The crime genre has given us some of the greatest stories in cinema. These films make you root for flawed people and sometimes even for straight-up villains. Crime also creates some of the strongest stakes in storytelling because it is built on things everyone can understand: power, greed, survival, and justice.
In this list, we’re breaking down the 10 greatest crime movies ever made. These are the ones that never lose their impact, no matter how many times you see them. Even if you know the twists, you still feel the dread of a deal falling apart or the paranoia in a room where nobody trusts each other.
10
‘Now You See Me’ (2013)
Now You See Me is a heist movie told in the most sensationally entertaining way possible, thanks to its brilliant premise. The story follows a team of illusionists known as The Four Horsemen, who put on massive magic shows that secretly double as covers for live robberies. They then redistribute the stolen money to their audience, which sets off a high-stakes game of cat and mouse between the magicians and the FBI.
The rewatch value comes from knowing how the illusions are pulled off. Once you know the ending, the entire film looks different. And it is even more fun when you can spot the clues that were there all along. Add to that a stacked A-list cast with Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Isla Fisher, and you get a stylish crime thriller that is as rewatchable as it is original.
9
‘Joker’ (2019)
Joker centers around Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), a timid, lonely man who dreams of becoming a stand-up comedian but constantly finds himself beaten down by society. He gradually begins to give in to his dark side, and the film follows his transformation into Gotham City’s most feared criminal, the Joker. The film takes clear inspiration from older crime classics like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, and reshapes them into a gritty crime thriller for a whole new generation.
Phoenix delivers a career-defining performance and completely disappears into the role of Arthur. He makes you feel pity and disgust all at once, and his performance rightfully earned him an Oscar. The film also took home the Oscar for Best Original Score, and its haunting music plays a big role in making the atmosphere unforgettable. Add in A-tier cinematography and plot twists that rival Fight Club, and Joker easily secures its place as one of the greatest crime films of modern cinema.
8
‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ (2017)
From the cast to the dialogue to the atmosphere, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri feels like a Coen Brothers film they never directed. The story follows a grief-stricken mother who wants justice for her murdered daughter. After seven months with no arrests, she rents three roadside billboards and puts up controversial headlines to publicly shame the local police chief and force him into action.
This is a film that demands rewatches because certain scenes are so intense and raw that they burn into your memory. There is a one-take scene where Sam Rockwell’s Officer Dixon storms through a building and brutally attacks the man renting out the billboards, and while it is nowhere near as long or technically marvellous as something like Extraction, it feels far more intense because his character is a complete nutjob. Rockwell even won an Oscar for his role in the film. Then there is Woody Harrelson’s letter, which is one of the most heartbreaking and beautifully written moments you will ever see in a crime drama. If you want a film that makes you laugh, keeps you on edge, and eventually breaks your heart, this is the one.
7
‘The Departed’ (2006)
A greatest crime films list would be incomplete without a Martin Scorsese entry, and The Departed is proof of why he remains the master of the genre. The story follows an undercover cop infiltrating a gang while, at the same time, the gang plants its own mole inside the police. Both sides slowly realize they have leaks, and the tension rises with every close call until it finally explodes in classic Scorsese fashion.
This film is a perfect 10/10 in every department. The soundtrack is electric, and the cast is stacked with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Vera Farmiga, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Alec Baldwin. The direction, acting, and razor-sharp screenplay all sync together to create a pressure cooker of paranoia. And even when you know the ending, the buildup is so thrilling that you get lost in it all over again.
6
‘Prisoners’ (2013)
Prisoners follows two families whose daughters go missing, and when the police fail to live up to their standards of policing, the parents decide to take matters into their own hands. The film is directed by Denis Villeneuve and features a powerhouse cast with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal delivering Oscar-worthy performances. Jackman perfectly captures the raw desperation of a father pushed to the edge, while Gyllenhaal delivers one of his best roles as the obsessive detective piecing together the clues.
The film introduces such enthralling mysteries, like the maze necklace and the mental state of Paul Dano’s character, and it keeps you in suspense until the very final frame. On a rewatch, knowing the answers only adds to the dread because you start catching all the clues that were hiding in plain sight. Another big reason this film earns its place on the list is the cinematography. Roger Deakins, the legendary cinematographer behind 1917, Blade Runner 2049, and No Country for Old Men, shot Prisoners, and few crime films have ever looked this good.
