Christmas is approaching and the countdown has begun. As the world is preparing to embrace the most enjoyable time of the year, it is needless to mention that the occurrence of undesirable situations during a merry time, is alarmingly frequent.
While we decorate a cozy corner of our home with Christmas trees and mistletoes and then indulge in heartwarming family reunions, some dark facts unfortunately lurk around the corner.
The mysterious world of crime is relentless throughout the year and it is not aware of the spirit of Christmas. So, here are 15 Christmas noir movies that will show you that not everything is on the right track.
1. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Seeing a tough woman standing between crime and innocence is captivating. In this American thriller, directed by Charles Laughton, Rachel Cooper shows it is not that easy to mess with stray children when she is around.
Harry Powell, a serial killer behind the mask of a preacher, tries to get his hands on the money his ex-cellmate Ben Harper has hidden. From gaining the trust of the people in Ben’s town to marrying and finally murdering her wife and threatening her children John and Pearl, Harry shows his talent in planned homicide.
However, after losing their parents and after the threat is gone, John and Pearl get to spend their first Christmas with Rachel and the stray kids she so kindly looks out for.
2. Blast of Silence (1961)
Spending Christmas in his hometown didn’t quite lead to a happy ending for Frankie Bono. This film directed by and starring Allen Baron reflects how much vulnerability can be introduced in your life when you are a professional hitman.
Reliving traumas from the past can make even a stone-cold killer lose his nerves. The underworld, always greedy, refuses to see through Frankie's attempt to live a normal life and asks him to carry out the hit, he was hired for, before New Year’s eve.
Frankie, realizing he has no chance with Lorrie and a normal life, dives deep into his profession. But the best time of the year doesn’t fare him well in the end.
3. The Silent Partner (1978)
We get to experience the dedication of a public sector employee in this Canadian thriller film by Daryl Duke. Sure, Miles Cullen could’ve simply ignored the accidental piece of information that the bank he works for is going to get robbed.
Instead, he figures out who might be planning such a drastic move with Christmas around the corner and takes matters into his own hands. We get to see the battle of cunning and nerve between Miles Cullen and Harry Reikle over the money the former intentionally misplaced to protect the public interest.
4. L.A. Confidential (1997)
Corruption runs hand in hand with law and enforcement. Such is the plot for this Curtis Hanson film. Desperate to regain their former reputation in the public’s eye, the LAPD tries to figure out the links between their officers and mob bosses.
Based on the timeline of the infamous ‘Bloody Christmas incident, this film clearly reflects the dark side of a privileged society that prefers to keep things hidden. We experience the rise of Edmund Exley, a career-oriented cop, as he unfolds truths that can seriously damage the reputation of the department.
5. Reindeer Games (2000)
In this John Frankenheimer-directed thriller, we experience a well-planned trap that lures Rudy Duncan right in. Nick dies tragically protecting Rudy in a prison fight just two days before their release.
As Nick’s dream of joining his family for Christmas perishes, Rudy poses as his savior to meet Ashley, a girl Nick was exchanging letters with. One thing led to another and Rudy finds himself as a key piece in a plan to rob a casino.
Out of fear that he might get murdered in case the robbers figure out that he is an imposter, Rudy goes ahead with the plan later to find out that Ashley is not what he thought she was.
6. The Ice Harvest (2005)
Deception and tracheary have always been a part of stories based on mob stars. Based on the novel The Ice Harvest by Scott Philips, this movie slowly reveals the mystery behind the graffiti “As Wichita falls, so falls Wichita Falls”.
It’s Christmas Eve and instead of indulging in the gala atmosphere Charlie Arglist and Vic Cavanaugh are planning to run out of town after stealing from their boss Bill Guerrard.
But Bill is not the only one being deceived here, cause an amount of two million dollars is bound to attract more than one cunning mind and multiple layers of planning.
7. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
It is not always the crime world that has shocking truths hidden under their skin, some times the glamour industry also takes an unintentional dip in the pool of secrecy.
Partially based on the novel Bodies Are Where You Find Them by Brett Halliday, this directional debut of Shane Black focuses on a deep family drama. Harry Lockhart, after winning a screen test owing to a casting director’s mistake of thinking of Harry’s public remorse as method acting, ends up with Perry Van Shrike to learn about a private investigation.
The film reveals tragic truths as Harry continues to go ahead with his fake identity as a private investigator and finally accepts his fate as a real one.
