How does LA Noire use features of Film Noir?

L.A. Noire is a play station game based on the stereotypical 'gangs of New York' with the person playing being the detective, and we are set out to investigate a number of different cases ranging from homicide, suicide, etc. Having had the chance to experience the game, the cases are quite intense and realistic and breach to be as life like as any cartoon can be. Above is a collage of images taken from the game to give a visual of what it contains.

In context with the noir genre, many of it's qualities overlap. For a start, with the opening credits of the video game we have this classic font, very simple and effective. This also promotes this sort of glamorous lifestyle, (noir glamour) and this is closely followed by an introduction of the game. Below is a clip of the opening to the game:

Here we have a classic noir opening. The 50's setting, costume and music all intertwine with some expressionist jazz to create a glamorous lifestyle for all to ponder and dream of having. This comes with the brutal reality of the gangsters involved in the game, and the horrific cases involved. This is portraying the noir theory that being a gangster is almost glamorous in itself and something to look up to and almost praise rather than be afraid of. As well as this, we have a narrative device in the form of a husky voice over explaining the story we have another classic noir trait. Along with this we are fed the line: 'Who do you trust' with a very melancholy voice, giving a dark twist to the almost light mood that they've been portraying so far.

Moving away from the opening and more into the game itself we start to unwrap more features that are quite strikingly alike to the noir genre. First, we are introduced to the investigators desk where we are shown a number of props, these include: gun, magnifying glass, folders, cigarettes etc. This is a stereotypical desk for any investigator in America and also very stereotypical for a noir investigator. Not only this, but many of the landscapes/settings used are spoiled with noir features, leaking this image of filthy, dirty and dark surroundings with: dim lighting, heavy shadows all topped off with a full moon to leave us with a lasting noir impression. We can see this by example in some of the pictures in the collage above. A great example of the dark shadows, is the top left where we see a man hiding around a corner with a very sharp shadow across his face creating moral ambiguity, also very noir.

Another similarity is that of the camera work. With the camera constantly moving, we are introduced to a very disorientated/eery effect within the scene, this only enhances the situation in which we are playing in. This is very noir as we have the dark story line, complimented by the shady camera work to make everything very confusing and surreal. Not only this but the camera movement uses the rule of thirds, keeping the characters to the points on the screen where our eyes are naturally drawn to.

This video game can closely relate to a rather famous noir film named 'The Third Man'. Like the Third Man, we see the use of torches to create a spotlight, paired with ambient and low key lighting. Most of the characters are also lighted from the back, creating an artificial effect commonly used in noir. In this clip, we have an example of the Third Man techniques used.  

From this clip I will be using the times from 0:00 - 5:33. The first indication that we see that it is using The Third Man techniques is the small claustrophobic space in which the character is entering in. We also see the use of artificial being made as a spotlight is drawn above the characters head. Not only this, but in true Third Man style, we have nearly an exact replica of a shot used in the movie:

Here we see a rather familiar surrounding and shot of the sewer that we see in the Third Man. By using this shot, to many noir loving fans, the connection can be made and the great atmosphere that was created in The Third Man with this shot can be echoed into the game.
Not only this but the constant use of the flash light from the character is quite commonly used in most noir movies, and especially in The Third Man. The action that's happening around the character with other contributing characters as well as the movement of the lighting and camera can also be closely related to The Third Man with specific analysis.