Memory is a tricky concept – the events of the past tend to take on more grotesque shapes when it comes to being relayed, especially as time has gone on and we start to subconsciously fashion them to be reminiscent of our own idealistic agenda. For a film that spends roughly half of its already…

They Live by Night represented a start for a couple of people in the film industry, namely being the first leading role for Farley Granger, who had previously had minor roles in a couple of smaller wartime times (with this coming in the same year as his star-making performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope), as well…

Any work of art that carries the label of being one of the greatest works of all time is bound to result in some disappointment – but somehow, when it comes to calling The Third Man the greatest British film ever made, this somehow feels like a vast understatement. Carol Reed didn’t only make arguably…

If there was ever a filmmaker who knew the merit of a story well told, it would be Nicholas Ray, whose career was as diverse as it was prolific. During his peak, he directed some of the greatest films ever to be produced by Hollywood’s major studios, working in a range of genres that consolidated…

Despite being one of the more cherished directors working today, Guillermo del Toro’s films may be considered an acquired taste. With the exception of a couple of films that are almost universally praised and adored, his work is quite divisive, which is less of an implication of him being a director that doesn’t register with…

The image of Samuel Fuller is ingrained in the mind of anyone with a penchant for the latter days of the Golden Age of Hollywood – a grizzled, greying visage hidden behind an enormous cigar, serving as the genius behind some of the most revolutionary films of that particular era, and a pioneer of independent…

When it comes to film noir, there are a few titles that are unimpeachable classics – whether looking at the classic era where films like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon were confusing audiences, or the more progressive melancholy of Farewell My Lovely and The Long Goodbye, we’ve been enticed and enthralled by stories…

When it comes to reinventing his career, there are few filmmakers that stand out as much as Steven Soderbergh. However, his style changes so regularly (very often annually), it’s less a case of redefining his approach to filmmaking, and more indicative of his intentional refusal to stick to a particular niche, which has made him…

The reasons for the creation of Affair in Trinidad aren’t too abstract – years after burning up the screen in the iconic film noir Gilda, Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford were in fierce demand, especially in collaboration with one another. It didn’t take too long for the on-screen (and off-screen) lovers to reunite in the…

This Gun for Hire isn’t a particularly great film, but it certainly knows exactly what it needs to be. As a film noir, it is relatively conventional – a solid thriller with an abundance of twists and turns, and a bunch of charismatic individuals peppered throughout it. Frank Tuttle did well in adapting the novel…