5
‘The Batman’ (2022)
Matt Reeves’ The Batman is less of a superhero movie and more of a grim crime noir with Batman (Robert Pattinson) on the hunt for a sadistic killer who leaves behind cryptic clues. The crime scenes feel ripped straight out of Se7en. And the Riddler (Paul Dano) is nothing like a traditional comic book villain. Instead, he feels much closer to the real-life Zodiac Killer.
Pattinson commands the screen as the Caped Crusader, and it’s mesmerizing watching him always outthink everyone around him. There are several plot twists. The action sequences hit hard. But what truly elevates the film is its look. It’s shot by Greig Fraser, the same cinematographer behind the Dune films, and every frame from The Batman looks like it could sit in an art gallery.
4
‘War Dogs’ (2016)
Image via Warner Bros.
War Dogs is a dark comedy based on the insane true story of two young guys who somehow become international arms dealers. Jonah Hill and Miles Teller play the duo who take advantage of a government loophole that lets small businesses bid on U.S. military contracts. However, things quickly spiral out of control when they land a massive $300 million deal that puts them in business with some very shady people.
The film is told through Teller’s narration, and tonally it is very reminiscent of films like The Big Short and The Wolf of Wall Street. Unsurprisingly, Hill is the highlight. He delivers one of his funniest and most chaotic performances, complete with that bizarre laugh that never gets old, no matter how many times you rewatch it. If you’re in the mood for a crime film that blends ridiculous true events with nonstop comedy, War Dogs is as entertaining as it gets.
3
‘Uncut Gems’ (2019)
Uncut Gems is the movie that proved Adam Sandler can crush dramatic roles just as much as comedy. He plays Howard Ratner, a gambling-addicted jeweler drowning in debt who risks everything on one massive bet that could either change his life or completely destroy it. The story itself is packed with tons of twists and bad decisions, but it is the Safdie Brothers’ direction that makes this film such a masterpiece. From the very first scene, they build a crescendo of chaos and anxiety that never lets up until the final gut-punch of an ending.
This film is pure sensory overload. People yell over each other, the sound design constantly overwhelms you, and the shaky, in-your-face camerawork makes you feel trapped in Howard’s world. It is exhausting, it is disorienting, and yet it is impossible to look away. You finish it thinking you will never put yourself through that stress again, but a few months later, you find yourself rewatching it because no other film captures that raw feeling of anxiety quite like Uncut Gems.
2
‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
Quentin Tarantino’s debut remains a classic. A group of criminals pulls off a heist, but the movie skips the heist itself and focuses on the bloody aftermath of everything gone wrong. The crew holes up in a warehouse, bleeding, screaming, and pointing fingers as they try to figure out which one of them is an undercover cop.
Tarantino’s screenplay alone makes it one of the most rewatchable crime films ever made. The guy is great at coming up with unique, offbeat, and hilarious observations about everything from tipping to Madonna lyrics. He can create a 20-minute scene of just people talking that feels more pulse-pounding than most action movies.
1
‘The Shawshank Redemption’ (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption is a prison drama that follows Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), a banker sentenced to life for murders he did not commit. Inside the Shawshank Prison, he forms a lifelong bond with Red (Morgan Freeman), and the film spans nearly two decades of their lives behind bars. The story is beautifully narrated by Freeman, and it became the springboard for all the narration roles that came his way after. And then there’s the heartbreaking Brooks (James Whitmore) sequence, where a man finally gets his freedom only to realize the world has passed him by. If you’ve never cried at a movie, this scene will probably be the first to break you.
At its core, though, this is a story about resilience. Shawshank never manages to crush Andy’s spirit, no matter how often he is pushed down, and watching him outlast everything the system throws at him is incredibly moving. The film builds toward one of the most satisfying payoffs in cinema history, and even when you know exactly how it ends, the journey still feels just as powerful. That’s why The Shawshank Redemption is not only the greatest crime film on this list but also one of the greatest films ever made.
The Shawshank Redemption
- Release Date
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September 23, 1994
- Runtime
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142 minutes
- Director
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Frank Darabont
- Writers
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Frank Darabont
