10 Greatest Neo-Noir Films Of The 21st Century

A great deal of David Lynch’s work lives at least partly in noirish shadows. From the suburban terror of Blue Velvet to the murder investigation at the heart of Twin Peaks, he’s a director with an unending curiosity when it comes to human darkness.

This brings us to Mulholland Drive, perhaps his most baffling - and best - work to date. It’s a film that defies categorisation at every turn, that takes the mystery at the heart of many noirs and stretches the concept to the extreme.

This isn’t the kind of mystery even the best hardboiled detective could solve, though. Mulholland Drive sees Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring playing dual roles; there’s a car crash, amnesia, betrayals and bizarreness. It’s like a great melodrama by way of a twisted soap opera in the best possible way.

Some viewers become frustrated in trying to unpack the plot, but that’s really not the point. Mulholland Drive, like the noir genre in general, is a mood, a vibe, one the viewer should let wash over them. It’s not a case to be cracked; simply a masterpiece you need to experience.