Rififi (1955)

Director: Jules Dassin 
Country: France

Silence generates tension, and tension produces anxiety, that's what a thriller is all about. This Dassin's film is a chef d' oeuvre, not only for its well written dialogue and brilliant direction and adaptation from the novel, but also for its atmosphere and dynamic story and choreographies like the robbery sequence, which is brilliantly performed and certainly influenced later movies of the genre. The cinematography is noir-style, dramatic, and not exactly impressionist like many other noir films, the plot and narrative are bleak and twisted, nothing to do with its counterparts from Hollywood. This is a first class heist-thriller, containing all the crime-noir elements executed in a skillful way, a must-see film in the genre.

                              

Cruel Gun Story (1964)

Director: Takumi Furukawa
Country: Japan

I have two words to describe this japanese masterpiece: PURE NOIR, no sentimentality bullshit here, a perfect work in editing, dialogue, storyline and what an amazing performance by the legendary Japanese actor Joe Shishido, this movie goes straight to the point, also it incorporates interesting non-static shots (which were the water-mark of Japanese cinema for many years). Shishido's role as a cold-blooded criminal, who has been released from jail with the help of a powerful Yakuza boss in order to execute a last big hit with fatal consequences, is really impressive. Without a doubt this noir-thriller paved the way for movies like Michael Mann's "Heat" or John Woo's "The Killer", a story about greed, violence and betrayal, a real gem that includes a fuckin brutal shootout!