8. In Bruges (2008)
This crime thriller film written and directed by Martin McDonagh, reveals the moral codes of hitmen. Out of sheer inexperience, Ray accidentally kills a young boy resulting in him and his mentor Ken being sent to Bruges and waiting for further instructions.
Driven by values and codes their boss Harry concludes that killing a child, even unintentionally, is unforgivable. He instructs the mentor to get rid of the mentee. But Ken experiencing Ray’s deep remorse chooses otherwise.
Harry, furious with Ken’s insubordination, steps in to complete the task himself. Although Harry is unforgiving and not so big on second chances, this attribute did not apply to just others but himself as well.
9. I, the Jury (1982)
Sometimes the key piece of a puzzle is veiled by a fog of several layers and only by going through each of them, you can shed light on the actual truth. This film based on the 1947 best-selling detective novel I, the Jury by Mickey Spillane, shows an estranged detective Mike Hammer voluntarily getting involved in the murder investigation of detective Jack Williams.
Jack saved Mike’s life once and in the act lost his one arm. Through his journey to find the killer, Mike uncovers the truth involving military experiments involving mind control and misleading clues planted by the CIA to distract him.
10. Christmas Eve (1947)
Although Christmas is the time we wait for throughout the year, there are some isolated incidents involving family drama. In this comedy-drama film by Edwin L. Martin, we see greed in the guise of concern as Phillip Hastings plans to gain control over his aunt Matilda Reed’s wealth.
Matilda out of her eccentric judgment chooses to adopt three sons, who are long lost and can save her from the conspiracy if they show up for a Christmas Eve reunion. We experience some serious chaos in the reunion as none of the adopted sons are out there living a picturesque life.
11. Lady in the lake (1947)
As frustrated private detective Phillip Marlowe decides to quit his profession because of its low pay, he accidentally entangles himself in a murder mystery happening right inside the publication where he submits a murder story.
During the discussion regarding his work, Phillip realizes that he is being played. Just a few days before Christmas, an executive from the publication, Adrienne Fromsett, hires him to find her boss, Derace Kingsby’s wife.
Phillip figures out it is not a simple case of an employee hiding a secret passion for his boss as he, one by one, collects the missing pieces of the puzzle.
12. Mr. Arkadin (1955)
Leveraging sensitive information for blackmail was the strategy of Guy Van Stratten and his accomplice, Mily. Directed by Orson Welles, this film shows how a cunning man can get played in the hands of his victim.
Mr. Gregory Arkadin possesses a secret and Guy intends to get some money out of him in return for his silence around the whole matter. But half knowledge leads Guy right into the trap set up for him by Mr. Arkadin and the consequences are terrible.
13. Christmas Holiday (1944)
This film by Robert Sidomak portrays the dark side of joy with a tale unlikely to be told on Christmas Eve. U.S. Army officer Charlie Mason comes across this charming hostess Abigail Manette.
Through flashbacks, we can see the sad past life Abigail had which finally led him to becoming a bar hostess. Her charming but derailed ex-husband commits a murder and from then everything goes downward in her life but finally earns a second chance as her husband, despite his efforts to cover the crime, gets a life sentence and is later shot to death while escaping.
14. Repeat Performance (1947)
This fantasy movie begins with Sheila Page murdering her husband on New Year’s Eve 1946. Panic-stricken and mind overtaken with guilt, she wishes to relive the year 1946 again. And this time she intends to make it perfect.
Her wish was granted at midnight taking Sheila back to the beginning of the year. But despite her attempt to make things perfect, some events kept repeating resulting in almost similar tragedies by the end of the year.
15. Backfire (1950)
In this crime film, timed right after the infamous World War II, Bob Corey is admitted to a hospital owing to multiple injuries in his spine. His friend from the military Steve Conolly had a plan to purchase a ranch with their military benefits.
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On Christmas Eve, as Bob is recovering from his final surgery, he is visited by a woman. She tells him that Steve has been in a horrible accident and asks for her help to put him out of his misery. Later, on his release from the hospital, Bob finds out that Steve is wanted for the murder of a gambler and racketeer.
As Bob enters the state of confusion around him, he finds himself in the middle of a chaotic situation owing to love and gambling. Bob later figures that Steve was not in a state to commit a crime because of his injury from an attempted murder, which was staged as an accident.
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