Pulp noir explained

Pulp noir is a subgenre influenced by various "noir" genres, as well as (as implied by its name) pulp fiction genres; particularly the hard-boiled genres which help give rise to film noir.^[1] Pulp noir is marked by its use of classic noir techniques, but with urban influences. Various media include film, illustrations, photographs and videogames.

In film

Whereas film noir directly involves characters living bleak existences to accomplish a goal with odds against them, pulp noir often portrays a grittier, one-man army. Typically, the main character has no distinguishing abilities, but can hold ground against seemingly impossible odds. Pulp noir locations are often seedy, run-down and degradated urban landscapes, where the lack of law, morals and even the proliferation of crime and drugs are common themes. Another common trend in pulp noir is the glorification and/or demonization of its urban locations.

Examples

• Cat People (1942)^[2]
• Double Indemnity (1944)^[3]
• Laura (1944)
• Detour (1945)^[3]
• Hangover Square (1945)
• Gilda (1946)^[3]
• The Killers (1946)^[3]
• Nightmare Alley (1947)
• Out of the Past (1947)^[3]
• The Naked City (1948)^[3]
• Thieves Highway (1949)^[4]
• No Way Out (1950)
• Night and the City (1950)
• Niagara (1953)
• 99 River Street (1953)^[5]
• Pickup on South Street (1953)^{[6] [7]}
• Killer's Kiss (1955)^[8]
• Kiss Me Deadly (1955)^[6]
• Touch of Evil (1958)^[9]
• Shock Corridor (1963)^[10]
• The Naked Kiss (1964)^[11]
• Bonnie and Clyde (1967)^[12]
• Batman (1989)^[13]
• Dick Tracy (1990)^{[14] [15]}
• The Rocketeer (1991)^[16]
• Pulp Fiction (1994)^[12]
• Million Dollar Baby (2004)^[12]
• Sin City (2005)^[17]
• The Paperboy (2012)^[18]
• The Wild Goose Lake (2019)^[19]

In other media

Some illustrations and photographs are described as being pulp noir. Recently, some video games, such as the Max Payne third-person shooter series, have been portrayed in a film noir style, using heavy, gritty, dirty urban themes. SF Weekly journalist Matt Smith used the term to describe the act of "sprinting to the crime scene, skidding on my heels, and yelling at everyone and nobody in particular: 'Who's in charge here?'" ^[20]

See also

• Neo-noir
• Pulp magazines
• Vulgar auteurism
• Arthouse action film
• B-movie

Notes and References

1. https://americanpulps.com/influences-of-film-noir/ Influences of Film Noir - American Pulps
2. https://books.google.com/books?id=od7_WdOylyoC Black & White & Noir: American Pulp Modernism - Google Books (pgs.11-12)
3. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/rabi11480 Black & White & Noir: America's Pulp Modernism on JSTOR
4. https://www.pps.org/article/ten-great-movies-for-placemakers?utm-content=bufferce3ed&utm-medium=social&utm-source=twitter.com&utm-campaign=buffer Ten Great Movies for Placemakers —— Project for Public Spaces
5. https://trailersfromhell.com/99-river-street/ 99 River Street - Trailers From Hell
6. https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/06/02/seeing-red/ The Paris Review - Revisiting "Pickup on South Street" - Paris Review
7. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7577-the-criterion-channels-november-2021-lineup The Criterion Channel's November 2021 Lineup|Current|The Criterion Collection
8. https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8181-the-criterion-channels-july-2023-lineup The Criterion Channel's July 2023 Lineup|Current|The Criterion Collection
9. https://collider.com/orson-welles-touch-of-evil/ How Orson Welles Recharged the Pulpy Crime Genre With ‘Touch of Evil’|Collider
10. https://www.filmnoirblonde.com/noir-nightmare-%E2%80%98shock-corridor%E2%80%99-ramps-up-the-pulp-and-reminds-us-we%E2%80%99re-all-a-little-wacky/ Noir nightmare 'Shock Corridor' ramps up the pulp and reminds us: We're all a little wacky —— Film Noir Blonde
11. http://www.noiroftheweek.com/2013/06/the-naked-kiss-1964.html The Naked Kiss (1964)|Film Noir of the Week
12. https://decider.com/2019/03/28/bonnie-and-clyde-movies/ Bonnie and Clyde Movies: A History of the Criminal Duo in Film|Decider
13. https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/06/23/batman-not-star-wars-was-the-groundbreaking-blockbuster-that-ruined-hollywood/?sh=597d59783ea0 Why 'Batman,' Not 'Star Wars,' Was The Box Office Blockbuster That Ruined Hollywood - Forbes
14. https://lwlies.com/articles/15-june-1990-gremlins-2-the-new-batch-dick-tracy/ 15 June, 1990, an exceptionally unhinged day in Hollywood history - Little White Lies
15. https://www.criminalelement.com/passionate-about-pulp-revisiting-dick-tracy-1990/ Passionate About Pulp: Revisiting Dick Tracy (1990) - Criminal Element
16. https://theloftusparty.com/2021/05/03/creating-a-pulp-and-noir-heroverse-for-the-big-screen/ Creating a Pulp and Noir Heroverse for the Big Screen - The Loftus Party
17. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sin-city-2005 Sin City (2005) - Roger Ebert.com
18. https://www.dmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2012/10/movie-review-what-the-paperboy-says-or-doesnt-about-sex-in-the-south/ Movie Review: What The Paperboy Says (Or Doesn't) About Sex in The South - D Magazine
19. https://geektyrant.com/news/awesome-trailer-for-the-chinese-pulp-noir-thriller-the-wild-goose-lake Awesome Trailer for the Chinese Pulp Noir Gangster Thriller THE WILD GOOSE LAKE —— GeekTyrant
20. https://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/noir-you-see-it-noir-you-dont/Content?oid=2157144 Noir You See It, Noir You Don't|Matt Smith|SF Weekly