Assured director of modern film noirs who has injected new life into the genre with a series of tough, economical, and atmospheric tales. Dahl tells unsentimental stories of hopelessly stupid men who take the fall for beautiful dames. Whereas most movies of this ilk are set against the backdrop of urban L.A. or NYC, this Montana native finds the darkness in the heart of middle America, in claustrophobic towns surrounded by great open spaces. In an era of imitations, both cheap and lavish, he offers the real deal.Dahl entered the industry as a storyboard artist on "A" films ("Something Wild"
