Thefilm noirgenre is known for its compelling visuals and gritty stories, and there are plenty of classic noir movies that are streaming for free. Literally translating to black film from the original French, noir had its heyday in the ’40s and ’50s, and often features morally compromised characters and the seedy underbelly of the post-WWII United States. Noir continued to evolve as time passed, and each generation has left its own stamp through spinoff genres like neo-noir and tech-noir among many others. Regardless of the subgenre, noir has a distinctive style that is consistent in any era.
Copyright law is complicated, and plenty of noir films from the golden age have lapsed into the public domain. This means that the original copyright holder doesn’t have a claim over the film anymore, and it is free for use by the public. Many classics are free to stream on various platforms, and others are simply floating around the internet archives as downloadable files. While many films in the public domain are of questionable quality, the genre is unique because many of itsbest noir filmshave lapsed into the public domain long before their copyright was due to expire.
Classic film noir was intentionally edgy and often pushed boundaries, but 1949’sToo Late for Tearswas particularly shocking for its time. Lizabeth Scott stars as Jane Palmer, a woman who will stop at nothing to keep a purloined suitcase with $60,000 inside, even stooping to murder.The femme fataleis a classic noir trope, but Scott’s Jane Palmer is perhaps one of the most ruthless examples ever put to film.
Moral corruption is a running theme in noir, butToo Late for Tearswas especially scandalous because it cast a woman in a role so villainous. While it lacks the rain-drenched cityscapes of its contemporaries,Too Late for Tearsis a quintessential example of domestic noir.
Plenty of horror films have picked up on the idea of a murderous hitchhiker, but the 1953 film of the same name adds brilliant touches of noir. Loosely based on a real-life case,The Hitch-Hikeris a brief and tense noir that pushes the suspense to its absolute limits in its short running time. The characters take center stage, and the three-person drama plays out at break-neck speed.The Hitch-Hikeris a unique noir from the era becauseit was directed by Ida Lupino, a pioneering female director in a time dominated by men.
Though Frank Sinatra is best known as a crooner, he also had a successful acting career.Suddenlycasts old blue eyes in his first villain role aswould-be presidential assassinJohn Baron, who has seized the home of an unsuspecting family because of its strategic location. The movie’s small scale and unique setting are distinct for a film noir, and Sinatra turns in a stunning performance as Baron.
Eschewing the usual small-time crooks and jaded gumshoes of the noir genre,Suddenlyco-opts noir visuals to tell a thrilling tale with larger implications. A few years later, Sinatra would star in the adaptation ofThe Manchurian Candidate,which also involves an attempt on the life of the President of the United States.
Perfectly exemplifying the fatalistic attitude of the noir genre, it’s clear from the beginning that Frank is doomed.
D.O.A.is an ambitious movie that’s told entirely in flashback, a clever storytelling device that was perfected in the best noir films. Frank Bigelow (Eugene O’Brien) has been poisoned, and the mystery unfolds as he recounts his tale and muses on who might be responsible. Perfectly exemplifying the fatalistic attitude of the noir genre, it’s clear from the beginning that Frank is doomed.D.O.A.has been remade on numerous occasions, though none have matched the superior quality of the thrilling original movie.
While the name of the movie might not be as widely known,The Big Combofeatures what is perhaps the most iconic image from any noir film in history. Drenched in dreary fog and stuffed with every trope known to noir history,The Big Combois a fascinating and sleazy journey into the dark hearts of its main characters. The final shot of Diamond and Susan looking at one another in the fog has become the universal symbol for noir, and the movie is brilliant from start to finish.
Like many classic noir films,The Big Comboentered the public domain upon release due to a filing error.
Few noir films from any era capture the moodiness of the time so effortlessly, and the gritty story is appropriately dour.The Big Comboisn’t the most famous noir film ever, or even the most well-made, butfew contemporaries rival its darkness and commitment to its own themes.
Kansas City Confidentialwas a low-budget indie film, but it would later serve as theinspiration for Quentin Tarantino’sReservoir Dogs. Telling a complex story of deception and double-crossing,the heist at the heart of the film isn’t even the most exciting part. Genre legend Lee Van Cleef slots well into the film’s ensemble cast, and the underrated noir clearly had a huge influence on not only future noir films, but also the heist and thriller genres as well.
One of the earlier examples of film noir,Scarlet Streetstars Hollywood Golden Age legend Edward G. Robinsonin one of his most complex roles. Robinson plays Christopher Cross, a middle-aged man who falls for the fake advances of a young swindler who is actually trying to make money off his paintings. What makes the movie such an excellent film noir is that Cross is hardly an entirely sympathetic character, and his bad choices are partially responsible for dragging himself down.
Scarlet Streethas a moralist streak that warns of the consequences of defying social conventions.
Scarlet Streetis beautifully shot and wonderfully acted, and it’s the character work that really shines through. Film noir is almost always dour and fatalistic, butScarlet Streethas a moralist streak that warns of the consequences of defying social conventions.
Noir, by its very definition, is bleak and unrelenting, but 1945’sDetourmight be one of the darkest examples in the genre’s long history. A musician assumes the identity of a dead man after a terrible car crash, but a mysterious woman arrives and threatens to uncover his disguise.The recently-restored classic is all about desperation, and the movie builds to an inevitable and disturbing climax.
Few films from the ’40s capture such unrelenting paranoia and fear, andDetourfeels incredibly modern despite being 80 years old. Barely an hour long, the legendary noir film doesn’t need much time to deliver an engrossing story, and each frame is absolutely necessary to the plot.
The quality ofImpactrests on its execution, and not necessarily the story.
Though it has a pretty far-fetched plot,Impactlands with plenty of what its title promises. Noir legend Helen Walker co-stars as the conniving Irene, and her plot to kill her husband in an “accident” doesn’t work out as well as she might have hoped. The rest of the film is a tense exploration of the aftermath, and how far Irene is willing to go to clear her name. The quality ofImpactrests on its execution, and not necessarily the story. It lacks some of the elements of other great noir films, but excels as a thriller.
Many noir films that have slipped into the public domain are low-budget independent movies, butThe Strange Love of Martha Iversis a mainstream Hollywood classic. Barbara Stanwyk leads a cast that includes a debuting Kirk Douglas, and she plays the titular character who finds her deepest, darkest secret is at risk of being exposed by the return of a friend from her past.
Domestic noir films were somewhat rare, butThe Strange Love of Martha Iversmight be the finest example of the subgenre. Stanwyk is mesmerizing, and the plot unravels across the film’s nearly two-hour running time. Unlike otherfilm noirmovies from the era,The Strange Love of Martha Iversis a slow-paced and meticulous dissection of the charactersas each scene grows in intensity until the tragic finale.
