Film Noir

Film Noir is all about a fractured world full of damaged people leading shattered lives. The main character is always a flawed anti-hero.

The supporting characters are physically damaged in some way, some by war, some by disease, but obviously crippled physically, the same way the hero is crippled emotionally. It's the supporting characters that flesh out the broken world which the hero travels through.

Angel Heart and Fight Club are obvious examples. FC is also a satire, a black comedy, something which a lot of people didn't realise. The supporting characters, like Meatloaf's Bob, are symbolic of the want, need, loss and longing of the main character. In FC, Tyler is who he wants to be, Bob is who he fears becoming.

Some films Noir worth watching:
Out of the Past
The Big Sleep
Night of the Hunter
Strangers on a Train (most Hitchcock is worth catching anyway)
Asphalt Jungle
The Blue Dahlia
Lady From Shanghai
Cape Fear
Angel Heart
Fight Club