Best Crime Movies – Crime novels give us the feeling of being detectives ourselves, catching bad guys and making the world a better place.
They also explore the fascinating question of why crimes happen, what makes us criminals, and whether or not everyone would be able to do so in certain situations.
We enjoy the primal human fear of evil in a perfidious way when watching a thriller; the film serves as both a projection surface and a catalyst at the same time. Almost no other genre holds our attention as well as crime fiction.
In a thriller, the focus is always on a crime and solving it, and the investigators’ perspective is frequently used, in contrast to the closely related thriller.
The crime genre is accessible to the faint-hearted because it does not always have to be bloody and gruesome. There are many subgenres of crime movies, such as detective, court, spy, and police movies.
The 11 Best Crime Movies Ever Made
Crime movies are some of the most thrilling and captivating films ever made. They are filled with suspense, action, and drama, and always keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. Here are eleven of the best crime movies of all time.
1. Knives Out (2019)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Knives Out
When Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), a famous crime writer and strict family patriarch, is discovered dead on his 85th birthday, it quickly becomes clear that he was murdered! Someone from the loyal household staff – or one of the eccentric relatives – must have been looking for an inheritance.
Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is introduced. He is a brilliant investigator and a keen observer, despite being at least as eccentric as the suspects. Every suspect has a motive, so he has to be
Knives Out feels like a Cluedo game come to life, with a loving and humorous nod to crime legend Agatha Christie.
The film’s staging and investigation are purposefully vintage, allowing it to capture the atmosphere of classic “whodunit” films while also adding a contemporary twist.
The impressive cast (which includes Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Toni Collette) adds to the thrilling fun.
2. Dial M for Murder (1954)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Dial M for Murder (1954)
Margot has a lot of money. Margot is having an affair with a crime novelist. As a result, Margot must perish. At least, that’s what her ex-professional tennis player and playboy husband, Tony Wendice, believes.
He devises a meticulous murder scheme, which, unfortunately, goes awry. So sly Tony will have to come up with another plan to permanently get rid of Margot.
“Murder on the Call” is widely regarded as one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest works. The classic roles of victim and perpetrator are abolished and reassembled in this mix of crime thriller and psychological thriller, which is also a chamber drama.
The danger is growing all the time. A classic that must be seen!
3. Heat (1995)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Heat (1995)
A titanic duel between Robert De Niro and Al Pacino: One is a thoroughbred gangster looking to flee the country after a botched coup attempt.
The other is a dedicated cop who is hell-bent on apprehending a career criminal. The two have been playing a devious cat-and-mouse game for years, and it appears to have finally come to an end.
The action, the character drawings, the tension, and the acting performances all fit perfectly here. A genre classic that is just as relevant today as it was back in the 1990s.
4. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: The Maltese Falcon (1941)
A client assigns Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart), a small-town private investigator, to monitor a man.
Spade is suspected after his partner is shot during the surveillance and the man who was supposed to be followed is found dead a short time later. He must now seek out the true perpetrator.
The Maltese Falcon is a film noir classic and one of the most well-known hard-boiled detective stories ever written.
Despite the minimalist narrative style, we are immersed in the protagonists’ minds from the first minute and are glued to the screen.
The focus is on both the character drawings and the crime-solving. Pessimistic, nihilistic, and exciting all at the same time!
5. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: The Usual Suspects
After 27 people are killed in a ship explosion, the police question Verbal Klint (Kevin Spacey), a half-paralyzed petty criminal who was one of only two people to survive the disaster. What exactly does he know?
Is it really a botched drug deal – but where are the drugs? Klint actually unpacks the case, focusing on the mysterious crime king Keyser Söze. Söze, on the other hand, has never been seen…
“The Usual Suspects” is the crime genre’s equivalent of Hermann Maier’s local skiing: perfection that has become a reality.
The strip is cited as one of the best (if not the best) crime films of all time on all lists, and it has maintained its radiance and fascination over the years.
