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Rating: 
Summary: birthday gift
Review: Being somewhat of a movie buff since working for 20th Century Fox from 1954 through 1964 during the so-called years of the "Giants" of the movie industry like Spyros Skouras and Darryl F. Zanuck I received the Film Noir Guide by Michael F. Keaney as a gift from my wife. She said it was a handsome book that would look good with the rest of my collection of movie memorabilia.
I thumbed through it looking at all the photos and then read the preface. This was enjoyable since I had grown up in Brooklyn, NY and could identify with the time period the author wrote about. I found the book to be easy reading as I would look forward to each "movies memorable quotes" and the fun poked at the politically correct "sensitivity training required".
There were of course many films I did not see but even the tidbits of the TV personalities connected with these old films were interesting. Many of the films that I remembered and loved had uncannily the memorable quoted that were still fresh in my mind.
I never had given Film Noir much thought but this book opened a new source of enjoyment for me.
Rating: 
Summary: Out of focus - and too expensive!
Review: Film Noir Guide brings forth a compelling compilation of movies from a bygone yet memorable era. This book will serve those of us struggling to reassemble fragments of films viewed long ago as well as those preparing to view them for the first time. At first glance I expected this book to be a bit dry, after all, there are indeed 745 films covered! I was pleasantly surprised to find the book written in the spirit of the subject films, in that it provides not only abundant but amusing appraisals. Each film is presented in the context of a series of factoids (title, date, whodunit), useful categorizations (i.e., greed, wrong man, ambition), a review, familiar faces (i.e., if the actors worked in television), and a memorable noir moment (e.g., "...it's just a flesh wound"). The organization of the book makes it easy to sort through the huge volume of films contained within. It's natural to wonder what could drive someone to sit and watch such a large number of films in a systematic manner, but Keaney's fun-loving cinematic portrayals mirror the fascination shared by so many film-goers, both in their day and to this day.
Rating:
Summary: If you like film noir, then this book's for you!
Review: Film Noir Guide brings forth a compelling compilation of movies from a bygone yet memorable era. This book will serve those of us struggling to reassemble fragments of films viewed long ago as well as those preparing to view them for the first time. At first glance I expected this book to be a bit dry, after all, there are indeed 745 films covered! I was pleasantly surprised to find the book written in the spirit of the subject films, in that it provides not only abundant but amusing appraisals. Each film is presented in the context of a series of factoids (title, date, whodunit), useful categorizations (i.e., greed, wrong man, ambition), a review, familiar faces (i.e., if the actors worked in television), and a memorable noir moment (e.g., "...it's just a flesh wound"). The organization of the book makes it easy to sort through the huge volume of films contained within. It's natural to wonder what could drive someone to sit and watch such a large number of films in a systematic manner, but Keaney's fun-loving cinematic portrayals mirror the fascination shared by so many film-goers, both in their day and to this day.
Rating: 
Summary: A Delight for fans of noir
Review: If you are a lover of film noir, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is chock full of wonderful comments,as well as a number of films you probably have never heard about elsewhere. Michael Keaney casts the widest possible net in compiling his compendium of over 700 noirs (ALL FROM THE CLASSIC ERA OF THE 1940S & 1950s), and while he himself admits many may not be true noirs, each and every one displays a genuine noir influence. Keaney writes in an approachable light and breezey style. He does not go in for deep analysis, but has a large number of wry, amusing and downright clever observations about most of these efforts. His ratings might annoy some (Hey, he gave a low rating to one of my all time favorite noirs, Bogie's DARK JOURNEY!) but then this is part of the fun of the book, seeing where you agree or disagree with his critiques. He provides an extensive bibliography as well as a fine breakdown in an appendix of classification of films according to type. One important note: Keaney limits himself to films he actually viewed, so a number of excellent noirs that are currently out of circulation are not included, such as I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT and WITHOUT WARNING. Let's hope these rarities may turn up in the future. Then maybe Keaney can add them to his book in an update in five years or so. In the meantime, Keaney's book is a "must have" for anyone interested in film noir. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: A Delight for fans of noir
Review: If you are a lover of film noir, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It is chock full of wonderful comments,as well as a number of films you probably have never heard about elsewhere. Michael Keaney casts the widest possible net in compiling his compendium of over 700 noirs (ALL FROM THE CLASSIC ERA OF THE 1940S & 1950s), and while he himself admits many may not be true noirs, each and every one displays a genuine noir influence. Keaney writes in an approachable light and breezey style. He does not go in for deep analysis, but has a large number of wry, amusing and downright clever observations about most of these efforts. His ratings might annoy some (Hey, he gave a low rating to one of my all time favorite noirs, Bogie's DARK JOURNEY!) but then this is part of the fun of the book, seeing where you agree or disagree with his critiques. He provides an extensive bibliography as well as a fine breakdown in an appendix of classification of films according to type. One important note: Keaney limits himself to films he actually viewed, so a number of excellent noirs that are currently out of circulation are not included, such as I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT and WITHOUT WARNING. Let's hope these rarities may turn up in the future. Then maybe Keaney can add them to his book in an update in five years or so. In the meantime, Keaney's book is a "must have" for anyone interested in film noir. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: It was a dark night in the city...
