From John Huston using a "shadowy, nihilistic noir style" in The Maltese Falcon that created a pivotal point for detective films to Orson Welles not only directing films but also starring in the same ones he worked in, film noir has had a vast array of very prominent directors that both set the pace and stretched the boundaries for the film noir movies. Here, we appreciate a few, noting that their names lead to further readings of the wizards behind the curtain.