Casey Chong presents a selection of underrated neo-noir movies from the 1990s…
The 1990s era saw a string of notable neo-noirs from Warren Beatty’s bold comic strip-like style Dick Tracy (1990) to Abel Ferrara’s stark Bad Lieutenant (1992) and of course, the Oscar-winning L.A. Confidential (1997). But the same decade also produced a few more other neo-noirs, which have either been forgotten or went virtually unnoticed at the time of their releases. And so, here we have compiled eight of the underrated neo-noir movies of the 1990s that are worth a watch…
Sand Trap (1997)
This little-seen neo-noir thriller marks the directorial debut of Harris Done, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jerry Rapp. The premise echoes Roy Ward Baker’s 1953 thriller Inferno, where the protagonist is left to die in the desert by his wife and her lover. Shot on a low budget, the production value looks competently made like it cost twice as much and since Done got his start as a cinematographer, he knows well how to capture the sweltering heat of the Mojave Desert backdrop.
Despite enlisting no-name actors, the three principal actors – David John James, Elizabeth Morehead, and Brad Koepenick – did excellent jobs in their roles; Morehead particularly excels the most as the scheming and cold-hearted femme fatale wife of David John James’s meek businessman character, who wants him dead at all costs. What makes Sand Trap compulsively watchable is the way Done embraces all the mix-and-match genres — sleazy erotic-thriller tropes, pitch-black comedy, and surreal humor within the neo-noir trappings – and generate enough fun throughout his movie’s pacy 100-minute runtime.
Kiss or Kill (1997)
A largely forgotten Aussie neo-noir featuring then-relative newcomer Frances O’Connor, who would go on to star in movies like Mansfield Park and A.I. Artificial Intelligence, writer-director Bill Bennett approaches Kiss or Kill’s outlaw lovers-on-the-run (O’Connor and Matt Day) cliché shot in a documentary style and full of improvisation. The latter is especially true since Bennett favors a more spontaneous way of directing his cast, which gives the actors including O’Connor and Day ample room to ad-lib most of their dialogue. The run-and-gun filmmaking technique works well with heavy use of jump cuts and a notable absence of music score mirrors the chaotic nature of O’Connor and Day’s characters turned fugitives following a botched scam.
Kiss or Kill also embraces its road-movie structure, which in this case, takes place across the Australian Outback filled with moments of outlaw lovers encountering eclectic minor characters along the way. O’Connor and Day are the heart and soul of the movie, evidently in the dynamic of their love-hate chemistry while Chris Haywood and Andrew S. Gilbert bring exceptionally deadpan humor to their police detective roles hot on the trail of the outlaw lovers.
Phoenix (1998)
The big-budget fiasco of the Sylvester Stallone-starring Judge Dredd has resulted in Danny Cannon returning to a small-scale production similar to his 1993 debut in The Young Americans. His post-Judge Dredd is a neo-noir crime drama that has Ray Liotta doing what he does best: playing a tough guy with his trademark piercing blue-eyed intensity. The kind who means serious business and you-don’t-wanna-mess-with-him-up type of person. Here, he’s a corrupt cop who is also a compulsive gambler and highly superstitious finding himself landing in hot water due to a huge gambling debt.
Liotta is backed by a stellar supporting cast from Anthony LaPaglia’s slimy turn as a fellow corrupt cop to Tom Noonan’s devious crime boss. Phoenix doesn’t reinvent the genre with familiar themes of crime, murder, corruption and betrayal all intact. And yet, Cannon’s assured direction speaks volumes and the dialogue is filled with plenty of quips and Tarantino-esque pop-culture references (the criticism of the King Kong movie immediately comes to mind).
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
Once upon a time, James Foley used to make good movies before resorting to tepid clunkers like Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Going back to the early ‘90s, he made After Dark, My Sweet – a deliberate slow-burn neo-noir based on the 1955 Jim Thompson novel of the same name. Too bad the movie failed to connect with the audience at the time of its release, grossing only a paltry $2.7 million against its $6 million budget.
