Outline for the Presentation (100 Points)

I.                   Introduce your film and provide the premise of the film in three sentences or fewer.

The film I selected is The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan. It is from the Batman series of films and deals with millionaire Bruce Wayne disguised as the caped crusader fighting crime in Gotham City. His nemesis in this film is a dangerous psychopathic killer called the Joker.

II.        Characteristics and Conventions of the Film that Link it to Classic Film Noir

1.      Revenge, quilt, anxiety of our protagonist which is driven by his past. He also has a sense of fatality as he is fighting for self survival.

A. The protagonist is mysterious and struggling to survive without self-destructing. Bruce Wayne states in the film Batman Begins, “do you have to become a monster to kill a monster”?

B. Bruce wants to support district attorney Harvey Dent, also known as the “white knight”, because he sees dent as the symbol of hope he could never be. This makes him desperate to get rid of the joker and regain a normal life.

C. The film is mostly shot at night on the streets symbolizing doom and a sense of no hope for the city. Because Batman operates in the night in most cases, the mob is afraid to come out after dark. Dark warehouses, dimly lit rooms and jail cells also give us a sense of film noir.

D.We also see a good female role in Rachel who is in love with both Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent.

2.      The city is filled with crime and a sense of disillusionment provided by the mob, and the Joker which brings terror and destruction against a city already confused by the thought of Batman being an outlaw vigilante.

A.  The joker in an attempt to take over the city manipulates everyone, including the mob and the city to get to Batman, which leaves all in fear of their safety.

B.  The Bat suit and the voice that Bruce Wayne uses when he is batman is frightening to the citizens, and because of all the destruction and deaths he causes while fighting crime, there is a sense of mistrust. They feel the anxiety of terror and not knowing when this will all end.

III.       Elements of the Film that Deviate from Classic Film Noir and Link it to Neo Noir

1.      The film is shot in color without voice-over narration, and it is in tune with modern day times.

A.    Also some of the crime takes place in broad daylight. The film starts out with a daylight bank heist with a group of criminals in clown masks.

B.     Technology plays a part as the gang members swing through the air from one building to get to the bank, using gadgets and special equipment to accomplish their mission. This also shows us the trend of neo-noir.

2.      There are gender role changes, no traditional femme fatale.

A. The Joker is the villain or nemesis manipulating and plotting throughout the film to get what he is after. In the film he states, “I want to bring a better breed of criminal to Gotham City”.

             B. The Joker is ruthless, and has no problem killing. Anxiety and desperation spreads to the mob, fearing batman, they make a deal with the joker to get rid of him. The Joker vows to kill one person a day until Batman reveals himself and the killing begins with top officials.

C. The city and police officers are feeling anger, and fear from this terrorist. The Joker double-crosses the mob, he show them a huge pile of money, from the floor to the ceiling and uses gasoline and a match to burn the money. He tells the mob boss in the film, “I’m a guy of simple taste; I enjoy gunpowder, dynamite, and gasoline. It’s not about the money it’s about a message, everything burns” This is definitely a new breed of criminal.

            D.  In film noir it was usually about the money or a woman, the joker does it for fun and excitement, a product of neo-noir.

            E.  Crime does pay and we see this when District attorney Harvey Dent goes on his vengeful killing spree, and the commissioner covers up his crimes and he dies a hero. Also Batman gets away to fight another day after the death and destruction he caused as a vigilante.

Quotes from Outside Sources (These may be inserted anywhere in the outline)

Source One:

Context:  Provide a signal phrase that includes the title of the source and the author:	Quote from the Source: Be sure to include the page number	Significance: How does this quote relate to the topic of your essay?
Bruce Wayne States in the film Batman Begins	“Do you have to become a monster to kill a monster?”	It relates to film noir, the protagonist ponders as he sees his humane compassionate side being compromised because of his actions to capture the Joker.

Source Two:

Context: Provide a signal phrase that includes the title of the source and the author:	Quote from the Source: Be sure to include the page number	Significance: How does this quote relate to the topic of your essay?
Alan K. Rhode the writer of the article What is Neo-Noir states:	“Not a movement and less than a genre, neo-noir is a trend of modern filmmaking that incorporates classic film noir elements into post classic periods”.	This fits in with neo-noir, updating the way crime and criminals behave in current times after post 9/11 terrorism.

