New to Noir? Just Turn to the Times.

As this article deftly points out, it’s hard to put a finger on exactly what makes noir noir. But the road to figuring it out is a fun and dark one, and they’ll tell you the one film to start with and give you the directions you need to succumb to the pull of fate. (To put it noir-ishly.)

Want to Be an Instant Expert on Film Noir? Watch This Drama

For a crash course on a category that can be hard to pin down, Nicholas Ray’s psychologically complex “In a Lonely Place” has it all, starting with a sneering Bogart.