Review: McFarland has brought out another book on Film Noir (viz. Michael Stephens work)---it has wonderful stills and is beautifully bound...but the writer needs a keener critical eye about many of the films he describes. First, he takes pride in NOT revealing the ending of these classic noirs---a gimmick, which is a bit unsatisfying to film buffs. Second, he uses the names of the actors rather than the characters they play...characters often made memorable...like Philip Marlowe...by the actors (Bogart)...so it is oftentimes difficult to grasp the plot. Third, Mr. Keaney's use of the English language is rather popular and colloquial rather than scholarly. I expected more profundity in the rendition of his plot descriptions than his unpersuasive re-tellings loaded with noir jargon. However, the guide does serve the reader if you are interested in a somewhat superficial A to Z filmography of film noir...although some excellent titles like I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES, are not included. Also, the credits do NOT list the studio, cinematographer or composer---three very important components of defining and creating a film noir. Moreover, the author insists on giving us a section entitled "Familiar Faces from Television," which I found totally useless but he redeems himself with "Memorable Noir Moments," in which he encapsulates some vivid scenes or dialogue from the soundtracks.
Very well organized, Keaney does provide four appendices, listing films by director, type (some dubious categories of noir are found here), year of release and MOST VALUABLE, "How to Build an Affordable Film Noir Library," with some excellent suggestions of url. sites and the names of the best sources for copies of VHS tapes specializing in "noir" like DARKER IMAGES VIDEO in Medway, Maine (which incidentally, has the best collection of noir films in the USA.) Keaney's annotated bibliography is especially useful...but there are some major errors sprinkled throughout the book...for example, in THE LOCKET, he says "[Laraine] Day killed her boss (Denny)" when in fact, it was Ricardo Cortez who played her employer. There are other egregious errors of this type, but how can any critic give this book a negative review. In fact, for some of us who are always on the "noir hunt" for noir films and critical volumes on this subject, Keaney's FILM NOIR GUIDE fills a gap mostly for avid noir cinephiles. The book is beautifully produced by the publisher and deserves to be in all personal, public and college library collections. And, Mr. Keaney, there is nothing wrong in giving away the endings of the films under discussion...
Rating:
Summary: NOIR HEADS DELIGHT
Review: Mr. Keaney has done a great service to us self-proclaimed "noir heads" with his comprehensive book "The Film Noir Guide" Unlike other books of the canon, it is truly a "guide" or rather an primer to the complete noir theme. Other authors, in fact all that I've read, have analyzed film noir to death. The Keaney book minimizes this frequently trodden path and instead provides an extensive filmography of noir with a refreshing look at many obscure and borderline noirs as well as all the old favorites. Most important, it explains a simple and inexpensive way to locate and own these films. This in itself will save a significant amount of money and countless hours trying to track down these movies (Hint: They're not at Blockbuster); and it certain justifies the cost of the book. (I only wish I had a reference book like this when I started collecting). Also impressive is the fact that he actually watched all of these movies, something other authors have neglected, often relying on third party sources.An earlier reviewer argued over several of the inclusions (BLOOD ON THE MOON, i.e.), but he clearly is not very knowledgeable about film noir (Or relies only on select authors). There are western noirs (YELLOW SKY, STATION WEST) as well as costumer noirs (BLUEBEARD, HANGOVER SQUARE), horror noirs (The Val Lewton films) and serials noirs (The SHADOW series). Noir is not just defined by THE BIG SLEEP, DOUBLE INDEMNITY and TOUCH OF EVIL. It has a look, feel and tone that cuts across genres. Frankly limiting noir to only pulp detective films is not only wrong and arbitrary but deprives the noir fanatic of many rewarding dark films. Thankfully, Mr. Keaney has bypassed this pitfall and breathed new life into an often written about subject.
Rating:
Summary: Much More than Movie Reviews
Review: Mr. Keaney's Guide is much more than movie reviews. His Memorable Noir Moments alone are worth the price of the book. His insights into the actors and directors are fascinating. This a catalog to be used to explore the genre. I have found movies I was not aware of that are now on my must-see list. Another big plus is Mr. Keaney's thoroughly enjoyable writing style. This simply a fun read!
Rating:
Summary: The perfect Film Noir guide for the uninitiated
Review: Though I didn't know what to expect, this compendium of Film Noir from the Classic Era was the perfect book to introduce me to a genre that I am only beginning to learn. It was well written, I enjoyed the photographs, the summaries provided generous details, and the list of reviews was so comprehensive that every movie for which I had a questions, I always found a review. The author definitely knows his subject matter and is witty in his presentation. I was amazed and appreciative that this type of encyclopedic book on Film Noir is available. I look forward to Mr. Keaney's next review guide on whatever genre he chooses.
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