Noir

By David L. Vineyard March 5, 2009 Not all of these elements are in every noir film or book, but enough of them predominate that they can be used to define the genre. There are always going to be films or books that are on the edge one way or another, and because of its nature I’m not sure noir can be defined precisely, but I’ll name seven key factors I think are vital. 1. Alienation. 2. Obsession 3. Visual Style 4. Destructive Sexuality 5. Grotesque characters 6. Narration 7. Stylized violence