Film noir is not a genre. It is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood. It is a film 'noir', as opposed to the possible variants of film gray or film off-white.
![Film noir is not a genre. It is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict, but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood. It is a film 'noir', as opposed to](http://cdn.quoteddaily.com/images/paul-schrader/film-noir-is-not-a-genre-it-is-not-defined-as-are-the-western-and-gangster-genres-by-conventions-of.jpg)