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By the time John Dahl had directed his third feature – 1994’s The Last Seduction – critics had anointed him as a contemporary torch bearer – perhaps the lone, consistent one – of the film noir ethos. Even today, with his filmography having grown to include the less noir-ish thrillers Unforgettable (1996) and Joy Ride (2001), a tale of card sharks prowling New York’s underground big-money poker circuit in Rounders (1998), and a true story of Ww II adventure and valor in The Great Raid (2005), Dahl’s name is still most closely associated with modern day noir thanks to the three indelible thrillers which launched his career: Kill Me Again (1989), which he co-wrote with David W. Warfield, Red Rock West (1992), on which he collaborated with his brother Rick Dahl, and The Last Seduction, written by Steve Barancik.

Dahl’s working in movies represents a formidable leap from a less than cosmopolitan upbringing in Billings, Montana. Although...

Re-watching John Dahl's The Last Seduction (1994) with the intent of writing a review for the neo-noir retrospective, I initially thought I was going to be writing about Linda Fiorentino's femme fatale. I mean, how can you not think about her when watching the film? Those inky dresses and dark tinted sunglasses that happen to match her raven-colored hair, only making her skin seem that much milkier. That cigarette always dangling from her pursed lips, only opening to tell Mike (Peter Berg) that he's her "designated fuck." Watching Dahl's film, her character's bitchiness beautifully juxtaposed by her stunning beauty, Fiorentino is obviously the raison d'être. Yet, here I was, obviously attracted by her presence but, nevertheless, thinking about Beston.

That's right, Beston, New York. A piece of cow country; a small suburb outside of Buffalo where citizens greet strangers with a friendly "Hello," the cost of living is low,...