Context:  Discuss the background situation regarding the film clip:	Provide a brief description of the scene you are showing:	Significance: How does this clip demonstrate conventions or characteristics of noir or neo-noir?

Summaries of My Sources for The Dark Knight

BAUM, BRUCE. New Political Science, Jun2009, Vol. 31 Issue 2, p267-269, 3p.

            Ebscohost Database: Academic Search Premier, May 6, 2011

Film Review: The Dark Knight

            This source is reviewing the film The Dark Knight. It starts out giving us information regarding the director, cast and makers of the film. It describes how and why the film was so successful. It also compares the superhero Batman, to other superheroes such as, Iron Man and Hancock, which were made into films as well. It brings into play as said by Warner Brothers executives, “the films gloom fits the nations mood and is a vivid allegory for our post 9/11 political economic moment of financial crisis”. The review also gives a good characterization of the late Heath Ledger’s role as the Joker and how his performance was instrumental in making the film a success.

LEUPP, THOMAS, Http://tleupp@reelzchannel.com,May 6, 2011.

Review of The Dark Knight

            Mr. Leupp uses his review to make comparisons of previous and futures Batman films directed by Christopher Nolan. He feels that “the dreadful late 90’s Batman flicks left a bitter taste”. He suggests that the “2005 film Batman Begins, successfully erased the taste and left Nolan free to unleash his full arsenal of filmmaking weapons”. He comments on the fact that Batman Forever transformed the character Harvey Dent into the villain Two-Face, and does not feel he is a bigger threat than the Joker.

Legel, Laremy, http://www.film.com/movies/review-the-dark-knight-is-exceptional, May  2011                                                                                                                                             .

Review The Dark Night is Exceptional

            Laremy Legel starts his review with praising Christopher Nolan for his work of The Dark Knight. He states, “that grading a film like The Dark Knight, is tough because it’s immediately clear that Nolan is much, much smarter than your average filmmaker”. The review evaluates the complexity and terror of this film, and how people are judging the film. According to Legel, “Nolan is tackling the social issues of our day and he is doing it with a bat suit”. 

Dreyer, Randolph. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, Jan2009, Vol. 45 Issue 1, p80-81,

            2p, Ebscohost Database: Academic Search Premier, May 6, 2011.

Clap if you believe in Batman The Dark Knight

            Dreyer seems to take a psychiatric point of view about the film. He starts his article with the scene that has the late Heath Ledger, aka the Joker dressed in and old fashion nurse's uniform and the effect it would have on today’s nurses. He states, “He looks a little like Nurse Ratched, who terrorizes her patients in 1975’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. He feels that the audience is in anguish due to a fiendish villain figure. He talks about what is new and different in this Joker’s character and some of the similarities of the others. He sees “Batman discovering a newfound hope for humanity, but the joker stills the show”. His focus is on the villain the Joker. 

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/thedarkknight, May 6, 2011.

The Dark Knight

            This web site is where all the stats and figures are about the movie. It details the gross amount of money the film made domestically, worldwide, and total lifetime. It also gives information about who the players were, such as the director, writers, actors, producers, cinematographers, and composers of the soundtrack. It also discusses awards and ranks. There are many related stories and links about this film on this site.

           

Proposal of The Dark Knight for Research Paper

The movie I chose for my research paper is The Dark Knight. “Hollywood movies often reflect their historical moments in intriguing ways.The latest Batman movie,the Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan,is a striking example of this. In telling ways it gives us a hero and an anti-hero for our time, that is, a superhero and villain (or villains) who embody current political and economic contradictions. Featuring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman and the late Heath Ledger as his nemesis, the Joker, the movie was by far the most successful of a series of Hollywood blockbuster movies last summer featuring male superheroes (including Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr., and  Hancock, starring Will Smith); and it was probably the most visible Hollywood film of the year. With a production budget of $185 million, it grossed a record $314 million in tickets domestically in its first ten days of release. By mid-February 2009 it grossed more than $532 million in the US and nearly a trillion dollars ($999 million) worldwide”, according to Boxofficemojo.com.

