"A town named after a British philosopher doesn't exactly evoke visions of Goodis or Highsmith. Grifters? Dames? Cops? In Berkeley? On the surface the alleys don't seem that dark, until we look a little closer. Possibly the most iconic visual image of Berkeley does involve cops. It's the film with Mario Savio, atop a police car with a megaphone, declaring, There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part! Now there's a statement thatsums up the spirit of noir. Berkeley Noir asks, If not here, where?
