Film buffs explore the world of noir cinema in a Los Angeles context with this guide to noir films and their California settings. This book illustrates how these films use L.A.'s diverse cityscape and architecture to convey a unique vision of urban corruption and existential fatalism, in both the gritty downtown area and the outlying affluent communities like Malibu and Beverly Hills. Dozens of noir and neo-noir films are featured including classics such as "Double Indemnity," "Kiss Me Deadly," "Sunset Boulevard," and "Touch of Evil "and more recent films such as "Mulholland Drive" and "Pulp Fiction." More than 150 photographs--many never before published--further illustrate the rich and constantly changing backdrop of these movies.