This film is neo-noir at its finest. Batman is trying to get out of the spotlight as the city’s savior because of what he has become and what he has to encounter to save the city. He wants a normal life with the love of his life, Rachel. His daily routine almost always causes havoc, chaos, and destruction for the people of Gotham. The film is in color and in current times, unlike classic noir. Also we see gender changes in our manipulator and we have a good female role model. The detective figures are still in place, however, things get political. We still have deception, anxiety, mystery, and murder. Nothing is what it seems. A good film for the neo-noir genre. The sources that I will be using in my paper are; 

Baum, Bruce new Political Science,Volume 31, Number 2, June 2009, print. 

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page¼main&id¼darkknight.htm. 

Dreyer, Randolph, MFA, Clap If You Believe in Batman,80 Perspectives in pyschiatric Care Vol. 45, No. 1, January 2009, print. 

The Dark Knight. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Christian Bale, HeathLedger, Michael Cain, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, MorganFreeman and Gary Oldman. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2008. http://www.thedarkknightWarnerBros.com/dvd.  

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight/

Best Neo-noir Story

The Girl Who Kissed Barnaby Jones, Pacific Palisades, written by, Scott Phillips is a perfect example of neo-noir. The ambiguous protagonist Tate, being lured in by the femme fatale Cherie, to manipulate him into a murder plot. Even going so far as to lock him in by having sex with him before she exposes her plan. Neo-noir seems to have some different characteristics then classic noir. The protagonist in some cases fight back once they see the trap they are in. Then to make it more interesting, the plan and even new plans due to the circumstances are carried out and the characters get away with the evil.

What You See, Westchester, written by Diana Wagman seems like a weird horror movie with really no plot. The protagonist seems true to the description, he's lost his mother, one friend, and some one he works for. He meets a nice girl that he can't get off of his mind and explores ways to get next to her, even fantasizes. Once he is on an assignment and just so happens to meet his lady friend and she agrees to spend some time with him, insisting that her friend accompanies them, all hell breaks loose and the story to me does not make any sense at that point. This would be in my opinion the most difficult story to classify as neo-nor.

Two Worlds Apart

The stories in Los Angeles noir, are located in two very different settings. The Kidnapper Bell, Los Angeles River, written by Jim pascoe, definitely gives an accurate description of the area. The way the Los Angeles river is shallow going into downtown on its way to the ocean.(209) The description of the walk past the buildings, which look like old warehouses or abandoned buildings. The flat edge of the riverbed, several feet away from the small swash of water tracing the center of the channel. (213) How you can here the water flowing and churning fast. (215) I could picture myself there on the scene. Very descriptive.

City of Commerce, Commerce, written by Neal Pollack did a very good job as well at describing the location. The freeways you needed to connect to get to the location. The once location full of factories that made things, was now like anywhere else, it's the outlet malls and truck-stop Arby's, pathetic little trees dwarfed by ten-foot freeway sound walls. (231-232) The description of the wanna be Vegas casino. I could feel myself driving down the freeways both familiar to me. These two locations are both in Los Angeles county, but they are worlds apart.

Secrets Can Cause Death.

Both of these stories were interesting in regards to the charaters and their stories. The areas provided suggested wealth and prestise with the people living in them. Even though, this was not always the case. Also secrets, and with secrets come lies and cover ups. I would reccommend "The Method" by Janet Fitch, located in Los Feliz to a friend. This story made you wonder until just about the end of it what was really going on. Richard aka Anthony Karras was very mysterious and a smooth man with a dark side that you could not put your finger on. Holly new something was not right from the minute she saw him. Yet as her curiosity rose to figure him out, as well as mine kept me wanting to read and see what his real agenda was. Fitch kept you wondering, was it theft, when and who was going to be murdered ( since this is neo-noir and death is a component) and what was the motive. We see a gender change as Richard assumes the male version of the femme fatale role. I liked this story better also because of the twist at the end when Holly discovered she was being manipulated. She did not take it well at all. I like mystery's like this, it makes you want to keep reading until you find out what the plot is really about. "Morocco Junction 90210" written by Pat Morrison located in Beverly Hill started out giving you a part of the plot with the information about the robberies. Even though it turned out Eloise's death was suicide and had nothing to do with the robberies, the indications of the plot were revealed as the story went along. Eloise had her own secrets and Minerva interest in intelligence gathering would reveal the true story. It was a good story, but I liked Fitch's better.

