The Usual Suspects
dir. Bryan Singer (1995)
A neo-noir heist film that rises far beyond its miniscule budget. Though rightly renowned for its twisty script and unreliable narration, the film succeeds equally on the strength of its performances. Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne head a memorable cast of characters.
Quirke
by Andrew Davies & Conor McPherson (BBC/RTÉ, 2014)
Marketed as crime noir, Quirke makes clever use of colour and greyscale in characterising 1950s Dublin. The drama in this nuanced miniseries is people- rather than plot-driven, Gabriel Byrne leading a fine cast through three feature-length explorations of drink, death and dishonesty.