A "gray area" where heroes have criminal pasts and villains have understandable motives.
Protagonists who are outsiders, often "haunted by the past" or trapped in "claustrophobic" situations. Key Ingredients: What to Look For Faculty Article: Writing Noir - Gotham Writers Workshop A "gray area" where heroes have criminal pasts
The sense that the characters are "screwed from the start" and that their eventual defeat is inevitable. A "gray area" where heroes have criminal pasts