The noir world of Los Angeles (Spell Check Revised)

The noir world of Los Angeles

First of all the locations in both short stories I am very familiar with. I was raised on the southwest side of Los Angeles and lived there until 1995. I pass Leimert Park every time I am in Los Angeles, which is often as my parents and friends still live there. I occasionally still patronize a bakery in Arcadia. For me this area is a small world, with even smaller cultures in the various areas.

Leimert Park, View park, Inglewood, and closely surrounding areas will have the some of the same types of people, with the same type of mentality, street wise. This is a land of gang violence, drug dealers and users. Turf wars, crimes committed and murder, all with good people trying to do the right thing and survive the drama. Mostly Hispanics and African Americans fighting one another. John Hannible Cravitz also known as "Quick" appeared to have made something out of himself since View Park is one of the better neighborhoods, and his successful business. His relationship with Detective Yippie Calzone was a true friendship even though they were both flexible when it came to Justice if necessary. With the other characters all willing to let greed get the best of them, let the street way of life lead them to destruction. It is common for guns to be concealed and used in this area. It is a way of the life on the streets. Even the people who are law abiding citizens choose to carry a gun just for protection. This has been the way of life since I can remember in this area. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of professional people living very good lives still in Los Angeles, but also a lot of them have gotten out of the street mindset and left the area. Street smarts never really leave you though!

Midnight in Silicon Alley, white collar crime with one of the usual twist at it's best. This area is a high rent district, filled with professionals and successful people. Chen had a very hot commodity sold to businesses,corporations and even government agencies. The funny part, both markets have the potential to make the same type of money. Chen's product came with less risk with the cost of doing business, or did it? There was still murder in both. Greed played a part as well, although we had another factor. A fed up wife. I knew it was one of his women, but I thought it was his mistress Yashi. The wife Leila had a very well thought out calculated plan down to the time. Street crime or white collar crime location does not matter, Murder Is Murder.

Wow I can't believe everything I just wrote disappeared, so I am starting over but will be a brief. The difference in the locations are in Leimert, things are done by the code of the streets. You have the gang violence, drug dealing and buying, turf wars, crooked cops, and all a sorts of crimes that can lead to murder. Carrying a gun is a way of life. Silcon Valley's market was high technology, that would lead to white collar crime. Greed is the motive in both cases also with a fed up wife in Silicon. Where ever the location murder is still murder. Sorry so short my time is up. I can't believe that I lost the other one. I had a lot to say and will say it in class.

The noir world of Los Angeles

First of all the locations in both short stories I am very familiar with. I was raised on the southwest side of Los Angeles and lived there until 1995. I pass Leimert Park every time I am in Los Angeles, which is often as my parents and friends still live there. I occasionally still patronize a bakery in Arcadia. For me this area is a small world, with even smaller culters in the various areas.

Leimert Park, View park, Inglewood, and closely surrounding areas will have the some of the same types of people, with the same type of mentality, street wise. This is a land of gang violence, drug dealers and users. Turf wars, crimes commited and murder, all with good people trying to do the right thing and survive the drama. Mostly Hispanics and African Americans fighting oneanother. John Hannible Cravitz also known as "Quick" appreared to have made something out of hisself since View Park is one of the better neighborhoods, and his successful business. His relationship with Detective Yippie Calzone was a true friendship even though they were both flexible when it came to Justice if nesscessary. With the other charaters all willing to let greed get the best of them, let the street way of life lead them to destruction. It is common for guns to be concealed and used in this area. It is a way of the life on the streets. Even the people who are law abiding citizens choose to carry a gun just for protection. This has been the way of life since I can remember in this area. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of professional people living very good lives still in Los Angeles, but also a lot of them have gotten out of the street mindset and left the area. Street smarts never really leave you though.

Midnight in Silicon Alley, white coller crime with one of the usual twist at it's best. This area is a high rent district, filled with professionals and successful people. Chen had a very hot commodity sold to businesses,corporations and even government agencies. The funny part, both markets have the potenial to make the same type of money. Chen's product came with less risk with the cost of doing business, or did it? There was still murder in both. Greed played a part as well, although we had another factor. A fed up wife. I knew it was one of his women, but I thought it was his mistress Yashi. The wife Leila had a very well thought out calculated plan down to the time. Steet crime or white collor crime location does not matter, Murder Is Murder.

