1994 | 2 hours 34 minutes | Directed by Quentin Tarantino
 

Starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson

If you haven't watched Pulp Fiction, haven't seen any memes derived directly from it (remember Lost Travolta?), haven't heard any lines quoted from it, and have not heard anything about its glorious soundtrack, then you, my friend, have been living under a rock for the past few decades. Apologies to those who did actually live under a rock, though. Pulp Fiction is the perfect embodiment of our pop culture itself - glamorized violence, twisting plot, memorable dialogues, everyone's favorite movie tropes, and, of course, beautiful girls make this movie beyond iconic. Of course, you can always argue about that too, but to us, Pulp Fiction is a winner in many categories.

1974 | 2 hours 10 minutes | Directed by Roman Polanski
 

Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
 

Chinatown is a neo-noir mystery drama film inspired by the California water wars at the beginning of the 20th century. It goes like this - a private detective is hired to expose an unfaithful party in 1930 Los Angeles. However, once he starts to unravel the story, he finds himself in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder. Chinatown is probably one of the most awarded neo-noir genre movies to this day, and with its compelling story and marvelous acting, we have no questions about its revered status.

1988 | 1 hour 44 minutes | Directed by Robert Zemeckis
 

Starring Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joana Cassidy

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a live-action/animated comedy mystery film by Robert Zemeckis. It's a loose adaptation of the 1981 novel written by Gary K. Wolf and follows the story of Eddie Valiant, a private investigator who must exonerate Roger Rabbit framed for a murder. To make it even better, the movie is set in a fictional version of 1947 Hollywood where humans and cartoon characters (called 'toons') co-exist. Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a huge success, gaining near-universal praise from critics who stated that this movie is innovative, entertaining, and tells an original story to boot.

1986 | 2 hours | Directed by David Lynch
 

Starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper
 

Blue Velvet is a neo-noir mystery thriller film that's a perfect blend of psychological horror and film noir. To try and explain Lynch would be a definite copywriter suicide, but if you'd be satisfied with just the banalities of Blue Velvet's plot, then here it is - a guy finds a severed ear in his suburban paradise. Being an adventure-driven lad, he sets out to figure out whose ear it is, and sure enough, this leads him to a revelation about the seedy underbelly of society. Of course, you do understand that it being a work of Lynch, Blue Velvet is truly much more complex and symbolic than just that!

1976 | 1 hour 54 minutes | Directed by Martin Scorsese
 

Starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
 

Taxi Driver is a neo-noir film set in morally bankrupt New York City after the Vietnam War. Our protagonist is a taxi driver and a veteran called Travis Bickle, who sees this decaying city every night during his shifts. He's mentally unstable; however, there's still that hero thread in him, and he's willing to set things straight in this sleazy metropolis. Taxi Driver is the movie that every cinema lover should watch, no matter their preferred genre.

2008 | 2 hours 32 minutes | Directed by Christopher Nolan
 

Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart

The Dark Knight is a neo-noir film in superhero movie disguise, following, as you all well know, Batman and his noble fight for the peace of Gotham city dwellers. In this movie, Batman's nemesis is the Joker, and Heath Ledger's acting made this villain an absolute icon. The Dark Knight is no regular cheesy superhero flick as it is riddled with weighty topics like the duality of a hero and stark social commentary. If we had to choose one Batman movie to watch over and over, The Dark Knight would be it.

1967 | 1 hour 32 minutes | Directed by John Boorman
 

Starring Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, Keenan Wynn
 

Point Blank is a crime film adapted from a crime pulp novel called The Hunter by Donald E. Westlake. The story follows a mysterious man called Walker right after he has been double-crossed and left for dead. However, Walker isn't one to take his pills calmly, and even though he was just dying, he single-mindedly tries to retrieve the stolen money. Point Blank is the father of all suspense thrillers that will surely have you on the edge of your seat for its whole runtime.

1973 | 1 hour 52 minutes | Directed by Robert Altman
 

Starring Elliot Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden
 

The Long Goodbye is a neo-noir satirical mystery thriller film following the story of a private investigator called Philip Marlowe. Philip helps his old buddy out of a very conspicuous jam and, in doing so, gets implicated in his wife's murder. The movie has been described as a study of a moral man cast in a selfish and self-obsessed society, where his belief clashed with the stuff needed to survive in such circumstances. Now, remember that The Long Goodbye is both a neo-noir thriller and a satire, and be prepared to be amorally amused by the protagonist's mental torture. 

2001 | 2 hours 27 minutes | Directed by David Lynch
 

Starring Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux
 

Mulholland Drive is a surrealist neo-noir movie that tells the story of a young aspiring actress upon her arrival in Hollywood. Here she meets and befriends an amnesiac woman. Now, this premise sounds kinda simplistic, but yet again, it is Lynch, so be prepared to find yourself in a dream within a dream within a dream that's both confusing and weirdly comforting at the very same time. Mulholland Drive will not only make you question your perception of things but reality itself. But, what else would you expect from David?

2011 | 1 hour 40 minutes | Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
 

Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston
 

Drive is an action drama film that is, in fact, a very nice example of the neo-noir genre. Based on James Sallis' novel of the same name, Drive follows a mysterious Hollywood stuntman and mechanic who's also a getaway driver. His decision to help a young mother living nearby leads to unexpected consequences, and now our mystery man has to fend for his life. Some critics even called Drive an arthouse action movie, and no wonder - saturated with impressive visuals, melancholy tunes, and embellished with top-notch acting, Drive sure is a one-of-a-kind movie.