How did Black filmmakers expand neo-noir in the 1990s?

In the 1990s, Black filmmakers expanded the predominantly white neo-noir genre by incorporating social issues and perspectives that had been largely overlooked in earlier films, particularly by introducing themes of racism.1

Director Carl Franklin was a key figure in this expansion. His film One False Move (1992) followed three fugitives fleeing Los Angeles for small-town Arkansas, while his stylish murder mystery Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) featured a Black private eye—played by Denzel Washington—investigating the disappearance of a femme fatale who may have been passing as white in 1940s Los Angeles. By centering these narratives on Black protagonists and addressing systemic racial dynamics, these filmmakers broadened the scope of the genre beyond its traditional conventions.1