Noir vs Neo-noir

After reading the article, "The Dark Past Keeps Returning: Gender Themes in Neo Noir" written by Heather Fireman. I see many similarities to noir. The mood is just about the same. "The noir style blends form and content; the dark side of human nature is reflected in the visually dark and menacing world that the noir characters inhabit" as mention in the article, and neo-noir seems to imitate classic noir. However, neo-noir uses the characteristics of noir in modern times, to express the anxieties of modern times (Fireman). Neo-noir exist in a post-modern frame of mind. It may be based on political views, current social commentary, or life as it exists in the present times. "Most noir is modernist and tries to find truth and make sense of a warped world. In post-modernism the world is too warped and incomprehensible, and our access is so flawed that we can not make sense of it"(Fireman). While film noir's genre was during the 1930's and 1940's, neo-noir cannot totally prevent using classic noir to express it's mood. "The language of noir is used to express anxieties belonging to modern times"(Fireman). The greatest distinction between the two appear to be the gender roles. WWII had an effect of noir gender characterization because the women were left at home and had to work to support the family that was left behind, this sort of took away from the family environment. When the war was over men were living in their proper roles as the bread winners and providers of the family. We see in neo-noir modern times, where women are more independent and aggressive. This changes the role of the protagonist, making the gender male or female and even both. The female protagonist seems to loose the femininity and sexuality, to becoming a hard, cold woman. The male protagonist may even be a little soft and more sensitive, loosing his true masculinity. The femme fatale role is still manipulative and seductive, however she has her own independence, making it hard for any man to provide what she needs besides sex. In neo-noir we have the aspect of color and reality, in a post-modern world with gender roles possibly reversed.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY, TRUE FILM NOIR

After reading the novel Double Indemnity, by James M. Cain and watching the majority of the 1944 film, based on the novel by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder, it proves to have all the the characteristics of Noir based on the handout titled "Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir". After reading the review by Lawrence Russell on the Internet, web address www.culturecourt.com his observation is in line with the handout and the definition of noir. According to Russell," It's in black and white, and it certainly had the pathology: a woman gets a man to commit her crimes on the promise of sex and big money". He also states "that the male dupe is betrayed and takes the fall for her crime".

The story takes place in Los Angeles with insurance agent Walter Huff trying to make a sale of auto insurance to Mr. Nirdlinger and he decides to make a house call. Once he gets in and discovers the man of the house is not home, he encounters the femme fatale of the story, Mrs. Phyllis Nirdlinger. This begins the entrapment and destruction of Walter by the fatal sexual manipulation that Phyllis portrays. Russell states, " that if the fate of the protagonist is revealed from the beginning, what's left to keep you watching?

 Noir seems to have the characteristic of the end of the novel or film starts at the beginning of the work product. This effect would make the reader or viewer want to know what is in between, especially when the murder has already taken place. How did it get to that point. Russel brings out a lot of good points in his review. "Within the modernist sets of the classic noir sex is primarily an act of self-destruction", suggested by Russell. " The actual murder is carried out like a play wherein Walter is both assassin and understudy. That Walter pretends to be the dead man complete with crutches and leg cast when he boards the train for Palo Alto is both a prophecy and a parody of his fate" states Russell. I liked the way he ended his review with the statement, "In the noir universe, there is no insurance for an agent who writes his own plans, it seems". This was a very good review, having seen the film and read the book it gave life and faces to the characters.

Murder Was the Case, With a Touch of Suicide.

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain was positively a definition of Noir. According to the handout "Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir: Themes and Styles", most of the characteristics were a part of this novel. Which included, moral corruption, evil, quilt, paranoia, detective types, crime and corruption, femme fatales and murder. Apparently quite a bit of murder. This ending was actually quite surprising. I liked the twist and turns that kept you guessing as to what was really going on and who was really involved. I had the suspicion that maybe Phyllis would try to kill Walter as well. After all they were the only two that really knew what when on that night of the murder, since they planned it together. And as Walter stated "somewhere in the back of my head I had known I would have to kill her , for what she knew about me, and because the world isn't big enough for two people once they've got something like that on each other" (86). It almost seemed like murder came second nature for Walter. It never took a lot of thought for him to come up with a plan. Always with an air tight alibi. Keyes surprised me the way he handled everything down to getting Walter and Phyllis out of the country. Keyes had an idea what Walter's true fate was going to be when he said goodbye to Walter and it appeared he was doing him a favor, and Walter thanked him. Keyes stated " you've got no reason to thank me, and I don't think they will catch up with you Huff. I think, well maybe I'm doing you a favor at that. Maybe you'd rather have it that way"(111). When Walter got on the ship and seem to feel comfortable and at peace with what he had done, he had a funny feeling he was not going anywhere. Seeing Phyllis and the conversation they had confirmed it. Phyllis was right at home with the fate that was upon them. She had always had a strange attraction to death and now she would fulfill her love for it. In one of my previous blogs, the title was Murder or Suicide, in this case quite a bit of both.

