BIOPIC MOVIES- Criminals and killers collection
by Gonzothefacey | created - 07 Jan 2012 | updated - 29 Sep 2013 | PublicThis biography movie list features movies with a criminal theme. Whether the crime is murder, stealing or fraud all of these films are inspired by real people and actual events.
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1. In Cold Blood (1967)
R | 134 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Two ex-cons murder a family in a robbery attempt, before going on the run from the authorities. The police try to piece together the details of the murder in an attempt to track down the killers.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart
Votes: 29,115
2. The Boston Strangler (1968)
Approved | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A series of brutal murders in Boston sparks a seemingly endless and increasingly complex manhunt.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda, George Kennedy, Mike Kellin
Votes: 10,810
3. The Honeymoon Killers (1970)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
An obese, embittered nurse doesn't mind if her toupee-wearing boyfriend romances and fleeces other women, as long as he takes her along on his con jobs.
Directors: Leonard Kastle, Donald Volkman | Stars: Shirley Stoler, Tony Lo Bianco, Mary Jane Higby, Doris Roberts
Votes: 5,823 | Gross: $0.46M
4. 10 Rillington Place (1971)
GP | 111 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
What happened to the women at 10 Rillington Place? The story of British serial killer John Christie, who committed most or all of his crimes in the titular terraced house, and the miscarriage of justice involving Timothy Evans.
Director: Richard Fleischer | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Judy Geeson, John Hurt, Pat Heywood
Votes: 9,767
5. Serpico (1973)
R | 130 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.
Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire
Votes: 134,596 | Gross: $29.80M
6. Deranged (1974)
R | 84 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A deranged rural farmer becomes a grave robber and murderer after the death of his possessive mother, whose corpse he keeps, among others, as his companion in a decaying farmhouse.
Directors: Jeff Gillen, Alan Ormsby | Stars: Roberts Blossom, Cosette Lee, Leslie Carlson, Robert Warner
Votes: 5,755 | Gross: $0.05M
7. Helter Skelter (1976)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The investigation and trial of the horrific Tate-LaBianca mass murders orchestrated by the psychotic pseudo-hippie cult leader, Charles Manson.
Stars: George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, Nancy Wolfe, Marilyn Burns
Votes: 3,850
8. The Stepfather (1987)
R | 89 min | Horror, Thriller
After murdering his entire family, a man marries a widow with a teenage daughter in another town and prepares to do it all over again.
Director: Joseph Ruben | Stars: Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, Shelley Hack, Charles Lanyer
Votes: 18,166 | Gross: $2.49M
9. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Unrated | 83 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.
Director: John McNaughton | Stars: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Mary Demas
Votes: 40,387 | Gross: $0.61M
10. Goodfellas (1990)
R | 145 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco
Votes: 1,255,806 | Gross: $46.84M
11. Bugsy (1991)
R | 136 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel started Las Vegas.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 30,973 | Gross: $49.11M
12. Wyatt Earp (1994)
PG-13 | 191 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
From Wichita to Dodge City, to the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, a man becomes a myth in this thrilling journey of romance, adventure, and desperate heroic action.
Director: Lawrence Kasdan | Stars: Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, David Andrews
Votes: 54,896 | Gross: $25.05M
13. The Basketball Diaries (1995)
R | 102 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A teenager finds his dreams of becoming a basketball star threatened after he free falls into the harrowing world of drug addiction.
Director: Scott Kalvert | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol, James Madio
Votes: 120,937 | Gross: $2.42M
14. Casino (1995)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods
Votes: 563,277 | Gross: $42.44M
15. Donnie Brasco (1997)
R | 127 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.
Director: Mike Newell | Stars: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby
Votes: 331,893 | Gross: $41.91M
16. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
R | 118 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
An oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.
Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Michael Lee Gogin
Votes: 301,274 | Gross: $10.68M
17. Summer of Sam (1999)
R | 142 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Spike Lee's take on the "Son of Sam" murders in New York City during the summer of 1977 centering on the residents of an Italian-American Northeast Bronx neighborhood who live in fear and distrust of one another.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: John Leguizamo, Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Jennifer Esposito
Votes: 41,280 | Gross: $19.28M
18. Chopper (2000)
R | 94 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Chopper tells the intense story of Mark "Chopper" Read, a legendary criminal who wrote his autobiography while serving a jail sentence in prison. His book, "From the Inside", upon which the film is based, was a best-seller.
Director: Andrew Dominik | Stars: Eric Bana, Simon Lyndon, Vince Colosimo, Renée Brack
Votes: 41,467 | Gross: $0.23M
19. Blow (2001)
R | 124 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how George Jung, along with the Medellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
Director: Ted Demme | Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Franka Potente, Rachel Griffiths
Votes: 274,871 | Gross: $52.99M
20. Catch Me If You Can (2002)
PG-13 | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Barely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen
Votes: 1,093,819 | Gross: $164.62M
21. Ted Bundy (2002)
R | 99 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of serial killer Ted Bundy.
Director: Matthew Bright | Stars: Michael Reilly Burke, Boti Bliss, Julianna McCarthy, Jennifer Tisdale
Votes: 8,132 | Gross: $0.01M
22. Speck (2002)
R | 79 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Gruesome true story of murderer Richard Speck who killed eight nursing students in one night in Chicago during the late sixties. The story also follows him to his prison fate and uncovers more of his strange behavoir before his death.
