Six noir masterpieces with unforgettable first five minutes

Collider Senior Editor David published a list on Feb. 1, 2026 that spotlights six classic film-noir titles whose opening five-minute sequences the piece presents as especially iconic. The article frames noir as a distinct cinematic style—chiaroscuro photography, bleak atmosphere and hypnotic openings—and argues these films use their first minutes to immediately set mood, stakes and narrative momentum.

At No. 6 is The Killers, whose opening centers on two hitmen intimidating a diner’s occupants before a later on-screen death; the piece notes the scene’s performances and Miklós Rózsa’s score and says the film launched Burt Lancaster’s career. No. 5 is Laura, which begins with Clifton Webb’s chilling narration—"I shall never forget the weekend Laura died"—as the camera glides through an opulent penthouse, establishing obsession and allure.

No. 4 is Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity, introduced by a wounded Walter Neff slowly confessing into a dictaphone as he staggers into his office; the article highlights Fred McMurray’s exhausted delivery and the film’s archetypal noir dynamics. At No. 3, Kiss Me Deadly opens with Mike Hammer finding an escapee on a lonely road, a tense sequence that the piece describes as paranoid and relentless, underscored by Cloris Leachman’s sobs over the credits.

No. 2 is Sunset Boulevard, which famously opens with Joe Gillis’s lifeless body floating in a pool and his dead-man narration, immediately signaling the film’s bleak Hollywood satire.

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