Couch theater — DVD previews

There are a great many types of crime movie. Some are capers, some cerebral and others plain violent. One of my favorites is noir with its hard- boiled detectives, shady intrigues and the sultry dame who might have been victimized but was not playing a victim. While the elements of noir are the dark shadows and the moody tone, it is not just seen in the black and white traditions of the past. Here are seven stylish examples of neonoir from the past 25 years.

“Seven” (1995) -- In director David Fincher’s crime thriller, a detective on the brink of retirement and a fresh-faced transfer to the city (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, respectively) investigate a series of gruesome killings that are staged to punish the victim for perpetrating one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

“L. A. Confidential” ( 1997) -- Smashing the bar for neo-noir, this film has mood and setting in spades. Against the iconic Los Angeles backdrop, we find corrupt cops, a murder at a diner, a power vacuum in the criminal underbelly, a shady gossip magazine publisher, a Veronica Lake lookalike and a web of vengeance and ambition that threatens to ensnare them all.

“Memento” (2000) -- Guy Pearce stars as Leonard, who suffers from short term memory loss that complicates his search for the criminal who raped and murdered his wife. Director Christopher Nolan keeps you off-balance with interrupted timelines and frenetic shifts, while Pearce is convincing as a man who communicates his progress to himself via tattoos and notes.