The Soft-Boiled Detective: A Postmodern Neo-Noir Subgenre — Moviejawn
Who is the soft-boiled detective? Think Jeff Bridges from “The Big Lebowski.” Or Zack Virtue.
He is someone who can barely pay his rent, afford decent clothes, and solves cases by overcoming his self-inflicted problems. He is on the outskirts of civilization, looking into the matters of those who look down at him. The bourgeoisie usually serve as the antagonists. Forces that work in shadow that either hire, or try to get rid of, or tries to sleep with, the protagonist. The illusion of the antagonist’s power is broken once the detective has solved the last piece of the puzzle. Everything in the universe is random, that includes our civilization and actions of those who “control” it. The antagonists are not those who have a billion contingency plans and have a billion dollars. They are lawyers, businessmen, and sometimes, just upper class people. You don’t need to be a congressman to be evil, and this subgenre reflects that.
Source: The Soft-Boiled Detective: A Postmodern Neo-Noir Subgenre — Moviejawn
