Best crime films
by mazenazach | created - 16 Dec 2019 | updated - 02 Apr 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 598,116 | Gross: $33.08M
2. First Reformed (2017)
R | 113 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A minister of a small congregation in upstate New York grapples with mounting despair brought on by tragedy, worldly concerns and a tormented past.
Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric The Entertainer, Victoria Hill
Votes: 62,574 | Gross: $3.45M
3. Gone Girl (2014)
R | 149 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry
Votes: 1,066,940 | Gross: $167.77M
4. Searching (III) (2018)
PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.
Director: Aneesh Chaganty | Stars: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michelle La
Votes: 179,885 | Gross: $26.02M
5. Run Lola Run (1998)
R | 80 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri
Votes: 206,947 | Gross: $7.27M
6. Gerald's Game (2017)
TV-MA | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A couple tries to spice up their marriage in a remote lake house. After the husband dies unexpectedly, the wife is left handcuffed to their bed frame and must fight to survive and break free.
Director: Mike Flanagan | Stars: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Chiara Aurelia, Carel Struycken
Votes: 127,268
7. Primal Fear (1996)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An altar boy is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Edward Norton, John Mahoney
Votes: 246,934 | Gross: $56.12M
8. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,805
9. Wind River (2017)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A wildlife officer, who is haunted by a tragedy that happened because of him, teams up with an FBI agent in solving a murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation and hopes to get redemption from his past regrets.
Director: Taylor Sheridan | Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Graham Greene, Kelsey Asbille
Votes: 280,492 | Gross: $33.80M
10. The Pledge (I) (2001)
R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A retiring police detective pledges to catch the killer of a young child.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Beau Daniels
Votes: 67,684 | Gross: $19.72M
11. In the Valley of Elah (2007)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.
Director: Paul Haggis | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jonathan Tucker, Jason Patric
Votes: 75,092 | Gross: $6.78M
12. Mystic River (2003)
R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Emmy Rossum
Votes: 485,738 | Gross: $90.14M
13. In the Line of Fire (1993)
R | 128 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo, Dylan McDermott
Votes: 113,661 | Gross: $102.31M
14. Mulholland Drive (2001)
R | 147 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
After a car wreck on Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Director: David Lynch | Stars: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Jeanne Bates
Votes: 383,696 | Gross: $7.22M
15. Rear Window (1954)
PG | 112 min | Mystery, Thriller
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window and, despite the skepticism of his fashion-model girlfriend, becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 521,913 | Gross: $36.76M
16. Room (I) (2015)
R | 118 min | Drama, Thriller
A little boy is held captive in a room with his mother since his birth, so he has never known the world outside.
Director: Lenny Abrahamson | Stars: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Wendy Crewson
Votes: 450,380 | Gross: $14.68M
17. Ripley's Game (2002)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A dying family man in need of money is persuaded to assassinate a European crime boss.
Director: Liliana Cavani | Stars: John Malkovich, Dougray Scott, Lena Headey, Ray Winstone
Votes: 19,441
18. A Most Wanted Man (2014)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Chechen Muslim illegally immigrates to Hamburg, where he gets caught in the international war on terror.
Director: Anton Corbijn | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Daniel Brühl, Robin Wright
Votes: 80,149 | Gross: $17.24M
19. A Cry in the Dark (1988)
PG-13 | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A mother whose child was killed in a dingo attack in the Australian Outback fights to prove her innocence when she is accused of murder.
Director: Fred Schepisi | Stars: Meryl Streep, Sam Neill, Dale Reeves, David Hoflin
Votes: 11,204 | Gross: $6.91M
20. The Frozen Ground (2013)
R | 105 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
An Alaska State Trooper partners with a young woman who escaped the clutches of serial killer Robert Hansen to bring the murderer to justice. Based on actual events.
