Based on a true story, the film begins in 1932 with the killing of a Chicago cop and the sentencing of two young men for his murder. Fast-forward eleven years, and the boss of the Chicago Times newspaper is intrigued to find an advert by the mother of one of the killers, Frank Wiecek, asking for information about the crime, clearly Wiecek's mother thinks her son is innocent. PJ O'Neal (Stewart), one of the Times' top reporters, is dispatched to find out whether Mrs Wiecek's opinion is clouded by find out more...

A dark, intriguing thriller. The enigmatic Laura becomes an object of obsession to a hard-bitten journalist and is found dead shortly before her wedding. As the mystery deepens with every twist and turn, the detective on the case also falls under the spell of the tragic beauty. Classic film noir. find out more...

The film that catapulted Mitchum to stardom; after Kathie shoots her admirer and runs off with his 40 grand he, naturally, hires a private dick to find her. Although the dick finds Katie in Mexico, they decide to tell Sterling that he couldn't find her. find out more...

The inimitable Sellers in the second of the Pink Panther farces. Although the overall standard is high, it would be worth watching just to see Clouseau impersonating a dentist with a wax nose, or to see him get the girl in the end without even taking his socks off. find out more...

The first of the classic series of adaptations following the investigations of Sherlock Holmes. A malevolent curse is blamed for the death of an aristocrat and Holmes is called in to investigate, using his scientific method and dry Victorian wit. Superb nuanced performances from Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as the pudgy Watson. Cracking stuff. find out more...

The original and best version of the detective thriller classic. Philip Marlowe is hired to investigate the gambling debts of a rich man's daughter, but is plunged into a twilight world of intrigue, blackmail and violence. Stylish and gripping. find out more...

Burt Lancaster makes his debut, in this adaptation of a short story by Ernest Hemingway, as Swede, a washed-up boxer who finds himself manipulated and double crossed thanks to the charms of femme fatale Ava Gardner. A definitively noir gangster film about an unusual contract killing that stands out thanks to Lancaster's performance as the lovesick palooka taken for a ride.

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A French detective, Brunel, on an exchange scheme in London is assigned to investigate the supposed murder of novelist John Morlar (Burton), but, on arriving at the crime scene, they discover that, despite heavy injuries, the victim is still alive and have him rushed to hospital. With the help of Morlar's journals and Dr Zonfeld (Remick), a psychiatrist whom the author had started visiting, Brunel reconstructs Morlar's past life, which (seen in flashback) is full of inexplicable catastrophes. find out more...

Peter Seller's first movie as bumbling Inspector Closeau. Not only is his wife double-crossing him but she is doing it with his arch enemy the jewel thief. This is the version with all those people dressed up in gorilla suits. find out more...

A very dated but still entertaining slice of 60s kitsch. McQueen is the incredibly debonaire playboy millionaire, led to commit robbery through boredom, countered by Dunaway, the implausibly glamorous fraud investigator. Much period posing and split-screen shenanigans, with fun results. find out more...