Director: Keith Walley | Stars: Doug Cole, Beverly Sotelo, Stacy Cunningham, Flynn Beck
Votes: 272
23. Dahmer (2002)
R | 101 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Biopic about notorious American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, taking place in both the past and the present.
Director: David Jacobson | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Bruce Davison, Artel Great, Matt Newton
Votes: 11,657 | Gross: $0.14M
24. Nightstalker (2002)
R | 95 min | Crime, Horror
Richard Ramirez, aka the Nightstalker, who terrorized people in Los Angeles during the 1980s, and the police had no clue with him.
Director: Chris Fisher | Stars: Bret Roberts, Joseph McKelheer, Roxanne Day, Julian Garcia
Votes: 1,269
25. Monster (2003)
R | 109 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Lee Tergesen
Votes: 161,653 | Gross: $34.47M
26. The Manson Family (1997)
R | 95 min | Crime, Drama, History
A dramatization of the horrific and notorious Manson Family Murders, in the form of super 8 home movies.
Director: Jim Van Bebber | Stars: Marcelo Games, Marc Pitman, Leslie Orr, Maureen Allisse
Votes: 3,384 | Gross: $0.02M
27. Gacy (2003 Video)
R | 88 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Model citizen, devoted father, loving husband and serial killer John Wayne Gacy - a man with over 30 dead men and boys entombed in the crawl space underneath his family house. Based on a true story.
Director: Clive Saunders | Stars: Mark Holton, Adam Baldwin, Tom Waldman, Charlie Weber
Votes: 4,814
28. Starkweather (2004)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 1958 Nebraska 19 year old garbageman Charles Starkweather goes on a murder spree with his 14 year old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate killing 11 people in three months, introducing America to spree killing.
Director: Byron Werner | Stars: Brent Taylor, Shannon Lucio, Jerry Kroll, Lance Henriksen
Votes: 865
29. The Hillside Strangler (2004)
R | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Kenneth is obsessed with the police, he moves to LA with his cousin, Angelo convinces him to start a prostitution business. Frustrated decide on revenge, feeling a great pleasure with her death. The two cousins become addicted to death.
Director: Chuck Parello | Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Nicholas Turturro, Allison Lange, Marisol Padilla Sánchez
Votes: 1,982 | Gross: $0.00M
30. The Hunt for the BTK Killer (2005 TV Movie)
R | 82 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
After 31 years at-large, detectives in Wichita, Kansas home in on the serial killer known as BTK.
Director: Stephen Kay | Stars: Robert Forster, Michael Michele, Maury Chaykin, Mimi Kuzyk
Votes: 1,574
31. The Hoax (2006)
R | 116 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.
Director: Lasse Hallström | Stars: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, David Aaron Baker, John Carter
Votes: 17,184 | Gross: $7.16M
32. The Killing of John Lennon (2006)
Unrated | 114 min | Crime, Drama
A dramatization of Mark Chapman's plan to murder John Lennon.
Director: Andrew Piddington | Stars: Jonas Ball, Mie Omori, Krisha Fairchild, Gail Kay Bell
Votes: 1,529 | Gross: $0.01M
33. Karla (2006)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Based on real events, Paul Bernardo and his wife, Karla Homolka, kidnap, sexually abuse, and murder three young girls.
Director: Joel Bender | Stars: Laura Prepon, Misha Collins, Patrick Bauchau, Emilie Jacobs
Votes: 6,338
34. Zodiac (2007)
R | 157 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Between 1968 and 1983, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac Killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards
Votes: 597,569 | Gross: $33.08M
35. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
R | 160 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Robert Ford, who has idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the resurgent gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.
Director: Andrew Dominik | Stars: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 192,683 | Gross: $3.90M
36. American Gangster (2007)
R | 157 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An outcast New York City cop is charged with bringing down Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas, whose real life inspired this partly biographical film.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin
Votes: 452,154 | Gross: $130.16M
37. Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield (2007 Video)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The twisted and murderous appetites of the notorious Ed Gein, whose depredations in his small town of Plainfield come as quite a shock to his neighbors, especially Deputy Mason, whose mother Vera and girlfriend Erica have gone missing.
Director: Michael Feifer | Stars: Kane Hodder, Adrienne Frantz, Michael Berryman, Priscilla Barnes
Votes: 2,205
38. Public Enemies (2009)
R | 140 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Christian Stolte, Jason Clarke
Votes: 318,411 | Gross: $97.10M
39. Conviction (II) (2010)
R | 107 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A working mother puts herself through law school in an effort to represent her brother, who has been wrongfully convicted of murder and has exhausted his chances to appeal his conviction through public defenders.
Director: Tony Goldwyn | Stars: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, Thomas D. Mahard
Votes: 45,934 | Gross: $6.78M
40. Kill the Irishman (2011)
R | 106 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970's.
Director: Jonathan Hensleigh | Stars: Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer
Votes: 51,295 | Gross: $1.19M
41. The Iceman (2012)
R | 106 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Richard Kuklinski, the notorious contract killer and family man. When he was finally arrested in 1986, neither his wife nor his daughters had any clue about his real profession.
Director: Ariel Vromen | Stars: Michael Shannon, Chris Evans, James Franco, Winona Ryder
Votes: 79,323 | Gross: $1.94M
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