# Crime Movies



## Dave (Jul 20, 2012)

J-Sun's http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/537294-war-movies.html thread, gave me the idea of a similar Greatest Crime movies thread.

I'd have to start the ball rolling with *The Godfather * (1972), *Get Carter* (1971), and *Pulp Fiction* (1994).

The first three Dirty Harry movies would come next - *Dirty Harry* (1971), *Magnum Force* (1973), and *The Enforcer* (1976).

Then I'd follow up with *Bonnie and Clyde* (1967), *The Sting* (1973), and *Reservoir Dogs* (1992).

*The French Connection* (1971) and it's classic car chase would come somewhere.

*Leon* (1994) would get an honourable mention too.

How does your list differ?


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## J-Sun (Jul 20, 2012)

I'm actually a blasphemer - I don't like _The Godfather_. I don't understand it - it's widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time and it just doesn't click for me. Puzzling. But *Pulp Fiction*, now that's one of my very tip-top favorite movies. And I also like *Reservoir Dogs* a lot. Also the Dirty Harry movies although I think I've seen the first one too many times - the last time, it just didn't work quite as well.

Gotta add *The Maltese Falcon* (1941). Also *L.A. Confidential* (1997). (*Kansas City Confidential* (1952) is kinda neat, too.) Other neo-noirish stuff like *Body Heat* (1981), *The Last Seduction* (1994) (standout performance by Linda Fiorentino), *Bound* (1996) (very stylishly shot and well-paced/plotted).

And since you reminded me in the other thread to look on the lighter side, there's *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid* (1982), *A Shot in the Dark* (1964), (both high favorites), *The Thin Man* (1934), and *A Fish Called Wanda* (1988).


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## Mr. Aware Eagle (Jul 20, 2012)

My favorites are *Double Indemnity *and *Chinatown.*


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## Dave (Jul 20, 2012)

And obviously, I omitted *The Shawshank Redemption* (1994) which many people place as their favourite all-time film.


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## Allegra (Jul 20, 2012)

Dave said:


> And obviously, I omitted *The Shawshank Redemption* (1994) which many people place as their favourite all-time film.


 
Yep, that's one of my favs. 

A few good ones came to mind:

*The Silence of the Lambs*
*Mystic River*
*Gangs of New York*
*Catch Me If You Can*
*Ocean's Eleven*
*A Perfect Murder*
*What Lies Beneath*
*The Departed*
*The Thomas Crown Affair*
*Heat* (1995)
*The Pelican Brief*
*Frantic*


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## Mouse (Jul 20, 2012)

I _love_ Catch Me If You Can! ^

I'll add *The Usual Suspects*.


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## J-Sun (Jul 20, 2012)

Allegra said:


> *The Silence of the Lambs*



I went looking over a crime film list and came across a mention of this there, too, and was going to come back and add it. I'm not sure if I forgot it or just didn't think of it in this context. It obviously deals with crime (FBI agents and serial killers) but I tend to think of it as more psychological suspense/thriller/horror stuff - either way, it's a great film and, if it's a crime movie, then definitely add it to my list, too.


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## steve12553 (Jul 22, 2012)

J-Sun said:


> I went looking over a crime film list and came across a mention of this there, too, and was going to come back and add it. I'm not sure if I forgot it or just didn't think of it in this context. It obviously deals with crime (FBI agents and serial killers) but I tend to think of it as more psychological suspense/thriller/horror stuff - either way, it's a great film and, if it's a crime movie, then definitely add it to my list, too.


 
Crime film is a pretty broad category just like war film. Many of the great ones are strictly dramas such as *the Godfather*. *Silence of the Lambs* was definitely  more of a Suspense/ Thiller. 
There actually was a comedy produced at about the same time as the Godfather that dealt with the same lifestyle in a humorous vein called *the Gang the Couldn't Shoot Straight.*
I think you also have to include *Goodfellas**(**1990**)* in your list of epic crime films


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## biodroid (Jul 22, 2012)

Even though they are comic book movies, but the latest Batman trilogy is excellent crime thriller movies and my other favourite movie is Heat and Collateral.


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## biodroid (Jul 22, 2012)

Dave said:


> And obviously, I omitted *The Shawshank Redemption* (1994) which many people place as their favourite all-time film.



Is it really a crime movie? I always thought it had a crime to setup the whole prison story more than it being a crime movie, like the Green Mile.


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## Starbeast (Jul 22, 2012)

Bring on the bad guys, cause the good guys will hunt them down...most of the time in movies. Sometimes the lesser evil, destroys the greater evil. Here's a few of my favorite crime films.

*3000 Miles to Graceland* (2001) - Thieves rob a casino in Las Vegas. Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner are the main stars in this wild violent flick.

*Thunderbolt and Lightfoot* (1974) - Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis pull a bank hiest in this unusal drama.

*Last Man Standing* (1996) - Set in the 1930's, Bruce Willis is a gunman who wanders into a dying town run by two gangs. Remake of _Yojimbo (1961)._

*Surviving the Game* (1994) - Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, F. Murry Abraham and Charles Dutton enjoy hunting humans for sport, but they go up against a man who proves to be a fierce challenge.

