Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
dir. Shane Black (2005)
One could argue that the voiceovers are unnecessarily facetious, yet Kiss Kiss Bang Bang remains a droll, at times very funny, noir crime run-around. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are at their peak, contrasting beautifully while ably supported by Michelle Monaghan.
Payback
dir. Brian Helgeland (1999)
Though somewhat sanitised for cinematic release (in story and character and most particularly its score), Payback remains a very watchable piece of revenge noir. Mel Gibson stars as Porter, a double-crossed gangster who goes up against the Outfit to recover his $70,000.
Quirke
by Andrew Davies & Conor McPherson (BBC/RTÉ, 2014)
Marketed as crime noir, Quirke makes clever use of colour and greyscale in characterising 1950s Dublin. The drama in this nuanced miniseries is people- rather than plot-driven, Gabriel Byrne leading a fine cast through three feature-length explorations of drink, death and dishonesty.