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- Eric Farwell
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- "The French Connection" (1971) This William Friedkin neo-noir masterpiece all but swept the 44th Academy Awards. The adaptation of Robin Moore's non-fiction book sees two detectives try to bring down a drug kingpin with complications arising at every turn.
- "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II" (1972, 1974) Francis Ford Coppola's career high mark gave audiences the American crime saga of the Corleone mafia family toward the end of the '50s, with Part II looking back on the criminal clan after Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) moves to the States from Sicily.
- "The Departed" (2006) After a long and illustrious career, no one expected any more surprises from Jack Nicholson, yet here he is, giving the complex Irish mafia boss Frank Costello the best he has to offer.
- "Pulp Fiction" (1994) While Hollywood was busy churning out thrillers (and mostly bad comedies) in the 1980s, Quentin Tarantino was busy figuring out how he would define the next era of cinema.
- 20 'A Clockwork Orange'
- 19 'Scarface'
- 18 'Heat'
- 17 'Witness For The Prosecution'
- 16 'Joker'
- 15 'American History X'
- 14 'The Usual Suspects'
- 13 'Léon: The Professional'
- 12 'The Departed'
- 11 'City of God'
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
A Clockwork Orange depicts an unsettling dystopian version of England, where the disturbing story of Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his "Droogs" takes place. Their violent nights are juxtaposed with eerily cheerful singing, all fueled by drugs and time spent at their favorite Milkbar, of course. When Alex is imprisoned for a horrific crime, a torturous experimental behavior modification technique leaves him broken and vulnerable to the same individuals he used to terrorize. A provocative film fr...
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Al Pacino brilliantly portrays one of his most iconic characters, the murderous drug lord Tony Montana, in director Brian De Palma's award-winning classic, Scarface. Set in Miami, the film depicts Tony's perilous journey toward dominating the drug trade in the area, no matter the cost. His drug empire inevitably leads to a dangerous position of power, where Tony expects opposition and violence from all sides. Aside from Al Pacino's stunning performance that breathed life into the power-hungry...
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Directed by Michael Mann, Heat is a seminal crime film that features some incredible performances, especially its two central characters – the master criminal Neil McCauley (flawlessly performed by Robert De Niro) and the dedicated detective Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). McCauley is the leader of a notorious group of criminals, who is preparing for one last lucrative job before bidding farewell to crime. Lieutenant Hanna is in charge of bringing them to justice, but struggles with per...
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Witness for the Prosecution is a genre-defining courtroom drama that revolves around the mind-boggling case of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who is accused of murdering a wealthy woman. Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) soon agrees to take on Leonard's case and is determined to prove his innocence, but is shocked when the protagonist's wife, Christine (Marlene Dietrich), testifies against him, jeopardizing his defense. Director Billy Wilder's twisty film is full of jaw-dropping revelation...
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Director Todd Phillips' Joker is a highly divisive film that undeniably stands out within the superhero and crime genres. It tells the story of Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a troubled comedian in Gotham City. The protagonist's life is full of feelings of loneliness, as he struggles with his mental health and fitting in. Eventually, the mistreatment becomes too much, and his fragile mental state deteriorates. Arthur transforms into the legendary titular criminal mastermind, which is a repre...
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Audiences searching for good crime movies don't need to look further than director Tony Kaye's American History X. The powerful film revolves around the former neo-Nazi and ex-convict Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), who struggles to help his younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) steer clear of his past beliefs and associates. The film is not for the faint of heart, as it doesn't shy away from graphic violence and disturbing depictions of racial hatred to get its message across. It's worth not...
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Director Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects is widely regarded as one of the best crime films ever made (with one of the most iconic plot twists everyone knows). The film is centered on a group of career criminals who get together for a disastrous heist, which is soon linked by authorities to a larger conspiracy. The entire movie is mostly hinged on the interrogation of the heist's only survivor, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey), who recounts the wild story that wouldn't be possible without the enig...
