Film Noir Guide Is Available at:  

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

The term “film noir” was first applied by French critics to a number of American films that made their way to France over a period of six weeks at the end of World War II. These films—which included such soon-to-be classics as The Maltese Falcon; Murder, My Sweet; This Gun for Hire, and The Big Sleep—and the noirs that followed fascinated French moviegoers with their new breed of criminals: love-starved husbands and wives, local business owners, writers, gamblers, small-time hoods, private eyes, mental patients, war veterans, rebellious teenagers, and corrupt lawyers, politicians, judges and cops.

Over 700 films noirs from the classic period of film noir (1940 to 1959) are presented in this exhaustive reference book—such films as The Accused, Among the Living, The Asphalt Jungle, Baby Face Nelson, Bait, The Beat Generation, Crossfire, Dark Passage, I Walk Alone, The Las Vegas Story, The Naked City, Strangers on a Train, White Heat, and The Window. For each film, the following information is provided: the title, release date, main performers, screenwriter(s), director(s), type of noir, thematic content, a rating based on the five-star system, and a plot synopsis that does not reveal the ending.

CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries:  Ultimate film noir fan Keaney debuts with this engaging survey of the genre, suitable for both scholars and fans. A concise preface sets the tone--casual, informative, completely lacking in pretension.... Highly recommended....
Reviewer: M. C. Duhig, Library Center of Point Park College and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Excerpts reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.

The American Library Association's Booklist: ...the academic definition of this term (film noir) has been in much dispute, including, but not limited to, when the first and last film was produced. Keaney, a film noir fan, briefly addresses these controversies, but as a true fan he would rather leave the arguments to professors and collect and enjoy the movies even if they fall outside somebody's definition.... As a popular film reference resource, this is a worthy addition to public libraries, and even specialized or research libraries might be interested in it for the filmography alone. 

Classic Images: "This is a terrific reference, collecting together all the pertinent movies and more, 138 photos, which includes the not-to-be-missed one of Jackie Coogan in drag."

If you like film noir, then this book's for you!, June 16, 2003. Reviewer: Lawrence C. from North Hampton, NH. 

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.

Best Film Guide I've Ever Read,
May 8, 2003. Reviewer: A reader from Syracuse, NY

As a veteran of dozens of film guides, I must say that Mr. Keaney's book is a refreshing change from the ordinary. His razor wit and keen eye for the most interesting details of a film are apparent in all the reviews. Bravo!

NOIR HEAD'S DELIGHT, January 13, 2004.Reviewer: Philip Marlowe from a Rain Soaked Street in Dark City, U.S.A. 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 a 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....

The perfect Film Noir guide for the uninitiated, April 25, 2003. Reviewer: A reader from McLean, VA

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.

birthday gift, June 14, 2003
Reviewer: Carl M. from Yorba Linda, CA

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.

It was a dark night in the city..., May 27, 2003. Reviewer: A reader from Rhode Island

It was a dark night in the city. The rain had washed away most of the dregs off the street, and I settled in under a lamp post with my latest find, Mike Keaney's FILM NOIR GUIDE. Each entry provided what I needed, a short concise review of any title in my favorite genre. If you have some time to kill, you might want to sneak a read of this volume. It will treat you better than a double-crossing dame or a sneaking two bit hood trying to muscle in on your turf.

Gary George, The Blackboard: Michael's book is a very informative reference work for all noir fans, offering a synopsis and 1-5 star rating for the staggering amount of 745 noir films (the most available in one volume). Michael personally reviewed each of these films himself. Film Noir Guide also offers a very unique feature: with each film, Michael has included a section on "Familiar Faces from Television," which identifies noir character actors that later went on to fame in television, and "Memorable Noir Moments," which points out the most noirish scenes and dialogue in a film. The book also offers an extensive series of photographs from noir films....

Much More than Movie Reviews, January 31, 2004 Reviewer: Len O. from Springfield, Virginia.  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!

