"Noir stories often reflect images of chaos at the edges of contemporary urban life. Moral standards are a luxury in "the stone-cold heart of a visceral metropolis" where people make their own mistakes and others suffer for them. The lighting may produce the stark chiaroscuro of noir cinema, but the moral landscape is painted in shades of grey. No one is as pure as driven snow, which in "a city of dark, illuminated rain" turns to slush, and even the most callous assassin may yet be saved. Many of these characters ...
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"Noir stories often reflect images of chaos at the edges of contemporary urban life. Moral standards are a luxury in "the stone-cold heart of a visceral metropolis" where people make their own mistakes and others suffer for them. The lighting may produce the stark chiaroscuro of noir cinema, but the moral landscape is painted in shades of grey. No one is as pure as driven snow, which in "a city of dark, illuminated rain" turns to slush, and even the most callous assassin may yet be saved. Many of these characters have dreams of saving themselves, or at least dreams of escape. Practical attempts to break free of nightmarish circiumstances inevitably meet resistance, but dreams never end" - Nicholas Royle, Editor
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