L.A Noire: How does it use features of film noir?

L.A Noire is a neo-noir crime video game made and published by the very popular and well known Rockstar Games, the game is focused around a man name Cole Phelps who begins working for the patrol desk in Los Angeles, and the idea of the game is that he gets promoted through the five departments. The game is heavily focused around the themes and aspects of film noir which are shown throughout various cut-scenes and gameplay.

Specifically in the opening, the game uses various features that can be seen in popular noir films such as LA Confidential, where the opening of the film pans over Los Angeles with a voice-over and talks about the people and city etc. The game takes a very similar approach and is almost identical. The music in the background is also a good feature as its quite suitable for the time that the game is based in with its simple piano and saxophone parts. Again the music is similar to the LA Confidential opening music and its the same era.

Even before you get into the game, it shows off even more aspects of film noir with the menu screen. To begin, the menu is all black and white and uses this to bring out and amplify the shadows and lighting, the options that are available are laid out as  if they are a shadow on the wall. This is perfect for the theme of noir as a lot of the time people are displayed as a shadow by the minimal use of lighting when filming and is a great way to show different sides to a character. Its also good to show them as mystery. The menu can also be compared to The Third Man, as it resembles various scenes from the movie, such as the beginning of the chase scene towards the end of the film. The shots are almost identical in the way that the camera is slightly tilted, there's one light source coming from a lamppost, and the use of the vanishing point down the long alleyways. The use of the figure coming from the light and smoke is also implemented into the menu of L.A Noire which uses the car lights to do so.

The costume is a great feature of L.A Noire as they do a great job to get it just right with the era and style. The most common costume in the game is the suits as most of the characters you come to meet are police officers and detectives and in that time and today people working with the law or people with good jobs tend to wear suits to look professional and smart. The other piece of clothing is the hats, which are also worn by nearly all the people you meet in the story. From police hats to bowler hats the variety is key to the specific time period.