'Double Indemnity' and 4 Other Classic Noir Movies, Ranked by IMDb

Film noir is an extraordinary cinematic phenomenon whose very existence has sparked heated debate for decades. Is it a genre, a movement, or just a style? The boundaries of the noir definition are as blurred as the moral principles of its characters.

Here are five noir masterpieces that remain timeless even after more than half a century.

5. 'The Woman in the Window', 1944

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

Professor of psychology Richard gives a lecture on the psychological aspects of murder. Then, he sees his wife and children off to the train and heads to a club to meet friends. On the way, he notices a portrait of a beautiful woman named Alice on display in a shop window.

Fascinated by the image, Professor meets Alice in person at the same shop window on his way back. She invites him to view her other portraits, and he agrees.

Much to his misfortune, Alice has an extremely jealous admirer named Claude who forces Richard to test his murder theories in practice.

4. 'The Big Sleep', 1946

IMDb Score: 7.9/10

The story full of mysteries begins when General Sternwood hires Philip Marlowe to find Arthur Geiger, who is blackmailing his daughter, Carmen, with incriminating material.

The investigation leads Marlowe to the mysterious disappearance of the general's chauffeur, Sean Regan, who allegedly ran off with Eddie Mars's wife.

The Big Sleep deviates from genre conventions. The narrative is more linear, lacking a voice-over. Contrary to usual, the main character, private detective Philip Marlowe, played by Humphrey Bogart, is quite vulnerable.

3. 'The Maltese Falcon', 1941

IMDb Score: 7.9/10

Ruth Wonderly arrives at the office of private detectives Sam Spade and Miles Archer. Looking like a damsel in distress, she asks the detectives to find Floyd Thursby, an Englishman with whom her sister supposedly ran away.

The next day, Thursby and Archer are found dead after setting out on his trail. Ruth – if that is indeed her name – disappears. One by one, extremely suspicious characters come to Spade.

They ask him about the mysterious statuette of the Maltese Falcon, which was once given by the Order of the Hospitallers to Emperor Charles V.

2. 'Vertigo', 1958

IMDb Score: 8.2/10

The story yells about police officer John "Scottie" Ferguson, who has developed acrophobia, or a fear of heights.

After quitting his job, he lives a boring life until an old acquaintance asks him to keep an eye on his wife, Madeleine.

Reluctantly agreeing, Scottie becomes increasingly fascinated by the woman and her secret as he watches her fall into a trance at times when looking at a portrait of a girl who looks remarkably like her and who committed suicide many years ago.

1. 'Double Indemnity', 1944

IMDb Score: 8.3/10

Walter Neff is an ordinary insurance agent. His life changes when he meets Phyllis Dietrichson, a classic noir femme fatale played by Barbara Stanwyck. She is as charming and attractive as she is unhappy in her marriage. Walter had little chance of resisting temptation.

Together, they devise a simple yet profitable plan: to stage the death of Phyllis' husband as an accident on a train and collect the insurance money.