Ground 1951 · 78 Metascore 
Runtime: 87 min Gun Crazy 1950 · 74 Metascore 
Runtime: 76 min Don't Bother to Knock 1952 · 61 Metascore Touch of Evil (1958) is the highest-grossing film noir movie with $2.3M worldwide, ahead of The Third Man (1949) at $1.4M. These 10 hits alone hold 98% of all film noir box office on the site. Grosses judged to be data errors are left out.
Number 1 Number 2 Number 3 $4.5M earned worldwide by the 26 film noir films with a reported gross
The 1940s were the busiest decade with 21 film noir films, ahead of the 1950s (16). Under each column is the decade's best-rated film, from The Third Man (1949) to Touch of Evil (1958). Films without a release date are not counted here.
The Third Man 97 Metascore Touch of Evil 99 Metascore Elevator to the Gallows 94 Metascore 
The Big Carnival 72 Metascore Alfred Hitchcock has directed 7 notable film noir films, more than anyone else on the site, ahead of Jules Dassin (4). Only notable films count: those with a score, box office, an award nomination or 1,000+ votes.
The Naked City (1948) is the most-awarded film noir film with 4 wins from 7 nominations, including wins at the Oscars.
| # | Film | Wins | Nominations | Won at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Naked City 1948 · 7 nominations · Won at Oscars | 4 | 7 |
|
| 2 |  Gaslight 1944 · 8 nominations · Won at Oscars, Golden Globes | 3 | 8 |
|
| 3 | The Third Man 1949 · 5 nominations · Won at Oscars, BAFTA | 2 | 5 |
|
| 4 |  Spellbound 1945 · 1 nomination · Won at Oscars | 1 | 1 |
|
| 4 |  Mildred Pierce 1945 · 1 nomination · Won at Oscars | 1 | 1 |
|
| 6 |  Detective Story 1951 · 9 nominations | 0 | 9 | Nominated only |
| 7 |  The Asphalt Jungle 1950 · 8 nominations | 0 | 8 | Nominated only |
| 8 | Double Indemnity 1944 · 7 nominations | 0 | 7 | Nominated only |
| 9 | The Maltese Falcon 1941 · 3 nominations | 0 | 3 | Nominated only |
| 10 |  Not as a Stranger 1955 · 2 nominations | 0 | 2 | Nominated only |
English is the biggest source of film noir films with 39 (80%), followed by French (5) and Hindi (2).
73% of film noir films are also tagged drama, the most common pairing, followed by crime (63%) and thriller (63%). A film can carry several genres, so the shares overlap.
73% 36 films
63% 31 films
63% 31 films
31% 15 films
20% 10 films
6.1% 3 films
39 film noir films have a full plot summary. Below are the best-rated ones not already listed above, led by Mildred Pierce (1945) and The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).
Filter all 49 film noir films by decade, year, language, box office, plot summaries and after-credits scenes on the full list, which opens with the 39 ranked ones, best first. The best-first lists hold ranked films only: the French-language list has 2 of the 5 French film noir films.
Quick answers about film noir movies from the numbers on this page: The Third Man (1949) is the best-rated, Touch of Evil (1958) is the biggest hit and the 1940s were the busiest decade.
The Third Man (1949, 97 Metascore) is the best-rated film noir movie on What's After the Movie, followed by The Maltese Falcon (1941, 97 Metascore) and Double Indemnity (1944, 95 Metascore). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).
See the top 12Touch of Evil (1958) has earned $2.3M worldwide, the most of any film noir film on the site; The Third Man (1949) is second with $1.4M.
Film Noir box office chartsThe site lists 49 film noir films. 39 of them are ranked, 26 have reported box office and 39 have a plot summary. A film counts as film noir when film noir is one of its genres.
Browse all film noir moviesThe 1940s, with 21 film noir films, ahead of the 1950s (16). The decade's best-rated film noir film is The Third Man (1949, 97 Metascore).
Alfred Hitchcock, with 7 notable film noir films; the best-rated of them is Notorious (1946). Notable films have a score, box office, an award nomination or 1,000+ votes.
Alfred HitchcockFilms released from 2017 on are ranked by their Echo Score, our 0–100 rating; older films by a blend of their Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings. To be ranked a film must run at least an hour and have a score, box office, an award nomination or enough votes, so shorts and obscure uploads stay out of the lists.
