Film noir became more popular due to its stylistic differences from other films; it also gave rise to many iconic crime, mystery and thriller movies of the 40s, 50s and 60s. The 1940s was the most ...

Why it is one of the best film noir movies: Had Chinatown been released 30 or 40 years earlier, this clever, Oscar-winning mystery would have fit right in with other detective dramas of the time.