Film Noir

While I have heard of the genre before, film noir is something I have never experienced. I've know its themes and how it usually deals with gangsters. However, I've never watched any film noir.
The Asphalt Jungle is my first venture into the genre. Honestly, I like it. The characters are likable, and its black and white nature adds to its grittiness. Although the acting is a little strange and I can't understand anything the Doc says, I think it has its own niche.
The characters are among my favorites from any film we have watched so far. Emmerich, though a bad guy who double-crosses the Doc and Dix, is given sympathy at the final moments before his arrest. He knows he's going to get whisked off to jail, yet plays cards with his wife. He could easily leave her behind and escape, yet doesn't. Also when the police come to his escort's house to arrest him, he tells her to tell them the truth. He's letting her off even though a statement from her could have helped his case.
The Doc is given a sympathetic moment as well. Right before he gets arrested, he gives a teenage girl several nickels. While it could be argued that he did it for his own perversion, I'd like to think that he did it to do something good before he got caught.
Even Dix has our sympathy. Throughout the film, Dix repeatedly refuses to even casually converse with Doll(?). By the end, he lets her join him in his escape. I also suspect that the director will work in a romantic scene right before Dix dies or gets caught.