Director: Scott Walker | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Vanessa Hudgens, John Cusack, Dean Norris
Votes: 67,283
21. The Best Offer (2013)
R | 131 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Virgil Oldman, a wealthy art auctioneer, takes the help of a young artificer, Robert, to understand and woo Claire Ibbetson, a young heiress, who hires him to auction off an antique collection.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks, Donald Sutherland
Votes: 128,561 | Gross: $0.09M
22. Prisoners (2013)
R | 153 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.
Director: Denis Villeneuve | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo
Votes: 809,110 | Gross: $61.00M
23. The Ides of March (2011)
R | 101 min | Drama, Thriller
An idealistic staffer for a new presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.
Director: George Clooney | Stars: Paul Giamatti, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ryan Gosling
Votes: 230,682 | Gross: $40.96M
24. Michael Clayton (2007)
R | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multibillion-dollar class action suit.
Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Michael O'Keefe
Votes: 174,032 | Gross: $49.03M
25. Presumed Innocent (1990)
R | 127 min | Mystery, Thriller
As a lawyer investigates the murder of a colleague, he finds himself more connected to the crime than anyone else.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Harrison Ford, Raul Julia, Greta Scacchi, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 45,777 | Gross: $86.30M
26. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.
Director: Juan José Campanella | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Carla Quevedo
Votes: 222,323 | Gross: $6.39M
27. The Departed (2006)
R | 151 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
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: 1,421,775 | Gross: $132.38M
28. El Hijo (2019)
TV-MA | 92 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Lorenzo, a 50 y.o. painter, is having a child with his new wife, Sigrid. She gets stranger and stranger - or he does. He claims, the baby's been switched.
Director: Sebastián Schindel | Stars: Joaquín Furriel, Martina Gusmán, Luciano Cáceres, Heidi Toini
Votes: 3,967
29. The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Unrated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A picture-perfect family is shattered when the work of a serial killer hits too close to home.
Director: Duncan Skiles | Stars: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Samantha Mathis, Madisen Beaty
Votes: 33,960 | Gross: $0.01M
30. Unbelievable (2019)
TV-MA | 48 min | Crime, Drama
A teenager is charged with lying about being raped, but two detectives follow the path to the truth.
Stars: Kaitlyn Dever, Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, Blake Ellis
Votes: 119,655
31. Malice (1993)
R | 107 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A tale about a happily married couple who would like to have children. Tracy teaches art, Andy's a college dean. Things are never the same after she is taken to hospital and operated upon by Jed, a "know all" doctor.
Director: Harold Becker | Stars: Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, Bill Pullman, Bebe Neuwirth
Votes: 27,346 | Gross: $46.04M
32. Insomnia (2002)
R | 118 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan
Votes: 319,031 | Gross: $67.36M
33. Shutter Island (2010)
R | 138 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, two US marshals, are sent to an asylum on a remote island in order to investigate the disappearance of a patient, where Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 1,455,878 | Gross: $128.01M
34. Se7en (1995)
R | 127 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Kevin Spacey, Andrew Kevin Walker
Votes: 1,798,306 | Gross: $100.13M
35. Changeling (2008)
R | 141 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
After Christine's son goes missing, she reaches out to the LAPD to find him. But when they try to pass off an impostor as her son to quieten public protests, she refuses to accept him or give up hope.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Angelina Jolie, Colm Feore, Amy Ryan, Gattlin Griffith
Votes: 265,232 | Gross: $35.74M
36. Trial by Media (2020– )
TV-MA | 61 min | Documentary, Crime
In our modern media landscape where real courtroom dramas have increasingly been transformed into a form of entertainment, this series reflects on some of the most dramatic and memorable trials in recent history.
Stars: Al Sharpton, Curtis Sliwa, Patti Blagojevich, Jim Phillips
Votes: 3,558
37. Unsolved Mysteries (2020– )
TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
Immersive, character-driven stories are rooted in the experiences of ordinary people who have lived the unthinkable. Families, detectives and journalists hope viewers hold the clues to solving these mysteries.
