Film noir ("black film") was named by French film critics and refers to the dark or shadowed look and mood of an American film style influenced by German expressionism. Plots center on events that often occur at night, and the characters tend to be cynical and disillusioned, but usually likeable. The male protagonist faces a moral dilemma or threat and there is usually an alluring, sassy, dangerous woman. The dialog tends to be crisp and often witty.
These films evolved in the 1940s and lasted in a classic period until about 1960.
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