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Best Crime Movies

Heists, mobs, and the people on both sides of the badge.


These crime films are ranked by IMDb score — the ones that audiences worldwide have voted, re-watched, and argued over the most. Refine by year or cross-reference with another genre. The list begins with the best.
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Showing 35 of 40

  1. 01.
    The Shawshank Redemption

    The Shawshank Redemption

    1994·Dir. Frank Darabont·142 min·9.3

    Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.

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  2. 02.
    The Godfather

    The Godfather

    1972·Dir. Francis Ford Coppola·175 min·9.2

    Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

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  3. 03.
    The Dark Knight

    The Dark Knight

    2008·Dir. Christopher Nolan·152 min·9.1

    Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

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  4. 04.
    The Godfather Part II

    The Godfather Part II

    1974·Dir. Francis Ford Coppola·202 min·9.0

    In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.

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  5. 05.
    O.J.: Made in America

    O.J.: Made in America

    2016·Dir. Ezra Edelman·467 min·8.9

    A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

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  6. 06.
    Mirror Game

    Mirror Game

    2016·Dir. Amitabh Reza Chowdhury·144 min·8.9

    Ayna is an actor and the prison is his stage. He slips into the characters of the powerful convicted in exchange of money and take their place in prison. This strange profession is borne out of a society that doesn't give him a chance to follow his passion of acting, but forces him to act in the real life. Falling in love with the girl next door changes his life equation and he decides to end this career with one last performance. But this one takes him too deep in the rabbit hole. The story unfolds on how an underdog survives in a society that is merciless and struggles his way out from the clutch of crime game which he is a part too.

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  7. 07.
    Pulp Fiction

    Pulp Fiction

    1994·Dir. Quentin Tarantino·154 min·8.8

    A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.

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  8. 08.
    GoodFellas

    GoodFellas

    1990·Dir. Martin Scorsese·145 min·8.7

    The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.

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  9. 09.
    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

    2011·Dir. Quentin Tarantino·254 min·8.7

    A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

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  10. 10.
    The Green Mile

    The Green Mile

    1999·Dir. Frank Darabont·189 min·8.6

    A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

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  11. 11.
    Se7en

    Se7en

    1995·Dir. David Fincher·127 min·8.6

    Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.

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  12. 12.
    City of God

    City of God

    2002·Dir. Fernando Meirelles·129 min·8.6

    In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood, while José “Zé” Pequeno is an ambitious drug dealer diving into a dangerous life of crime.

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  13. 13.
    The Silence of the Lambs

    The Silence of the Lambs

    1991·Dir. Jonathan Demme·119 min·8.6

    Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

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  14. 14.
    Nayakan

    Nayakan

    1987·Dir. Mani Ratnam·156 min·8.6

    Velu Naicker, who witnesses the brutal murder of his father, kills a corrupt policeman and escapes to Mumbai, only to become a gangster.

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  15. 15.
    Jai Bhim

    Jai Bhim

    2021·Dir. T. J. Gnanavel·164 min·8.6

    A pregnant woman from a primitive tribal community, searches desperately for her husband, who is missing from police custody. So as to find her husband and seek justice for them, as their voice, a High Court advocate rises in support. Will their battle for justice succeed?

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  16. 16.
    Léon: The Professional

    Léon: The Professional

    1994·Dir. Luc Besson·111 min·8.5

    Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.

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  17. 17.
    The Usual Suspects

    The Usual Suspects

    1995·Dir. Bryan Singer·106 min·8.5

    Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.

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  18. 18.
    The Departed

    The Departed

    2006·Dir. Martin Scorsese·151 min·8.5

    To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

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  19. 19.
    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

    2008·Dir. Kurt Kuenne·94 min·8.5

    In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.

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  20. 20.
    Thalapathi

    Thalapathi

    1991·Dir. Mani Ratnam·157 min·8.5

    Surya, a courageous man who was raised in the slums, fights for the rights of the poor and befriends Deva, who hires him as his commander and changes his life completely.

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  21. 21.
    Visaranai

    Visaranai

    2016·Dir. Vetrimaaran·118 min·8.4

    Pandi and his friends, immigrant workers in Andhra Pradesh, are picked up by cops for a crime they never committed. And thus begins their nightmare, where they become pawns in a vicious game where the voiceless are strangled by those with power.

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  22. 22.
    Sherlock: Many Happy Returns

    Sherlock: Many Happy Returns

    2013·Dir. Jeremy Lovering·7 min·8.4

    John and Lestrade try to move on with their lives after Sherlock's apparent death. However, Anderson believes he is still alive.

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  23. 23.
    Vada Chennai

    Vada Chennai

    2018·Dir. Vetrimaaran·166 min·8.4

    Anbu, a young carrom player in North Chennai becomes inadvertently involved in an ongoing conflict between two local gangsters.

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  24. 24.
    The Dark Knight Rises

    The Dark Knight Rises

    2012·Dir. Christopher Nolan·165 min·8.4

    Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent's crimes to protect the late attorney's reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years later, Batman encounters the mysterious Selina Kyle and the villainous Bane, a new terrorist leader who overwhelms Gotham's finest. The Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

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  25. 25.
    Drishyam 2

    Drishyam 2

    2021·Dir. Jeethu Joseph·153 min·8.4

    7 years after the events of Drishyam, the family lives with the trauma from that fateful night. A gripping tale of an investigation and a family threatened by it. Will Georgekutty be able to protect his family this time?

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  26. 26.
    Black Friday

    Black Friday

    2004·Dir. Anurag Kashyap·162 min·8.4

    Bombs tear through Bombay in 1993, wreaking havoc and polarising the citizens. With perpetrators at large, the state launches a massive man-hunt to unmask the perpetrators behind these events.

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  27. 27.
    Kaithi

    Kaithi

    2019·Dir. Lokesh Kanagaraj·147 min·8.4

    Dilli, a convicted criminal, is out on parole to meet his daughter. However, a drug bust sets him off on a mission to save the life of police officers.

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  28. 28.
    Drishyam

    Drishyam

    2013·Dir. Jeethu Joseph·164 min·8.4

    Georgekutty lives a happy life with his wife and daughters. Things take a turn when his daughter gets indecently filmed using a hidden camera, by the son of a police inspector.

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  29. 29.
    Anniyan

    Anniyan

    2005·Dir. Shankar·181 min·8.4

    Unable to bear the growing corruption in society and rejection from his love interest, a meek lawyer becomes diagnosed with multiple personality disorder due to which the personalities of a vigilante killer and a metrosexual start existing within him.

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  30. 30.
    Once Upon a Time in America

    Once Upon a Time in America

    1984·Dir. Sergio Leone·229 min·8.3

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

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  31. 31.
    Scarface

    Scarface

    1983·Dir. Brian De Palma·170 min·8.3

    After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

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  32. 32.
    Joker

    Joker

    2019·Dir. Todd Phillips·122 min·8.3

    During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

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  33. 33.
    Reservoir Dogs

    Reservoir Dogs

    1992·Dir. Quentin Tarantino·99 min·8.3

    A botched robbery indicates a police informant, and the pressure mounts in the aftermath at a warehouse. Crime begets violence as the survivors -- veteran Mr. White, newcomer Mr. Orange, psychopathic parolee Mr. Blonde, bickering weasel Mr. Pink and Nice Guy Eddie -- unravel.

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  34. 34.
    Requiem for a Dream

    Requiem for a Dream

    2000·Dir. Darren Aronofsky·102 min·8.3

    The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.

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  35. 35.
    Heat

    Heat

    1995·Dir. Michael Mann·170 min·8.3

    Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

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