Stars: Thom Reed, Maria Ramirez, Allison Rivera, Mary Murphy
Votes: 12,452
38. Red Dragon (2002)
R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.
Director: Brett Ratner | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel
Votes: 290,819 | Gross: $93.15M
39. American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
TV-MA | 83 min | Documentary, Crime
In 2018, 34-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters disappear in Colorado. With the heartbreaking details emerging, the family's story made headlines around the world.
Director: Jenny Popplewell | Stars: Nickole Atkinson, Jim Benemann, Luke Epple, Mark Jamieson
Votes: 32,717
40. Unabomber: In His Own Words (2020)
43 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
The beginning of the Unabomber's campaign of terror from 1978 to 1985; a look into his childhood to discover what might have turned the young mathematical genius with few friends, Ted Kaczynski, into a sociopathic terrorist.
Stars: Joel Moss, Kevin Fagan, David Kaczynski, Peter Vronsky
Votes: 4,265
41. The Alcàsser Murders (2019)
TV-MA | 303 min | Documentary, Crime
True crime documentary examining one of the most controversial crimes in Spanish history.
Stars: Fernando García, Elías León Siminiani, Ramón Campos, Yolanda Laguna
Votes: 2,581
42. White Boy (2017)
TV-14 | 82 min | Documentary, Crime
In 1980's Detroit, 17 year-old Richard Wershe, Jr. allegedly ran a sophisticated inner-city drug dealing operation. Now, journalists, police, federal agents and hit men are speaking for the first time about the legend of "White Boy Rick."
Director: Shawn Rech | Stars: Richard Wershe Jr., Scott M. Burnstein, Dana Hathaway, Joe Swickard
Votes: 2,257
43. The Staircase (2004–2018)
TV-MA | 629 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
Stars: Michael Peterson, David Rudolf, Ron Guerette, Martha Ratliff
Votes: 27,197
44. The Innocent Man (2018)
TV-MA | 47 min | Documentary, Crime
The story of Ron Williamson, a man who sat on Oklahoma's death row for 11 years for a crime he didn't commit. Based on John Grisham's "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town."
Stars: Heather McPhaul, John Grisham, Erik Anthony Russo, Guthrie Worthington
Votes: 6,542
45. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)
TV-MA | 47 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
This limited docu-series tells the true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice.
Stars: Paul Skolnick, Gil Carrillo, Frank Salerno, Pearl Carrillo
Votes: 30,287
46. The Woods (2020)
TV-MA | 306 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In Warsaw, a prosecutor's hopes rise after a body is found and linked to his sister's disappearance 25 years earlier.
Stars: Grzegorz Damiecki, Agnieszka Grochowska, Hubert Milkowski, Wiktoria Filus
Votes: 7,874
47. Safe (2018)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After his teenage daughter goes missing, a widowed surgeon begins uncovering dark secrets of the people closest to him.
Stars: Michael C. Hall, Amy James-Kelly, Amanda Abbington, Freddie Thorp
Votes: 52,103
48. The Life of David Gale (2003)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Cleo King
Votes: 126,060 | Gross: $19.59M
49. The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Documentary, Crime, History
The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maury Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult.
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Charlie Ott, Phil Amicone, Michael Zuckerman
Votes: 10,263
50. Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (2021)
TV-MA | 84 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Serial killer Dennis Nilsen narrates his life and horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell.
Director: Michael Harte | Stars: Douglas Bence, Bob Brenton, Mike Cattran, Russ Coffey
Votes: 4,297
51. Catching Killers (I) (2021– )
Documentary, Crime
Catching Killers is a true crime series following police and prosecutors as they apprehend and incarcerate the world's most violent killers. Each episode features two stories of murder from around the world.
Stars: JJ Holoubek, Lisa Jones
Votes: 877
52. Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall (2022)
TV-MA | 125 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A two-part documentary, examining the disappearance and murder of journalist, Kim Wall, and the subsequent trial of her killer.
Stars: Kim Wall, Peter Madsen
Votes: 1,278
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