5. Geordie Noir
Stormy Monday belongs to the Film Noir genre. Director Mike Figgis uses the recognisable Noir techniques and filming style to create a visually and aesthetically atmospheric film. Scenes are dark and moody, lighting appears in bright neon or rich tones. The film relies on a dark texture to mirror the dark plot, and does so in a way which transforms the city of Newcastle into a smokey, smooth, night-time setting. The visual cues of the Noir genre are complemented by a storyline of gangsters and violence. The criminal underworld of Tyneside is brought to the surface, and revealed as a bleak, uninspiring and dangerous place for the protagonist Brendan, played by Sean Bean. Melanie Griffiths plays Kate, the femme fatale-like character often seen in Film Noir, and follows the character as she seeks a way out of the control of the sinister criminal antagonist played by Tommy Lee Jones. The Film Noir genre can be seen as one of the most iconic in cinema, and the storylines associated with it are some of the most critically acclaimed. The setting of Newcastle upon Tyne gives the Noir genre a powerful and alternative setting, the dark river and yellow-lit streets of a British industrial town, as opposed to the more common shadowy American metropolis. Also, rather than the usual British film industry portrayal of the North East of England as run-down, working-class, and community-centred, commonly seen in films like Billy Elliott; director Mike Figgis uses the Newcastle setting for a cool and contemporary transatlantic criminal thriller. Whilst staying realistic, Stormy Monday provides an insight into a view of Tyneside less-commonly seen in such a widely spread form. The image of well-known figures Tommy Lee Jones and Sting having a meeting with the iconic Tyne Bridge in the background, is a scene more akin to New York-based crime-thrillers. Stormy Monday produces a view of Tyneside in a uniquely dark yet memorable light.