The Best Film Noir Femme Fatales

A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. The best femme fatale can be seen in film noir so her is my best film noir femme fatales:

1. Phyllis Dietrichson (played by Barbara Stanwyck ) in Double Indemnity:
This muderous femme fatale murders the first wife of Mr. Dietrichson and then gets her 'boyfriend' to murder Mr. Dietrichson for the insurance money!

2. Rita Hayworth as Gilda Mundson Farrell in Gilda:
The 'love goddess' portrayed the sexy, hedonistic, auburn-haired wife of South American casino owner Ballin Mundson, who had recently hired gambling drifter (and Gildas ex) Johnny Farrell as his casino manager. With her lingering love for Johnny, Gilda served herself up to be the object of a tension-filled, love-hate relationship between the two rivals.

3. Lana Turner as Cora Smith in The Postman Always Rings Twice
Cora Smith is a bored wife who hatches a plan with her lover to kill her good hearted husband.

4. Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins in The Killers
Kitty gets ex-boxer Ole 'Swede' Andersen to take the rap for her on a jewelery robbery charge. She then persuaded him to get revenge on her boyfriend the gangster Colfax by stealing the payroll. She lied to him, promising the Swede that the money would allow her to get away from her hated boyfriend Colfax. Trusting blindly in Kitty, the Swede double-crossed the gang and robbed them of the payroll at the farm house, but then Kitty double-crossed him by stealing the money and ditching him.

5. Jane Greer as Kathie in Out of the Past
Icy, dark, deadly, and chameleon-like brunette femme fatale Kathie Moffat stole $40,000 and fled to Mexico from gangster Whit Sterling. Whit sends private eye Jeff Markham after Kathie and they start an ill-fated affair. Kathie kills Whit but Jeff turns her in. When she sees a roadblock trap Kathie shots Jeff dead in the driver's seat by firing her gun into his crotch.

6. Mary Astor  as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon
Brigid O'Shaughnessy was involved with a trio of ruthless, shady treasure hunters led by Fat Man Casper Gutmanwho had spent many years pursuing the trail of the legendary "black bird" statue, the fabled and bejewelled Maltese Falcon. She shot and killed private investigator Sam Spade's partner Miles Archer. She  and then tries to seduce Sam in order to save herself from a murder charge.

7. Gene Tierney as Ellen Berent Harland in Leave Her to Heaven
This femme fatales obsessive, possessive love for her new husband make her resent those close to him including his physically disabled teen-aged brother Danny Harland and her own adopted sister Ruth.