Movies & Shows Like Kansas City Confidential

Description: A detective story filled with deceit, double-crosses, and a quest for a priceless artifact, featuring a hard-boiled protagonist and a cast of untrustworthy characters.

Fact: This was the third film adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's novel. It is considered the first major film noir and established many of the genre's conventions.

Description: A masterclass in noir storytelling, featuring a insurance salesman seduced into a murder plot by a femme fatale, with sharp dialogue, shadowy visuals, and a sense of impending doom.

Fact: The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards but won none. It is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made and set the standard for film noir.

Description: A classic noir that unravels the mystery behind a man's passive acceptance of his own murder, featuring flashbacks, a labyrinthine plot, and a sense of inevitable doom.

Fact: The film was based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway. It marked the screen debut of Burt Lancaster and was one of the first noirs to gain critical acclaim.

Description: A steamy, morally ambiguous thriller about an illicit affair and a murder plot, driven by passion and desperation, with a fatalistic tone and sharp dialogue.

Fact: The film was controversial for its time due to its explicit portrayal of sexuality. It was based on a novel by James M. Cain, who also wrote 'Double Indemnity.'

Description: A quintessential film noir with a complex plot involving a private investigator, a femme fatale, and a past that refuses to stay buried, all wrapped in shadowy cinematography.

Fact: The film was shot on location in California and Nevada, which was unusual for noirs at the time. It features one of the most memorable dialogue exchanges in noir history.

Description: A dark tale of doomed love and betrayal, centered around a heist gone wrong, with a protagonist caught in a web of his own making and a femme fatale who seals his fate.

Fact: The film's climax was shot in the iconic Union Station in Los Angeles. It was one of the first noirs to use a flashback structure to tell its story.

Description: A gritty crime drama that delves into the meticulous planning and inevitable unraveling of a heist, featuring morally ambiguous characters and a stark, realistic portrayal of criminal life.

Fact: The film was one of the first to depict a heist in such detail, influencing countless crime films that followed. It was also notable for its use of non-professional actors in minor roles to enhance realism.

Description: A hard-hitting crime thriller that explores themes of corruption, revenge, and moral ambiguity, with a protagonist who takes the law into his own hands to seek justice.

Fact: The film is famous for its shocking coffee-throwing scene, which was considered extremely violent for its time. It also features one of the most iconic femme fatales in noir history.

Description: A tightly plotted noir about a meticulously planned racetrack robbery that goes awry due to human error and betrayal, showcasing a non-linear narrative and a bleak outlook on fate.

Fact: This film was Stanley Kubrick's breakthrough in Hollywood. Its non-linear storytelling was innovative for its time and has been cited as an influence by many filmmakers.

Description: A visually stunning noir about corruption, morality, and obsession, with a famous long-take opening sequence and a labyrinthine plot set in a border town.

Fact: The film's opening shot is one of the most celebrated in cinema history. It was Orson Welles' last Hollywood studio film and was initially released in a heavily edited version.