This document summarizes common stock characters that were frequently used in film noir genres. These include detectives and private eyes who investigated crimes while battling their own flaws; femme fatales who used their beauty and sexuality to manipulate men into dangerous situations; gangsters and members of the criminal underworld who challenged the protagonists; innocent girls who got caught up in the plots; and flawed protagonists who were antiheroes that audiences could sympathize with despite their questionable moral actions. Examples of each character type are provided from classic films noirs.

1. Stock Film Noir Characters

2. Detective/private eye
As most common film noirs were
based around themes of crime and
murder, private eyes and detectives
were conventional characters used as
a device to explore the crime. They
were often mysterious and had there
own flaws; they weren’t afraid to fight
as they often found themselves in
dangerous confrontational situations
with parts of the mob underworld in
order to serve justice. Stereotypical
private eyes would often be
recognized by long trench coats and
fedora hats as well as the typical film
noir iconography of cigarettes and
alcohol. As heroes they often had
flaws that could jeopardies there
chances of defeating the felons.
“Out Of The Past” (1947) Jeff Baily
“Blade runner”
(1982) Rick
“Kiss me deadly”(1955) Mike

4. Femmes Fatales
The femmes fetal character is a stock
archetype of film noir; the femmes fetal is
a glamorous seductive women who
charms her lovers into compromising and
dangerous situations with her beauty. She
is never vulnerable and is often more
dangerous than any of the male mob
characters as she can manipulate them
into almost anything when they are under
her spell. The appearance of femme fatal
could represent the males fears of female
liberation after world war two as finally,
after the existence of women land
workers, they were seen as stronger and
more important in life and now in film
narratives. Femmes fetal are often seen
with little clothing and low necklines to
come across as sultry and gain attention
through male gaze. They stereotypically
wear heavy makeup to reinforce here
femininity but also smoke representing
“Murder my sweet” (1944) Helen Grayle“Don't Bother to
Knock” (1952) Nell
Forbes
“The Big Heat” (1953) Debby Marsh

6. Gangster and mob underworld
Where there is a detective there are
gangsters and criminals acting against
them and law. The heroes would be
nothing without them. They are the
stock “bad guys” that challenge the
protagonist. In film noir the American
urban criminals came in the form of
the mob; an un law abiding society
that lived separately and had no rules.
They’d kill, steal and abuse with no
mercy and no consequence. Bosses
of the mob would often wear suits to
represent their wealth but lower
criminals would be recognized
stereotypically by leather jackets,
tattoos and often were very physically
fit.
“Pulp fiction” (1994) Marcellus
“Touch of Evil” (1958) Menzies
“Sin City” 2005 Dwight
McCarthy

8. Innocent girl (Girl next-door)
As well as the femmes fetal
there is often a sweet
innocent girl who gets
caught up in the situation.
An innocent girl with no
real involvement in the
story but is victimized and
used, often hold as a
hostage. She has no view
on being malicious and is
more worried and
vulnerable than
mischievous. Often they
wear sweet soft less
glamorous dresses and
softer makeup than the
femmes fatales and they
care about the male
protagonists deeply.
“Pulp Fiction” (1994) Fabienne
“Sin city”(2005) Young Nancy Callahan

10. Flawed protagonist/antiheros
The antihero is usually the main
protagonist. He has better morals
than most noir characters, that an
audience can follow, but is usually
also a cold hearted killer too. He is
easily swayed by other high
powers, such as the femmes fatal,
to partake in criminal activities
because his isolation and personal
struggle leads to a disillusionment
of what's right and wrong; they
create they’re own rules and
partake in their own vigilante
system for the underworld
societies. Even though their
actions are evil and cruel as an
audience we can sympathies with
them as the use of voiceover gives
us an insight on their real
emotions and desperation behind
the tough exterior.
"Casablanca" (1942) Rick
Blaine
“Blade runner” (1982) Rick
Deckard
"Charles Foster Kane" (1941)
Citizen Kane