Film Noir, translated as 'black film' in French, is a cinematic style that arose in the 1940's and the 1950's. The definition and characteristics of film noir vary due to its present day evolution and interpretation. Although the specifics of film noir differ in various films, its similarities lie in the portrayal of its visual style, the city, the protagonist and madness.

WWII influenced the emergence of the gritty crime drama aesthetic and depiction of disillusioned society in film noir. The film noir style typically adopts a theme of madness through moral ambiguity, paranoia, desperation, violence and dictatorship within the plot and characters. The theme is translated into gloomy visuals, the backdrop of a city gone wrong, and conflicted protagonists.

Dark Knight (2008), Equilibrium (2002), Renaissance (2006), and Alphaville (1965) are four Hollywood films discussed in relation to the aspects of film noir they illustrate. Dark Knight (2008), directed by Christopher Nolan, is an American superhero film based on the Stan Lee’s comic book, Batman. Equilibrium (2002), directed by Kurt Wimmer, utilizes and mixes film noir elements with science fiction action cinema. Renaissance (2006), the vision of French director Christian Volckman, is an animated black and white science fiction detective film. Alphaville (1965), also a French black and white science fiction detective film French film, is directed by Jean-Luc Godard.