Best Crime Movies

by eudemonicnick | created - 1 month ago | updated - 1 week ago | Public

Best Crime Movies to Watch At Least Once in a Lifetime

Movies included in the list either have an outstanding craftsmanship in which case they have been rated ten by the list creator, or have some achievement in the plot, cinematography, directing, approach etc. which in some sense compensates for any flaw & qualifies them for being dubbed "best crime movie", although with a lower rating.

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1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

R | 154 min | Crime, Drama

95 Metascore

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis

Votes: 2,221,876 | Gross: $107.93M

2. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

R | 180 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

75 Metascore

Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey

Votes: 1,584,585 | Gross: $116.90M

3. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

R | 229 min | Crime, Drama

75 Metascore

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams

Votes: 377,955 | Gross: $5.32M

4. Batman Begins (2005)

PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama

70 Metascore

After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson

Votes: 1,579,458 | Gross: $206.85M

5. The Dark Knight (2008)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama

84 Metascore

When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine

Votes: 2,872,655 | Gross: $534.86M

6. The Departed (2006)

R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

85 Metascore

An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg

Votes: 1,423,090 | Gross: $132.38M

7. No Country for Old Men (2007)

R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

92 Metascore

Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and over two million dollars in cash near the Rio Grande.

Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson

Votes: 1,061,003 | Gross: $74.28M

8. Léon: The Professional (1994)

R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama

64 Metascore

12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello

Votes: 1,246,655 | Gross: $19.50M

9. Ocean's Eleven (2001)

PG-13 | 116 min | Crime, Thriller

74 Metascore

Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon

Votes: 619,613 | Gross: $183.42M

10. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

69 Metascore

After awakening from a four-year coma, a former assassin wreaks vengeance on the team of assassins who betrayed her.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen

Votes: 1,194,853 | Gross: $70.10M

11. Sin City (2005)

R | 124 min | Crime, Thriller

74 Metascore

An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.

Directors: Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba

Votes: 793,997 | Gross: $74.10M

12. The Hateful Eight (2015)

R | 168 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

68 Metascore

In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins

Votes: 660,310 | Gross: $54.12M

13. L.A. Confidential (1997)

R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

91 Metascore

As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.

Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger

Votes: 618,153 | Gross: $64.62M

14. Casino (1995)

R | 178 min | Crime, Drama

73 Metascore

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: 564,371 | Gross: $42.44M

15. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

55 Metascore

A bored married couple is surprised to learn that they are both assassins hired by competing agencies to kill each other.

Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Adam Brody, Vince Vaughn

Votes: 541,843 | Gross: $186.34M

16. The Mask (1994)

PG-13 | 101 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

59 Metascore

Bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss is transformed into a manic superhero when he wears a mysterious mask.

Director: Chuck Russell | Stars: Jim Carrey, Cameron Diaz, Peter Riegert, Peter Greene

Votes: 421,117 | Gross: $119.94M

17. We're the Millers (2013)

R | 110 min | Comedy, Crime

44 Metascore

A veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber | Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms

Votes: 486,351 | Gross: $150.39M

18. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

R | 120 min | Crime, Drama, Romance

84 Metascore

A teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.

Directors: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan | Stars: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Saurabh Shukla, Anil Kapoor

Votes: 878,114 | Gross: $141.32M

19. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

R | 137 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

83 Metascore

The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah

Votes: 806,171 | Gross: $66.21M

20. Gangs of New York (2002)

R | 167 min | Crime, Drama

72 Metascore

In 1862, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father's killer.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Jim Broadbent

Votes: 473,160 | Gross: $77.81M

21. Taken (I) (2008)

PG-13 | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

51 Metascore

A retired CIA agent travels across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.

Director: Pierre Morel | Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Leland Orser

Votes: 634,757 | Gross: $145.00M

22. Crash (I) (2004)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

66 Metascore

Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.

Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandiwe Newton, Karina Arroyave

Votes: 449,102 | Gross: $54.58M

23. American Hustle (2013)

R | 138 min | Crime, Drama

90 Metascore

A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive partner Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild F.B.I. Agent, Richie DiMaso, who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and the Mafia.

Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence

Votes: 500,435 | Gross: $150.12M

24. Birds of Prey (2020)

R | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

60 Metascore

After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroines Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.

Director: Cathy Yan | Stars: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett

Votes: 264,817 | Gross: $84.16M

25. Thelma & Louise (1991)

R | 130 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama

89 Metascore

Two best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two women escape for the crimes they committed.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen

Votes: 173,330 | Gross: $45.36M

26. Coup de Chance (2023)

PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

64 Metascore

Two young people's bond leads to marital infidelity and ultimately crime.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Lou de Laâge, Niels Schneider, Anna Laik, Melvil Poupaud

Votes: 6,117

27. Face/Off (1997)

R | 138 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi

82 Metascore

To foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.

Director: John Woo | Stars: John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Joan Allen, Alessandro Nivola

Votes: 401,086 | Gross: $112.23M

28. Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

PG-13 | 122 min | Crime, Thriller

62 Metascore

Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff.

Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Michael Mantell

Votes: 367,561 | Gross: $117.15M

29. War Dogs (2016)

R | 114 min | Biography, Comedy, Crime

57 Metascore

Loosely based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a three hundred million dollar contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.

Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Jonah Hill, Miles Teller, Steve Lantz, Gregg Weiner

Votes: 254,249 | Gross: $43.03M

30. The Hangover Part III (2013)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Crime

30 Metascore

When one of their own is kidnapped by an angry gangster, the Wolf Pack must track down Mr. Chow, who has escaped from prison and is on the run.

Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha

Votes: 335,540 | Gross: $112.20M

31. Spy Game (2001)

R | 126 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

63 Metascore

Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane

Votes: 167,139 | Gross: $0.03M

32. Irrational Man (2015)

R | 95 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

53 Metascore

A tormented philosophy professor finds a will to live when he commits an existential act.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Parker Posey, Joe Stapleton

Votes: 67,111 | Gross: $4.03M

33. Scarface (1983)

R | 170 min | Crime, Drama

65 Metascore

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Steven Bauer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Votes: 917,086 | Gross: $45.60M

34. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

63 Metascore

A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.

Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy

Votes: 253,871 | Gross: $58.01M

35. Burn After Reading (2008)

R | 96 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

63 Metascore

A disk containing mysterious information from a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous and daft gym employees who attempt to sell it.

Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen | Stars: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich

Votes: 353,392 | Gross: $60.36M



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