History Main / HardboiledDetective

* ''Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}}'' features Creator/HumphreyBogart as Sam Spade, one of the most iconic hardboiled detectives of all time, seeking revenge for the death of his partner and hunting for a [[MacGuffin missing statuette]].

* Franchise/{{Batman}} himself

* Also parodied in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E16RarityInvestigates Rarity Investigates!]]", an episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. The episode see's Rainbow Dash accused of a crime and Rarity gets to the bottom of it the old fashioned way: looking for clues, interrogations and muted trumpet music.

* Nightbeat from ''ComicBook/TheTransformers'', ''Franchise/TransformersClassics'', and IDW's "-ations" is a HumongousMecha homage to the genre, up to and including sporting a [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:MarvelUK-230.jpg fedora and trenchcoat]] and [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Bird_of_Prey! "Bird of Prey!"]] in particular being almost a retelling of ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon''. Whether he's an AmateurSleuth, a "consulting detective" for the Autobots, or a PrivateDetective varies depending on the continuity, but he always has the same general hardboiled, noir-ish personality.

* ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'' features Creator/HumphreyBogart as Sam Spade, one of the most iconic hardboiled detectives of all time, seeking revenge for the death of his partner and hunting for a [[MacGuffin missing statuette]].

Originating in the early part of the 20th century, hardboiled detective stories quickly became a major subgenre of MysteryFiction. Later, they became strongly associated with FilmNoir. Creator/RaymondChandler is considered the master of the genre, but it was Creator/HumphreyBogart's depiction of detective Sam Spade in the 1941 film, ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'' (based on a novel by Creator/DashiellHammett), that became the TropeCodifier.

The hardboiled detective is generally a KnightInSourArmor or even an AntiHero who lives in a world of BlackAndGrayMorality. He's a PrivateDetective or AmateurSleuth--usually the former. His services are required because the police are [[PoliceAreUseless useless]], [[DirtyCop corrupt]] or [[BadCopIncompetentCop both]], so he'll never be a cop, though he may be a [[RetiredBadass retired]] one. Expect him to keep a [[INeedAFreakingDrink bottle of scotch]] in his desk, which is probably located in an office in the [[TheCityNarrows low rent district]]. Recent depictions typically include the trademark [[BadassLongcoat trenchcoat]] and [[NiceHat fedora]] over a rumpled suit, made popular by Creator/HumphreyBogart.

Originating in the early part of the twentieth century, hardboiled detective stories quickly became a major subgenre of MysteryFiction. Later, they became strongly associated with FilmNoir. Creator/RaymondChandler is considered the master of the genre, but it was Creator/HumphreyBogart's depiction of detective Sam Spade in the 1941 film, ''Film/TheMalteseFalcon'' (based on a novel by Creator/DashiellHammett), that became the TropeCodifier.

* Also parodied in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E16RarityInvestigates Rarity Investigates!]]", an episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

See also: PrivateDetective, AmateurSleuth, FilmNoir and FantasticNoir. Contrast with GreatDetective, KidDetective, and LittleOldLadyInvestigates. If the character simply provides first-person narration the way detectives in FilmNoir often do, that's PrivateEyeMonologue. This character type easily falls into the Stale Beer Flavour of SpyFiction.

[[quoteright:254:[[Magazine/InvincibleDetectiveMagazine https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hardboiled1_9881.jpg]]]]

* The wrestler [[Wrestling/MagnumTOKYO Alan Kuroki]] from Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE, with his appropiate fedora and suit.

* Podcast Rex Rivetter: Private Eye also qualifies. Part homage/part tongue-in-cheek send up of the old radio shows, including the PrivateEyeMonologue, sarcastic wit, and ability to take and dish out a punch or two.

** The eponymous ''VideoGame/DetectivePikachu''. Apart from wearing a Sherlock Holmes-esque deerstalker cap and being well.. [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter a Pikachu]], it behaves like a kid-friendly version of a stereotypical hard-boiled detective.

* Slam Bradley is a hardboiled detective who had a regular feature in ''Detective Comics'' before Franchise/{{Batman}} appeared in its pages, and has been incorporated into the DC Universe since then.

* Hannibal King from Creator/MarvelComics is a [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampiric]] hardboiled detective.

* ''Webcomic/MuktukWolfsbreathHardBoiledShaman'' is based on "the realization that shamans were kind of like detectives".

By the [[TheSixties 1960s]], the hardboiled detective had nearly become a DeadHorseTrope, but continuing interest in FilmNoir kept it from the brink of extinction. Today it is most often seen in parodies and [[FantasticNoir genre crossovers]] (the Hardboiled Detective [[RecycledINSPACE In SPACE!!]]), but can still be played straight in Noir revival or homage. The style, language, and fashion of the hard-boiled detective tend to remain solidly anchored in the [[TheThirties 1930s]] and [[TheForties 1940s]], though, no matter where he appears. Expect him to call his gun a "gat", to refer to women as "dames" and their legs as "gams".

See also: PrivateDetective, AmateurSleuth, FilmNoir and FantasticNoir. Contrast with GreatDetective, KidDetective, and LittleOldLadyInvestigates. If the character simply provides first-person narration the way detectives in FilmNoir often do, that's PrivateEyeMonologue.

* Rex Stout: