Ahead of the December release of his sci-fi noir Ray Gunn, director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) has recommended five classic films that inspired the project, a hybrid he describes as "The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers". Speaking to Polygon at the Annecy Film Festival, Bird explained his fascination with retro-futuristic worlds that look as a person 70 years ago might have imagined the future, a style reflected in Ray Gunn's Art Deco skyscrapers, jetpacks and flying cars.

Ray Gunn stars Sam Rockwell as a private investigator in the city of Metropia, alongside Scarlett Johansson, and arrives on Netflix on 18 December. Bird's picks span classic and modern noir, illustrating the genre's blend of hard-boiled detective work, moral corruption and stylish world-building:

– The Killing (1956) — Stanley Kubrick's Hollywood debut, a heist noir that influenced Reservoir Dogs
– Chinatown (1974) — Roman Polanski's "practically perfect" film starring Jack Nicholson as a PI uncovering a sinister conspiracy
– L.A. Confidential (1997) — Curtis Hanson's star-studded adaptation of James Ellroy's novel about corrupt 1950s LAPD officers
– The Big Lebowski (1998) — the Coen brothers' Raymond Chandler-inspired comedy following an accidental detective
– Blade Runner 2049 (2017) — Denis Villeneuve's "superior sequel", whose visuals Bird says informed Ray Gunn's look