Best pulp-inspired movies (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Sin City, The Maltese Falcon, Quigley Down Under)

[u/Baldurian_Rhapsody]

Pulp fiction has inspired filmmaking to this day. From swashbuckling capers like Zorro, to the gritty crime drama of L.A. Confidential.

The pulp magazines, radio serials, and B-pictures of the 1930s and 1940s left us all with a rich legacy of imaginative entertainment, and I'd appreciate your suggestions for your favorites. Any era is absolutely welcome!

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.

[u/EatenByPolarBears]

The Rocketeer (1991)

The Shadow (1994)

Dick Tracy (1990)

[u/graveybrains → u/EatenByPolarBears]

Flash Gordon (1980)

The Phantom (1996)

The Green Hornet (2011)

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Darkman (1990) wasn't based on anything specific, but definitely inspired by

[u/ScrambledNoggin → u/graveybrains]

I can't even read the title, Flash Gordon, without hearing Freddie Mercury's voice

[u/graveybrains → u/ScrambledNoggin]

Aaaah aaaaah! Savior of the universe!

[u/flopisit32]

People forget Conan the Barbarian is pulp. The Schwarzenegger movie has a great commentary track with him and John Milius on dvd and Blu-ray.

[u/trekkeralmi]

The Mummy 1998

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Blood and Black Lace

Basic Instinct

Romancing the Stone

[u/TallYam8397]

Conan the barbarian

[u/Ambitious-Car-7230]

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Darkman (1990)

Hellboy (2004)

[u/The_FlipShip]

Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity!

My favorite noir from all that I’ve seen so far. So good and hits all the right notes. It’s one of those movies that has been parodied so many times you will say “Oh wow that’s what that is from.” Highly recommend and it’s got a 97% on RT.

Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson, Barbara Stanwyck. Directed by Billy Wilder.

Chef’s kiss.

[u/alexath]

Doc Savage. Man of bronze. 1975.

[u/seeking_spice402]

The Phantom (1996)

Forbidden Planet

The Incredible Shrinking Man

Attack Of The 50 Foot Woman

Flash Gordon

The Puppet Masters (1994)

[u/theflamingskull]

King Solomon's Mines (1985)

[u/AnalFanatics]

“The Phantom” (1996) starring Billy Zane

“George of the Jungle” (1997) starring Brendon Frazier

“Dick Tracey” (1990) starring Warren Beatty

“The Rocketeer” (1991) starring Billy Campbell

[u/Single_Dentist_1366]

Any of the Sherlock Holmes movies made with Basil Rathbone.

[u/stefanomsala]

Doc Savage the man of bronze (1975)

EDIT: important qualifier. I did not say it's good. It is worse than the vast majority of the other films listed here. But Doc Savage did have his own series of pulp novels, which were typically significantly better than the movie ended up being

[u/Yamaslav]

In the mouth of madness

[u/zoppaTheDim]

Creepshow, the Twilight Zone, and any supernatural detectives.

[u/Forsaken_Rain_9639 → u/zoppaTheDim]

Creep Show was EC Comics

[u/zoppaTheDim → u/Forsaken_Rain_9639]

Which was printed on pulp paper, they were pulp fiction with pictures.

[u/Forsaken_Rain_9639 → u/zoppaTheDim]

Just can’t put comic books in the same category as pulp fiction
They seem different

[u/zoppaTheDim → u/Forsaken_Rain_9639]

Cheap stories printed on cheap paper and sold as nearly disposable reading material.

The line between a magazine and a comic book was a blurry one. True crime, horror stories, romance etc…

[u/Forsaken_Rain_9639]

Kiss me Deadly

[u/Barcnori]

Valdez is Coming

[u/LaughingGor108]

The Mummy ( 1 & 2)

[u/LunacyNow]

Creepshow

[u/texasrigger]

Flesh Gordon (1974) is so much better than it has any right to be for what it is.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is pure pulp adventure.

I'm also a little surprised that nobody has mentioned any of the Tarzan incarnations.

[u/TheShipEliza]

Big Trouble in Little China

[u/exorcissy72]

John Carter

The Legend of Tarzan is a pretty good representation of the character. The movie is not bad, but would be better if the action was better.

Solomon Kane

[u/Environmental-Eye874]

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Around the World in 80 Days

[u/Audiope]

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

20000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

(Not saying Jules Verne is pulp, but there's something cheesy and fun about those old adventure stories and there's a ton more if you want to go down that rabbithole)

[u/Forsaken_Rain_9639]

Dashiell Hammet was pulp?

[u/Baldurian_Rhapsody → u/Forsaken_Rain_9639]

Yes.

[u/3six5]

Suki yaki western Django

[u/TominNJ]

300 and 300 Rise of an Empire

[u/Luv-Nities]

All 6 Thin Man Movies

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

The Maltese falcon

The big sleep

[u/DifferentOpinionHere]

Some of my favorite pulp movies are:

• the Indiana Jones films
• The Adventures of Tintin (2011) (the whole Tintin franchise is mega-pulpy and awesome, though)
• Island of Lost Souls (1932) (adventure-horror pulp)
• The Most Dangerous Game (1932) (action-adventure-horror pulp)
• King Kong (1933) (action-adventure pulp)
• Dillinger (1973) (gangster shoot-'em-up)
• The Untouchables (1987) (gangster action pulp)
• White Heat (1949) (gangster action pulp, with some pulp-noir touches)
• Gangster Squad (2013) (gangster shoot-'em-up)
• Touch of Evil (1958) (pulp-noir)
• The Penalty (1920) (silent gangster pulp, with some proto-pulp-noir touches)
• Conan the Barbarian (1982) (sword-and-sorcery action-adventure)
• Blowing Wild (1953) (neo-western pulp... the more action-adventure-y side of the western genre is almost inherently pulpy, so many great action-adventure-oriented westerns could fit the bill, like The Magnificent Seven [1960], etc.)

If you need more recommendations, check out TV Tropes' "Two-Fisted Tales" page, which lists a bunch of pulp works from different media.

[u/Rabid_W00KIEE]

Sin City