SUICIDE OR MURDER?

Well, I must say that this story came with an unexpected twist. This section of the novel points out the dark side of Walter and Phyllis. Two normal people that sunk to the level of murder, and so easy. At least they thought. The dark side really showed itself. One of the true characteristics of Noir.  The ramifications after all was done, was definitely overwhelming for the both of them. Phyllis was filled with so much anxiety that all she could do was argue, drive and wanted Walter out of her car. His quilt and disbelief of what he had done made him feel the same way. In the car all he could do was try to shut her up and he could not wait to get out of her presence. When he went to talk to Norton and Keyes, I am sure he was very surprised when he heard the two scenarios from his employer and co-worker. Keyes, the claims adjuster is assuming the detective role in this novel. He has so many years and professional experience in this business, also with the company, he knows it is not suicide and not an accident. Keyes opened his book of actuaries and started talking statistics. He tells Norton about the different ways, and methods, in regards to people and situations and he states, "that there is not one case here out of all these millions of cases of a leap from the rear end of a moving train." Even after the inquest and all the testimonies were given and the jury said he died in a manner unknown to them, he still had his doubts. He almost gave the correct murder scenario to the letter, which scared Walter to the point he could not do anything. Keyes plans to stay on Phyllis like his gut told him to from the beginning. He will try his best to sweat her and at the same time Walter will sweat as well. I have a feeling the lack of communication is going to get the best of Phyllis.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY, FILM NOIR OR NOT?

According to Paul Shrader, “Notes on Film Noir” the qualities of film noir are "nightmarish, weird, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel.” The first thirty-three pages of the book Double Indemnity by James M. Cain are so far living up to the difinition of Film Noir. It definately starts off wierd. It doesn't waste any time getting to the crime factor. You have the protaginist, Walter, who seems to be legitimate but also shows a shady side. It appears to be two femme fatale's with their own malnipulative agendas, and the poor inocent bystander, Phyllis's husband blind to the con that is beginning to take place to end his life. There is definately evidence of foul play that would lead to a  violent death in the future. The whole plot so far is very dark. Both femme fatales seem to be mysterious, double-crossing, gorgeous, and manipulative, Which is stated as some of the charateristics. You can feel the deception and the fact that people are not telling the whole truth. Paul Shrader states " It is the presence of crime that gives Noir it's most constant charateristic, and in every sense of the word a noir film is a film of death." So far the fiirst thirty-three pages of the novel confirm that it has the qualities of a noir novel. 

Film Noir in disguise

After reading the article, "The Neo-Noir 90's" I came to understand what the original Film Noir entailed. This made me understand that movies I have seen like L A Confidential, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and The Usual Suspects were not just a simple movie, but a certain type of movie. This style of movies and even television series are being disguised constantly in our era. It seems that there is always a dark side to the plot and even to the protagonist. We see him trying to do good by trying to save the world or whatever the goal is, but he has his own way of doing things. Never following the rules, always taking chances, and even causing collateral damage. It's the only way he knows how to get things done. I can understand why most viewers would not accept the original Film Noir. The world of film is full of color and action. Without these elements, even a good plot would be slow and probably not hold one's attention. So they hide it in films like The Dark Knight, Kill Bill, all the vampire movies, and saving the world types from aliens.You can even find Neo-Noir on television in series such as, V, where the femme fatale role is trying to save the world and her son from the Visitors who have plans to repopulate the world with a hybrid of humans and aliens. Others include series such as, Detroit 1-8-7, Southland, Nikita, and The Vampire Diaries. What regular person would know or suspect that they were watching a version of Neo-Noir? All they know is the the movie or series are filled with suspense, action, mystery, terror, and death. And in all of these cases the heroes have to do whatever they can to accomplish their goals, even if it means innocent people have to suffer. As the article stated, Neo-Noir is still out there, it is just being disguised.