“The Usual Suspects,” starring Kevin Spacey, is staged in a complex, pointed, and witty manner, culminating in a finale that deserves to go down in film history.
6. Now You See Me (2013)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Now You See Me (2013)
Four magicians known as “The Four Horsemen” (Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco) perform stage shows that blur the line between reality and illusion.
Their shows, on the other hand, are merely diversion: while the magicians dazzle on stage, they rob vaults across the globe.The FBI, on the other hand, is already on their tail…
Nothing is tangible in this crime drama, as the (German) title already implies, and the game of appearance and reality becomes the principle of pleasure.
The screenplay dazzles with a clever plot, fast-paced action, and numerous twists, especially the finale, which will stay with you for a long time. “The Ungraspables: Now You See Me” is as enthralling and perplexing as a magic show.
7. Fargo (1996)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Fargo (1996)
We’re in Minnesota in 1987, and it’s cold and snowy: Jerry (William H. Macy) has devised a scheme to solve his financial problems: he intends to kidnap his wife in order to extort a ransom from his wealthy father-in-law.
Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, two local petty criminals, should be able to assist him. Everything that can go wrong, of course, does go wrong – and there are deaths as a result.
Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing, heavily pregnant cop, steps in to solve the case.
Fargo is a wicked masterpiece by the Coen brothers, who aren’t afraid of quirkiness and absurdity, which is why it gets so deep into the characters’ emotional landscape.
In terms of landscape, the stunning photography stands in stark contrast to the grotesque story. A huge success!
8. Filth (2013)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Filth (2013)
In terms of crude humor, escalation, and breaking taboos, this film adaptation of Irvene Welsh’s novel of the same name (“Trainspotting”) is in no way inferior to the original:
Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is a depressed, scheming, drunk, and corrupt cop. He snorts cocaine and has sex with his colleague’s wife while he’s drunk.
He tries to solve the murder of a Japanese student in order to get a promotion and repair his marriage, but he lacks empathy and interest.
Robertson gradually becomes overwhelmed not only by the investigation, but also by his life, to the point where even his psychiatrist is at a loss.
“Drecksau” is an escalating outburst of rage, a deafening cry of despair, and a vicious punch in the gut. Ungustl’s protagonists have rarely been so conflicted and intriguing.
McAvoy deserves praise for conveying his character’s complexity with ferocity. In a nutshell, it’s a strange journey filled with sex, violence, and incomprehensible thought fragments.
9. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: In the Heat of the Night
When police officer Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) is accused of murdering a white industrialist in a small Southern town, he is actually just passing through.
Even though it’s clear that it wasn’t him, Tibbs is still eager to assist in the investigation. This, however, goes against the racist police chief William Gillespie’s (Rod Steigerwishes et al.)
This is an extremely exciting crime film, but also a fascinating social study that makes racism a central premise, which was already highly explosive at the time, but avoids cliché traps. It gets you thinking!
10. Chinatown (1974)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: Chinatown (1974)
Jack Nicholson stars as shabby private investigator Jake Gittes in Roman Polanski’s somber homage to the old hard-boiled detective stories of the 1940s. The movie challenges but also entertains on a high level.
When Gittes starts a routine job, he finds himself in a web of corruption, real estate speculation, political power struggles, and family intrigues. With a big performance by Nicholson, it’s a classic!
11. L.A. Confidential (1997)
Best Crime Movies of All Time: L.A. Confidential (1997)
As a result of the general economic boom, corruption, violence, and crime flourished in the thriving city of Los Angeles in the early 1950s.
Los Angeles is ruled by a dangerous gang boss, and the city’s cops are only your friends and helpers on the outside.
Three cops, assertive Jack (Kevin Spacey), disloyal Ed (Guy Pearce), and bully Bud (Russel Crowe), must work together to investigate a bloody murder at a bar, only to discover they are all playing a game.
The novel is based on true events and is a modern film noir with a dense atmosphere. You’re so engrossed in the action that you don’t even realize the darkness has engulfed you.
Awards for the screenplay and Kim Basinger as the femme fatale have been given to both of these people.
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