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Natalie Portman, Jean Reno, and Gary Oldman star in the French crime-action-thriller, Léon: The Professional. The film follows the story of a professional hitman, Léon (Reno), who hesitantly cares for a young girl, Matilda (Portman), after a group of corrupt DEA agents led by Norman Stansfield (Oldman) murders her entire family. An odd duo, Léon and Matilda bond over the young girl's desire for revenge, and the hitman teacher her everything she needs to know. With stellar performances from th...
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
The Departed focuses on the messy connection between two men, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), who find themselves on opposing sides in the same crime syndicate. Set in the bustling streets of Boston, Martin Scorsese's crime thriller movie depicts Billy's experiences as an undercover cop infiltrating the gang, while Colin attempts to infiltrate the police department.To make things even more complicated, an investigation to expose the mole in the police depar...
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
City of God is a critically acclaimed epic crime movie that revolves around Rio de Janeiro’s eponymous slum. Co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, the film depicts criminal activity, poor living conditions, and constant violence in that area. A young and ambitious photographer who grew up there makes it his goal to document significant events and show the world what shouldn’t be ignored. The terrifying and often jarring way the movie portrays the titular location will leave viewer...
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- Jeremy Urquhart
- Feature Writer/Senior List Writer
- 'Fargo' (1996) Directed by The Coen Brothers. The Coen Brothers are no strangers to crime-related movies, and though 2007's No Country for Old Men was their most successful come awards season, it's 1996's Fargo that arguably stands as their best crime movie (or maybe even their best film in general).
- 'Scarface' (1983) Directed by Brian De Palma. Even though 1932's Scarface is very good, 1983's Scarface is even better. It's a perfect crime movie for the 1980s, being big, showy, and even excessive while exploring excess, greed, and the unstoppable appetite of its main character, Tony Montana, which ultimately proves to be his downfall.
- 'High and Low' (1963) Directed by Akira Kurosawa. One of many great Akira Kurosawa movies, High and Low is a film that shows the legendary Japanese filmmaker was capable of more than just samurai movies.
- 'Zodiac' (2007) Directed by David Fincher. The Zodiac Killer is one of the most infamous serial killers in history, particularly because the five known murders they committed remain unsolved to this day.
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100 of the Best Crime Movies Ever! by dziwnytenswiat • Created 12 years ago • Modified 11 years ago. List activity. 164K views. 449 this week. Create a new list. List your movie, TV & celebrity picks. 100 titles. Sort by List order. 1. Once Upon a Time in America. 1984 3h 49m R. 8.3 (378K) Rate. 75 Metascore.
- BEST CRIME MOVIE OF ALL TIME. The Godfather (1972) The Godfather • Trailer. The Godfather is the best crime movie of all time as well as the front runner for the greatest overall film of all time.
- BEST CRIME MOVIES. Heat (1995) Heat • Trailer. While many great crime movies take place in America, this is the ultimate modern American crime movie. It’s one of the greatest action crime movies which includes the greatest heist scene of all time and one of Robert De Niro best performances.
- ORGANIZED CRIME DRAMAS. Goodfellas (1990) Goodfellas • Trailer. This may be the most important crime film ever to be made, because the criminals in this film are highly unlikeable.
- BEST CRIME DRAMAS. The Godfather: Part II (1974) The Godfather: Part II • Trailer. Many believe this crime film is actually better than its predecessor, but regardless of where you place this film it is undeniably one of the top crime films ever made.
Martin Scorsese: 6 films (Taxi Driver; Goodfellas; The King of Comedy; After Hours; Killers of the Flower Moon; The Departed) The Coen brothers: 4 films (No Country for Old Men; The Big Lebowski; Fargo; Raising Arizona) Michael Mann: 3 films (Heat; Miami Vice; Thief) Quentin Tarantino: 3 films (Pulp Fiction; Reservoir Dogs; Kill Bill: Vol. 1)
Sep 19, 2018 · Here are the 100 best crime movies of all time, according to critics: Advertisement. 100. "Animal Kingdom" (2010) Sony Pictures Classic. Critic score: 83/100. User score: 7.8/10. What critics...
