Top 15 Film Noir Quotes

Words matter. These are the best Film Noir Quotes from famous people such as Shinichiro Watanabe, Thomas Middleditch, Lenny Abrahamson, Marie Windsor, David Harbour, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.

I was influenced by American movies of the '60s and '70

I was influenced by American movies of the ’60s and ’70s, especially Don Siegel’s ‘Dirty Harry’ and the films of Sam Peckinpah. And, of course, a lot of the film noir movies of the ’40s.
Shinichiro Watanabe
In D&D, you’re only in that fantasy world. But with GURPS, you can, like, play a game that’s Los Angeles film noir, or a game where the premise is you are world-jumpers, and you can go to different worlds.
Thomas Middleditch
When we say ‘cinematic’, we tend to think John Ford and vistas and wide-open spaces. Or we think of kinetic camera movement or of a certain number of cinematic styles, like film noir.
Lenny Abrahamson
I didn’t know I was doing film noir, I thought they were detective stories with low lighting!
Marie Windsor
I love all kinds of stuff. I really am so eclectic in my taste. I love film noir, I love thrillers, and I love big blockbuster popcorn cinema stuff, but I like it when it’s twinged with a bit more social consciousness.
David Harbour
That was certainly true the first time, when I did Body Heat, the first movie that I directed. I was looking for a vessel to tell a certain kind of story, and I was a huge fan of Film Noir, and what I liked about it was that it was so extreme in style.
Lawrence Kasdan
I love film noir, so Billy Wilder is like my favorite director of all time.
Tony Todd
The thing I loved about the cartoons I grew up with is, to this day, I’m still just starting to get certain references from Bugs Bunny cartoons. I’ll see some film noir movie and go, ‘Wait, that’s what Bugs Bunny was quoting!’ I like the idea we made the unfolding fortune cookie for ten years from now.
Christopher McCulloch
With a genre like film noir, everyone has these assumptions and expectations. And once all of those things are in place, that’s when you can really start to twist it about and mess around with it.
Lana Wachowski
I’d love to play a femme fatale in a film noir. I’m thinking of one of those roles that Lauren Bacall or Bette Davis might have played. What I wouldn’t like is to suddenly find myself being cast, as many senior actresses seem to be, as the abbess in a convent.
Diana Quick
I’m into clothes, but in a way that’s related to wanting to walk into a film noir movie. You know, I love to go to vintage stores, but mostly it’s stuff that I don’t have anywhere to wear… I don’t have the life that goes with the clothes.
Maureen Dowd
Billy Wilder is really is a heavy influence on Bound. We felt that film noir was a genre where you could create a really contained story. We wanted to be on a set as much as we could to get the kind of style level we were looking for.
Lana Wachowski
Sometimes it feels as if the artist hasn’t done the real work of engaging with the material. Film noir can’t just play off looks and attitudes. A thriller needs a dose of genuine suspense. It does not have to be literal, but it does have to feel genuine. Otherwise the artist is just leeching off the form.
Margo Jefferson
I think a film noir demands a beginning and an end.
Claire Denis
The AW14 collection is inspired by Film Noir. Elements of masculinity and femininity were reflected in the fabric, tailoring, and features.
Emilia Wickstead