*Manhunter* (1986) - Gripping hunt for a serial killer, which was based on the Thomas Harris novel _Red Dragon._

*Darkman* (1990) - Liam Neeson becomes a phantom hero that eliminates villains. Actor Larry Drake portrays an awesome bad guy.

*Tombstone* (1993) - Fantasic cast of actors play the heros and villains in this powerful movie which was based on true events from the wild western days of American history.

*Red Heat* (1988) - A Russian police officer pursues a drug dealer in the U.S. Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi.

*Mad Max* (1979) - Mel Gibson portrays a cop in the near future who wants to quit his violent job, but ends up going after motorcycle gang that hospitalized his best friend, murdered his son and crippled his wife. 

*Hard Target* (1993) - My favorite Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, where he discovers a gang (lead by Lance Henriksen) that secretly caters to people who like to hunt humans.

*Walking Tall* (1973) - Powerful true story about BUFORD PUSSER, who wages a one man war against corruption in a town. Rest in peace Mr Pusser.


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## Abernovo (Aug 13, 2012)

In no particular order, some of my favourite crime films include:

*Inside Man* (2006)
*Dirty, Pretty Things* (2002)
*Thunderheart* (1992)
*Witness* (1985)
*The Italian Job* (1969)
*Rear Window* (1954)
*Vertigo* (1958)
*Hell Drivers* (1957)
*The Usual Suspects* (1995)


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## Rihanazen (Aug 23, 2012)

My favorite Crime Movies are:

Fight Club
Scarface
Chinatown
No Country for Old Men


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## biodroid (Aug 23, 2012)

Fight Club is crime?


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## Kylara (Aug 23, 2012)

I'll whack a few oldies up...

*Kind Hearts and Coronets*
*The Lavendar Hill Mob*
*The Ladykillers*

All the versions with Alec Guinness please :wink: I could watch these over and over, but Ladykillers has to be one of my all time favourite crime movies...


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## Dave (Aug 23, 2012)

Alec Guinness plays all the various members of the family in *Kind Hearts and Coronets*.  

*Arsenic and Old Lace * is another great crime comedy play to watch. The film version had Cary Grant.


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## Allegra (Aug 23, 2012)

Mouse said:


> I'll add *The Usual Suspects*.


 
That's a brilliant movie!

Also came to mind:

*Primal Fear* (1996)
*American Psycho* (2000)
*Se7en* (1995)
*Sleepers* (1996)



Kylara said:


> but Ladykillers has to be one of my all time favourite crime movies...


 
I keep forgetting to get that one, been recommended for many times!


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## Kylara (Aug 23, 2012)

Make sure you get the Alec Guinness one...A remake was made recently and was utterly and completely uhhh "bad" to say the least...totally ruined it, missed the point, made it all bad language and stupid. Alec Guinness is wonderfully creepy in Ladykillers, a virtuouso performance (hehehehe)


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## Allegra (Aug 23, 2012)

Oh I have no idea which version I was recommended, never checked. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!


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## Kylara (Aug 23, 2012)

I'm pretty sure if it was recommended it would be the Alec Guinness one :wink: but I know there is a remake, and when grabbing stuff in haste you may inadvertantly grab the wrong one! Ö 
Also well worth watching *Kind Hearts and Coronets*, one of the best ideas and performances I have ever seen...Alec Guinness really was a master of his craft. It has a brilliant ending too. I wish there was an Alec Guinness boxset I could buy, although it would be pretty big...


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## littlemissattitude (Aug 23, 2012)

There are so many good ones. I love *The Godfather*, although I have to admit that my love for this extends only to the original film.

*The Thomas Crown Affair* - but only the original, not the remake. This one also has to be the sexiest crime movie ever, or at least the sexiest I've ever seen. Another Steve McQueen film that has to be on this list is *Bullitt*.

*Rear Window* - again, the original only. Hitchcock shows his audience exactly what happened, and then spends most of the rest of the movie convincing them that they didn't see what they saw. Brilliant.

*L.A. Confidential* - just a brilliant film, in my opinion. And another L.A. flim, *Chinatown*. They both serve their historical settings very well. I also like *Hollywoodland* and *Mullholland Falls*, both set in L.A. in the 1950s.


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## clovis-man (Aug 23, 2012)

Can't believe nobody has mentioned *The Big Sleep* (1946) with Bogie and Bacall. An almost incomprehensible script with twists and turns that even Raymond Chandler may not have envisioned thanks to screenwriting by Leigh Brackett and William Faulkner. Simply the best.

the 1978 remake featuring Robert Mitchum stuck to the Chandler story like glue, but the result was wooden and uninteresting.


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## Musky (Sep 17, 2012)

Stanley Kubrick's *The Killing*.  Sterling Hayden as Johnny Clay.  Great, great caper film.


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## Dante DiBenedetto (Sep 17, 2012)

I'm just going to throw caution to the wind and list a few movies I didn't see (or missed) where if it's not crime-centric, it at least focuses criminals.

*Ronin* (1998)
*I Saw the Devil* (2010)
*3:10 to Yuma* (2007)
*Dog Day Afternoon* (1975)
*Once Upon a Time in America* [(1984)Director's cut, not the crappy theatrical release]
*City of God* (2002)
*The Good, the Bad, the Weird* (2008)
*Friend *(2001)

I loved *Friend*.


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