Largely underrated and deserving of a second chance, Foley’s exploration of hollow, unsympathetic individuals – Jason Patric’s mentally troubled ex-boxer Collie, Rachel Ward’s alcoholic Fay and Bruce Dern’s scheming Uncle Bud – delves deeper into these characters’ desperation trying to turn their fortunes around (the movie also involves a kidnapping plot of a child). There’s a sense of visual alienation that perfectly reflects the three principal characters’ lonely existence, coupled with the pessimistic mood layering throughout the movie before culminating in a downbeat finale as hopelessly drenched as the sun-baked California desert.
A Kiss Before Dying (1991)
A remake of the 1956 film of the same name, which itself based on Ira Levin’s 1953 novel, A Kiss Before Dying opens with a shocker: an apparent suicide that ends the life of a blonde millionaire’s (Max von Sydow) daughter played by Sean Young. Here, writer-director James Dearden’s fourth feature doesn’t shy away from depicting the graphic nature of the character’s death with a purposeful sense of maximalist visuals.
Sean Young plays a dual role, where she appears again as the unsuspecting twin sister who gets romantically involved with Matt Dillon’s sweet-talking Jonathan Corliss. Dearden does a good job exploring the uncompromisingly dark side of human nature within the movie’s neo-noir tropes, evidently in Matt Dillon’s too-good-to-be-true charming personality manifesting a vile evil of an ambitious young man who cares more about power and wealth.
Revenge (1990)
Revenge feels like an odd one out for Tony Scott, whose directorial style often leans toward more slick and stylish visuals. This can be seen in his works like Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II and Days of Thunder. But this neo-noir romantic thriller, which starred Kevin Costner as the retired U.S. Navy pilot who finds himself falling in love with his wealthy friend’s (Anthony Quinn) sultry young wife (Madeleine Stowe), showcases a different side of Tony Scott – one that is paced slower and emphasizes more on the forbidden romance between Costner and Stowe rather than fulfilling the sensational thrills of the title.
Even when the eventual revenge takes place, this isn’t the type of thriller where all guns blazing. Violence remains intact but only in a sporadic manner and Scott has the knack of visualizing the physical pain a character goes through, evidently in a scene where Costner’s character is beaten to a pulp and left to die in the desert. With Jeffrey L. Kimball serving as the cinematographer, who previously shot Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop II, he successfully captured the scorching heat of the Mexican landscape. The movie also benefits from Costner and Stowe’s sizzling chemistry, where Kimball’s camera is put to good use in nailing the steamy part of their romantic affair.
One False Move (1992)
Carl Franklin’s One False Move went under the radar upon its release in 1992 but has since been reassessed as an underappreciated gem of a neo-noir thriller. The movie is notable for Bill Paxton’s multifaceted performance, easily one of the best in his storied career before he passed away in 2017.
Playing a small-time Star City, Arkansas police chief Dale “Hurricane” Dixon who wanted to make a good impression cooperating with two LAPD detectives (Earl Billings, Jim Metzler), Paxton is first depicted as a laidback law enforcer. But Franklin’s layered direction soon reveals further depth as the story progresses, notably on Paxton’s Dale’s past before leading to a turning point of his character arc. The movie also features memorable supporting turns from Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Beach and Cynda Williams as three vicious criminals wanted for multiple murders.
A Simple Plan (1998)
Bill Paxton reunites with his One False Move co-star Billy Bob Thornton in Sam Raimi’s underrated neo-noir thriller A Simple Plan, which also marks the director’s detour from his usual horror fare. Instead of playing characters from both sides of the law, Paxton and Thornton are brothers here, who struck gold along with their friend (Brent Briscoe) after they find a large stash of money inside a plane wreckage.
Emphasizing the age-old “money is the root of all evil” adage, Raimi and screenwriter Scott B. Smith delve deeper into the dark side of human nature once greed consumes a person inside out. Both Paxton and Thornton particularly deliver standout performances while Raimi’s meaty direction proves he can do more than just a strictly genre filmmaker. Shame that the box office said otherwise when it was released in 1998, with the film ending up with a disappointing $16.3 million against a $17 million budget.
Have you seen the films on this list? Do you have any 90s neo-noir recommendations worth of inclusion? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Casey Chong
