Detective Pikachu co-writer reveals the classic noir that inspired part of the film

Detective Pikachu plays up some mystery movie tropes all while bringing the world of Pokemon to the silver screen. It also has a unique bit of classic noir inspiration as well. In an interview with Polygon, Detective Pikachu co-writer Dan Hernandez reveals the classic film he paid tribute to in Detective Pikachu.

“When we were trying to think of a dramatic way to reveal this kind of classically noir character, I went back to the basics of my favorite noir movie. Even though it’s not quite a detective story, The Third Man is a de facto detective story. And there’s this very, very famous shot where Orson Welles’ face is lit up by a window opening, and the light’s hitting his face after you think he’s dead the entire movie. Then he just smiles. It’s just this magical, perfect shot.”