Chinatown is my favorite film noir.

Anyone who wants to know noir **must** read Jim Thompson, who has become one of my favorite authors.

He wrote the script for Kubrick's "The Killing" (which is itself a masterful film noir.) His novel "The Getaway" became a movie from Sam Peckinpah.

Thompson is merciless, bleak, downtrodden, grim, marginal -- and intense as hell. Can't recommend his writing enough.

Also, I consider "No Country For Old Men" to be a wonderful film noir, not so dissimilar from another Coen Bros masterpiece, "Blood Simple."

Lately I've been obsessing over "The Big Clock" with Ray Milland. Just wonderful with some insane lighting tricks and camera nonsense.

Sam Fuller's "The Naked Kiss" is a pretty sordid affair as well. Currently Netflix is streaming a nice gaggle of somewhat forgotten noir classics like "The Street With No Name," "Dark Corner," "I Wake Up Screaming." The original "D.O.A." with Edmond O'Brien is quite fun as well.

Oh and Alex is right on up there with his accolades of Jim Thompson. His books will make you ashamed to be a part of the human race... lots of fun! :D

Lighting can entirely change the mood of a scene - and film noir lighting is really interesting to examine. My favorite lighting tidbit is that Marlon Brando was lit from overhead in the Godfather (not necessarily noir, but still...) - and that's why he looks so...dark.