cultural past. However, the economy of the classical
form has given way to sensational mise-en-scènes
and sound tracks that intensify the paranoia and
alienation common to the genre. Following the
trend toward excess in the blockbuster films, noirs
frequently merge with other genres to generate
mass appeal, as in the case of Jonathan Demme’s hy-
bridSilence of the Lambs(1991), a horror noir that be-
came one of the highest-grossing films of that year.
Another postmodern offspring is the erotic
thriller, one of the most popular film genres in the
1990’s, whose castrating female derives from the
classic femme fatale in early noir films. Paul
Verhoeven’s controversial filmBasic Instinct(1992)
depicts a male victim outmatched by beautiful,
wealthy, intelligent Catherine, who represents the
ultimate male fantasy and whose appetite for sex and
money goes unchallenged. In John Dahl’sThe Last
Seduction(1994), Bridget, exuding ambition and
greed, orders male workers around, double-crosses
her husband, flaunts her own aggressive sexuality,
and manipulates and frames a naïve admirer for the
murder of her husband. Other postmodern films
portray the strength and independence of female
characters within the bounds of law and propriety.
Jeff Kanew’sV. I. Warshawski(1991) explores the per-
spective of female detectives, as does Sondra Locke’s
Impulse(1990), the story of an undercover vice cop,
and James Lemmo’sBodily Harm(1995), which de-
tails the experiences of a Las Vegas detective.
Postmodern noir male protagonists of the 1990’s
exhibit psychological damage. A staple in classic
noir is the rogue cop, who is frequently psy-
chotic, as portrayed in Mike Figgis’sInternal Af-
fairs(1990) and Jonathan Kaplan’sUnlawful
Entr y(1992). David Fincher’sSeven(1995) is a
grim thriller set in an urban shadowy maze
that acts as an imaginative counterpart to the
mind of the serial killer, played by Kevin
Spacey. Bryan Singer’s 1995 murky noir with a
complex narrative,The Usual Suspects, boasts
an unreliable narrator and, as such, offers no
resolution to the postmodern mystery. Oliver
Stone’s controversial Natural Born Killers
(1994) indicts American society and the media
for the transformation of a teenage couple
into crazed killers.
While 1990’s noirs are relatively faithful to
classic noir psychological realm, the physical
terrain is complicated by the substitution of
country noirs for the traditional corrupt city set-
tings. In John Dahl’sRed Rock West(1992), a con-
torted, complex noir unfolds in the mountains of
Nevada and Wyoming, while Oliver Stone’s uniquely
twistedU-Turn(1997) takes place in Arizona, and
Joel and Ethan Coen’sFargo(1996) is a “white noir”
set in Minnesota. Also, many 1990’s noirs dispense
with lower-class characters for a shift in economic
base to middle-class ones, as in Barry Levinson’sDis-
closure (1994), Alan Pakula’s Presumed Innocent
(1990), and Robert Altman’sThe Gingerbread Man
(1998), filmed from author John Grisham’s first
script.Sequels and Series In an effort to repeat a popular
film, Hollywood studios produce a sequel that con-
tinues the film’s same pattern, hoping to capitalize
upon a previous success. Many films that target
young viewers contain specific plot elements that
can materialize into one or more future films. In
1990, part three ofBack to the Future, a popular series
of films in the 1980’s, was released, sustaining view-
ers’ desire for escapism into the next decade. Also,
Rocky 5appeared in 1990. The enormously success-
fulHome Alone(Chris Columbus, 1990) expired after
two sequels.
Many horror films generate sequels. In 1996, Wes
Craven, master horror film director for more than
three decades, directedScream, a teenage slasher
film in which he plays with the conventions and
clichés of 1980’s horror films. Because of its success,
Craven directedScream 2(1997), which continuesThe Nineties in America Film in the United States 335
Biggest Box-Office Draws of the Decade1 Titanic 1997
2 Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace 1999
3 Jurassic Park 1993
4 Independence Day 1996
5 The Lion King 1994
6 Forrest Gump 1994
7 The Sixth Sense 1999
8 The Lost World: Jurassic Park 1997
9 Men in Black 1997
10 Armageddon 1998