(Here be mild spoilers.)
10. Catherine Tramell, Basic Instinct (1992)
Sharon Stone absolutely nails down mysterious as the prime suspect in the murder of a famous rock star, but it's her seduction that can't be beat, particularly in that one scene. You know the one I'm talking about. She can play her investigators like a fool violin with her sexual prowess, all the time with an ambiguously coy smile.
9. Kathy Moffat, Out of the Past (1947)
After pilfering 40,000 dollars from her wealthy lover boy, Kathy (Jane Greer) does one better by then seducing his private investigator and persuading him to make off with her and her ill-gotten money. The body count starts climbing as she tries to wriggle out of a web of lies and blackmail, and even when she knows she's cooked, she takes Robert Mitchum down with her. Spiteful much?
8. Brigid O'Shaughnessy, The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Brigid O'Shaughnessy marks something of a slight departure from the traditional femme fatale in that she's a little more timid and sympathetic, as played by silent film darling Mary Astor. True, she's no less willing to use her feminine wiles to cover up the truth and save her own skin, but one can't help but detect a certain degree of regret for her actions by the picture's stirring conclusion.
7. Kitty Collins, The Killers (1946)
In her very first scene, Kitty Collins, devilishly played by the gorgeous Ava Gardner (Hellooooo, Kitty!), exclaims that she hates brutality. Ironic, given how brutally flirtatious she is herself. So manipulative is she, she could get Burt Lancaster to sit a three-year prison sentence for a crime she committed, before leapfrogging to another man whose strings she can pull.
6. Alex Forrest, Fatal Attraction (1987)
This film may not be a noir, but it has the word “fatal” right there in the title, pertaining of course to Glenn Close's deeply unsettling performance. She's seductive, she's plotting, but unlike normal femme fatales who are motivated by money or influence, this lady's just plain crazy! To those of you who don't think Alex Forrest really qualifies as a femme fatale, I'm sure the bunny would disagree with you.
5. Veda Pierce, Mildred Pierce (1945)
Ann Blyth does such a good job at playing Veda Pierce as the spoiled little bitch she is, that we never gain scent of the poisonous, vindictive killer within. And yet, her murderous ways might be the most winning of her qualities when compared to the cruel way she treats her devoted mother Mildred. Stealing money is bad enough, but stealing your mom's hubby? Lady, what is wrong with you?!
4. Breathless Mahoney, Dick Tracy (1990)
Warren Beatty needed a real blond bombshell to breath life into femme fatale Breathless Mahoney for his stylized comic book adaptation, and pop music queen Madonna seemed born to play the part. With the benefit of a handful of great Stephen Sondheim melodies to croon, she slinks into the role of the suspicious temptress with ease. Sooner or later, she always gets her man.
3. Gilda Farrell, Gilda (1946)
The breathtakingly beautiful Rita Hayworth really sizzles in this movie, so much so that director Charles Vidor has no reservations about letting the camera focus on her while other characters are talking. She perpetually fuels the intense jealousy that drives the story. She also gets a great entrance and killer musical number (“Put The Blame On Mame”).
2. Jessica Rabbit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Jessica's not really all that bad – she's just drawn that way. But what she might lack in “fatale” she more than makes up for in “femme”, designed as an amalgam of nearly every Hollywood sex symbol who ever lived. Wonderful character animation combined with Kathleen Turner's breathy line readings make Jessica Rabbit an hilarious send up of the archetype.
1. Phyllis Dietrichson, Double Indenity (1944)
A more villainous vixen you'll seldom find. As portrayed by Barbara Stanwyck (who was at first a tad reluctant to play such a nasty character), Phyllis Dietrichson is the quintessential femme fatale. From her sinister seduction of Fred McMurray to the unflinching murder of her husband to her calculated final betrayal, Stanwyck delivers a refined performance that communicates pure evil without stepping anywhere near melodramatic camp villainy.
