11 Character Archetypes in Film Noir Movies

11 Character Archetypes in Film Noir

Some of my favorite noirs are Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, and many, many more. I actually really like Sniper and The Killer Who Stalked New York, both of which I caught for the first time this week.

With all the movies I watched, I wanted to go through the characters I kept seeing over and over again.

1. The Hard-Boiled Detective:
   • In classics, it's always a guy. But it would be a fun gender swap person. They're a world-weary, cynical, and often solitary private investigator.
   • Think Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon or Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep.
2. The Femme Fatale:
   • We've covered her a lot on this site. She's an alluring and seductive woman who uses her beauty and charm to manipulate men for her own gain. I did my own riff on this on my Black List script, Himbo.
   • The classic examples include Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon and Sheila Benne in The Killer Who Stalked New York.
3. The Corrupt Cop:
   • There's so many bad lawmen in these movies. It has to do with the underbelly of society. Lots of times we see a law enforcement officer who is compromised by greed, power, or corruption.
   • Captain Dudley Smith in L.A. Confidential is a perfect example.
4. The Victim:
   • Someone has to get murdered in these movies. Or at least get hurt. Many times it's woman caught in a web of deceit and danger. But it could also be a husband or a witness to a crime.
   • Consider Vivian Rutledge in The Big Sleep.
5. The Wrongfully Accused:
   • Not just the main character in a Leslie Nielsen movie. Lots of people in these films are a lot of times falsely implicated in a crime, and then forced to go on the run to clear their name.
   • The prime example is Dr. Richard Kimble in The Fugitive.
6. The Informant:
   • You need info if you're going to need someone to deliver it. This is a person who gives crucial information to the protagonist.
   • Teddy in Body Heat is my all time favorite. He shows you how to build a bomb and kill a man.
7. The Thug:
   • You need someone to crack skulls and take people out. This is usually a violent criminal, who's the muscle that makes things happen.
   • Vince stone in The Big Heat a classic example.
8. The Wealthy Socialite:
   • These movies love to have rich characters who have their world's threatened or who give access to money and fortune.
   • Think Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
9. The Down-on-Their-Luck Everyman:
   • An ordinary person caught in extraordinary circumstances, who is our window into the world. These are usually our protagonist characters.
   • Al Roberts in Detour works well here.
10. The Psychotic Killer:
    • There's always one super bad baddie who is pretty much a nutjob and unpredictable.
    • Cody Jarrett in White Heat is a classic example.
11. The Crooked Lawyer:
    • The slippery lawyer is one of those characters that just fits into the criminal underworld. They are manipulative and morally flexible.
    • The best example, even thought it's TV, is Saul from Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.