what about a good naive lead character (man) that got seduced by a femme fatal? the 2 attitudes contradicts each other no?
When the male lead is good and naive, it's more a "she done him wrong" than noir. Think "Double Indemnity": A cynical male lead who's willingly seduced by a femme fatale, thinking he has everything under control, only to be double-crossed by her (because she was smarter and/or more ruthless). I saw this in film class, so lots of explanation, but I was never a fan of the lead actor or actress, disliked them in fact. Personally, I don't like certain noir, I like to have someone to root for, and when both characters are "bad guys," I'm left hanging.