Top 10 Good Boy/Bad Girl Movie Couples
#10: Bart Tare & Annie Laurie Starr “Gun Crazy” (1950)
Also known as “Deadly Is the Female,” this film follows Bart, who was a troublemaker as a kid and pretty carnival worker Annie Laurie, who’s the one who really gets them into trouble. After getting hitched, she not only warns him of her “bad” nature, but she also gives him an ultimatum: either he joins her in her criminal ways or they’re through. During multiple robberies, Annie asks Bart to shoot those who get in their way, but she’s the one who ultimately ends up doing the dirty work. Though the fugitives do stick out it out together for some time, it’s Bart who does what he thinks is the “right thing” by film’s end.
#9: Pete Lund / Ole ‘Swede’ Anderson & Kitty Collins “The Killers” (1946)
Femme fatales predate cinema by centuries, but the archetype is arguably most synonymous with film noir. Serving as the actor's debut, "The Killers" stars Burt Lancaster as The Swede, a former boxer lured into a life of crime and double-crossed by the enchanting Kitty Collins. Glamorous but materialistic, Kitty sees men as pawns to be used and discarded without a hint of remorse. A somewhat nice guy with no real power of his own or much of a future, the sultry trickster could not have asked for a better patsy than the disposable Swede.
#8: Charles Driggs & Audrey Hankel [aka Lulu] “Something Wild” (1986)
Reeling from a broken marriage, a straight-laced banker acts out by indulging in some petty theft, a stunt that immediately piques the interest of one particular witness. A born rebel, Audrey playfully confronts Charlie about the unpaid check, before basically tricking the guy into a cross-country adventure. Slipping in and out of various personas, Audrey - or is it Lulu? - inspires Charlie to partake in even more misdemeanors, although, in all fairness, the banker is more than willing to go along for the ride. "Something Wild"’s mismatched duo are hardly the greatest role-models and their adventure isn’t exactly a smooth one, but Audrey and Charlie's romance is genuinely quite endearing.
#7: Indiana Jones & Dr. Elsa Schneider “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989)
That age-old tale: boy falls in love with girl, girl turns out to be a Nazi. What? Is that not a common trope? Man… we’ve really gotta stop watching the Last Crusade so much. Learning that his father disappeared while searching for the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones teams up with Dr. Elsa Schneider to retrace Henry's steps and decipher the artifact's secrets. Following a handful of near-death experiences, Indy and Elsa seem poised to become more than merely colleagues, but this romance proves to be short-lived. In reality, Elsa has been using Indy and Henry to help the Nazi regime discover the Holy Grail. Not cool, Elsa, not cool.
#6: Mike Swale & Bridget Gregory “The Last Seduction” (1994)
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A throwback to the dames of classic film noir of the '40s, Linda Fiorentino is mesmerizing as the calculating and twisted Bridget Gregory. On the run from an abusive husband and looking to escape with a bag of cash, Bridget flees to a small town and starts a fling with Mike Swale, an upright man coming off a bad marriage. Before long, Mike falls in love with the alluring woman and plays right into Bridget's hands. Murder, a frame job, and a hint of blackmail; Bridget is willing to use any trick in the book to manipulate Mike into aiding in her escape.
#5: Walter Neff & Phyllis Dietrichson “Double Indemnity” (1944)
Insurance fraud is a deadly game. A quintessential film noir, "Double Indemnity" sees an insurance salesman roped into killing a client by the victim's money-starved wife. Despite originally opposing the offer, Walter Neff ultimately succumbs to Phyllis' charms, and the couple set out to activate the double indemnity clause. Anyone willing to go along with murder can scarcely be described as "good," but hey, love makes you do crazy things, and it’s safe to say that Neff never would never have gone down this road had he not met his femme fatale. Playing the salesman like a fiddle, Phyllis is as irresistible as she is dangerous.
#4: Detective Nick Curran & Catherine Tramell “Basic Instinct” (1992)
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With the leg cross seen around the world, Sharon Stone delivered one of the most sexually charged performances in mainstream Hollywood cinema. Investigating the murder of a rock star, Nick Curran pinpoints the victim's girlfriend, Catherine Tramell, as the primary suspect. After the initial interrogation hits a brick wall, Nick begins a sordid affair with Catherine, despite still believing the woman to be a killer. From bribing Nick's lieutenant to framing an ex-lover for murder, Catherine expertly utilizes her sexuality as a weapon, one capable of turning men and women into willing accomplices.
#3: Jeff Bailey & Kathie Moffat “Out of the Past” (1947)
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A former private eye who accepted the wrong case, Jeff Bailey simply wants to start over in a new town and with a new girl. Revealed via a flashback, Jeff - then known as Jeff Markham - as hired to track down Kathie, a businessman's girlfriend said to have stolen $40,000. Enticed by the woman's baby-face charm, Jeff accepts Kathie's pleas for help, a decision that leads the protagonist down a road filled with murder and regret. Wrapped around the deceitful dame's finger, Jeff finds himself ensnared by Kathie in a web of lies and sex, from which there is no safe escape.
#2: Caleb Smith & Ava “Ex Machina” (2015)
Please note, this entry spoils the ending. Winning a company contest, Caleb is flown to his CEO's secluded home, where he is tasked with the job of determining whether Nathan's latest humanoid robot is capable of true intelligence. Over the course of a week, the programmer converses with the charming Ava, a seemingly harmless android who appears to reciprocate Caleb's romantic interest. Vowing to run away together, Caleb helps Ava escape Nathan's cage, only to be promptly betrayed and left to die by the robot. The results might have been disastrous for every human involved, but Nathan's test was certainly a triumph.
#1: Philip Marlowe & Vivian Sternwood Rutledge “The Big Sleep” (1946)
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Infinitely quotable and wickedly funny, such an iconic film noir deserves a remarkable femme fatale to match, and Vivian Sternwood Rutledge is just that. Hired to help resolve some gambling debt, Philip Marlowe is dragged into the Sternwood family's crooked dealings; particularly, by the oldest daughter, Vivian. Blinded by the girl's youthful innocence, Marlowe is duped into acting in Vivian's best interest and spends most of the film chasing shadows. Though deeply involved in the city's seedy underbelly, Vivian sticks out among other dangerous dames in that she’s relatable and sympathetic. She’s a great femme fatale, but as Marlowe learns, she’s also so much more.