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The reader from Los Angeles makes the case that a number of films in my book are not noir. This is not an uncommon complaint. However, as there is no "official" film noir canon (and never will be), and since film scholars, students and fans have been arguing about this issue for decades, I can only wonder how the reviewer can be so dogmatic, as indicated by the the all-caps complaint. Opinion is divided as to whether certain films in certain genres, the Western for example, should be considered as noirs. (My opinion, for what it's worth, is that they should). Film Noir Reader 4, the most recent in the superb series of "Reader" books edited by Alain Silver and James Ursini, contains two chapters devoted to the subject -- "Noir Westerns" and "Rancho Notorious, a Noir Western in Color." In my preface I touch on this controversy only briefly, not wishing to perpetuate the argument. I am not a film noir scholar. I'm just a fan. I admit in the preface that, even though I viewed all 745 films while writing the book, I am unconvinced of the noirness of some of the titles, which were garnered from a number of sources, mostly from the works of other authors on the subject. But I wanted readers to have the option of seeing for themselves. Film Noir Guide was not intended to be a scholarly tome on the film noir. I wrote it primarily to entertain my target readership--the average film noir fan. I also hoped that other film buffs would read the book and become turned on to these dark and fascinating films. 

Regarding the reviewer's other issues: 

The exclusion of cinematographers and composers in the listings--Mea culpa. This is a valid point and one well taken. It was a deliberate exclusion (although it certainly was not intended to detract from these artists' invaluable contributions to the film noir or to gyp readers). It was part of my misguided effort to shorten the length of the credits, which are easily available elsewhere. 

Photos are "nice if sparse"-- I have included 138 photographs in this 541-page book. That's about one photo for every 4 pages. Not my definition of sparse. 

Strangely obsessed with TV--My inclusion of the "Familiar Faces from Television" subcategory was intended to entertain and, hopefully, to entice readers unfamiliar with film noir to become acquainted with it. I knew not everyone would appreciate this little nostalgic side trip. But it was a risk that seems to have paid off from the, admittedly mixed though mostly positive, feedback I have received.

Way too expensive--So's a hot dog at the ball park but you can't blame the guy who cooks it.

Okay, point by point.

1. Not revealing the endings--What's the purpose of including spoilers if I am not analyzing the films? A reader who simply wants to know what the film is about before buying it or taping it doesn't usually want to know the ending. I know I don't.

2. Using the name of the actors instead of the characters--Most reader feedback seems to favor this approach because, they say, they can more easily follow the plot synopsis--the opposite of what the reviewer claims is the case--when they are able to picture the actor or actress in their minds. When the character is a well-known one, such as the reviewer's example, Philip Marlowe, I identify him by his character's name but use the actor's name after the first reference. It's simply a matter of preference and style.

3. My popular and colloquial, rather than "scholarly," use of the English language --First, I am not a scholar and Film Noir Guide was not intended to be a "scholarly" work.  Second, I have read too many film noir books written in the "scholarly" style that, frankly, bored and confused the heck out of me. If writing with "profundity" means causing readers to struggle with a paragraph and still scratch their heads over its intended meaning, I'll stick to the colloquial and popular approach. Ralph Keyes, in his excellent book "The Courage to Write," addresses this issue, writing that "inflated language, obscure references, and needlessly complex sentences surround their authors with a dense cloud of verbal fog." He adds that "readers who dare point out that incomprehensible writing can't be comprehended risk being told that the problem is theirs."

4. The exclusion of certain noirs, including I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes--As I mention in the preface, I included only films that I was able to view. I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes was not available at the time I was writing the book. After the publication of Film Noir Guide, a German-language copy of the film surfaced. Luckily, an English-language version now can be found by the avid hunters of film noir rarities.

5. The incomplete credits and the Familiar Faces from Television problems--See my responses to the reader from Los Angeles. This reviewer also adds "studios" to the list of my omissions. A valid complaint, but I am sure some readers will be annoyed with me because I left out film editors and art directors.