From 1940s’ classic White Heat to the mid-aughts forgotten gem Smokin Aces, these crime movies don’t get enough love today, and we want to fix that. Regardless of what their Rotten Tomatoes scores might say, each of these movies is a 10/10 must-watch for obsessive fans of the crime film genre.
The history of crime movies stretches back to the earliest days of film. After all, what are Westerns like The Great Train Robbery but a specific kind of crime movie?
Don’t worry, we won’t be going back that far. But we will start by revisiting an early crime classic that is at risk of fading into obscurity these days.
“White Heat”
Starring James Cagney; Released In 1949; 94% On Rotten Tomateos
If you’re a crime film fanatic, you’ve likely seen White Heat. Yet for general audiences, it’s the kind of film that is often regarded as too archaic to sit down and watch. Like many great early films, you have to suspend your bias and give it a shot. Cagney’s over-the-top performance as gangster Cody Jarrett is truly a sight to behold.
A trace of White Heat is in the DNA of every subsequent crime movie to this day. For every aspect of the film that might feel outdated to younger viewers, there is something timeless that would fit in a contemporary story. From the opening train robbery to the climactic shoot-out, you’ll be surprised by how into White Heat you get.
“Kiss Me Deadly”
Starring Ralph Meeker & Albert Dekker; Released In 1955; 98% On Rotten Tomateos
Another certified fresh classic. Kiss Me Deadly’s near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is a testament to the fact that people who watch the ’50s noir film wind up loving it. Still, modern viewers scrolling through endless apps looking for something to watch need to understand why they should go out of their way to see this movie.
Quentin Tarantino famously paid homage to Kiss Me Deadly with the gold-glowing briefcase in Pulp Fiction.
In short, it helped set the template for the pulse-pounding movie thriller. It is full of twists and unexpected turns, as the story of a violent incident spirals into full-blown conspiracy territory. Kiss Me Deadly is full of iconic imagery, memorable dialogue, and characters worth investing in. If you watch one throwback noir crime film this year, make it Kiss Me Deadly.
“A Fish Called Wanda”
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis & Kevin Kline; Released In 1988; 96% On Rotten Tomatoes
It’s not easy to make a good crime movie, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is even harder to make a good crime comedy. Even then, movies like A Fish Called Wanda are often consigned to the periphery of the “great crime flick” conversation. At any rate, this nearly 40-year-old movie deserves way more recognition.
It is the definition of a “caper” comedy, as a diamond heist leads to an escalating series of improbable situations, inevitable betrayals, and moments of downright macabre humor. It’s an ’80s comedy to its core, with the irreverence of its town clashing with the gravity of the material in a way that produces a dizzyingly funny effect.
“The Player”
Starring Tim Robbins; Released In 1992; 97% On Rotten Tomatoes
An unequivocal modern classic, director Robert Altman’s The Player is a story of death threats, murder, a cover-up, blackmail, and infidelity. It is part Edgar Allen Poe’s Tell-Tale Heart, and part Seth Rogen’s The Studio, a modern series which blatantly wears The Player’s influence on its sleeve with its hyper-self-aware Hollywood humor.
The Player is a crime movie and a film industry satire all at once, and it does both unlike any other film of its kind.
It’s best to go into The Player knowing as little as possible, because it takes the audience on a truly wild ride, going in directions that even the most perceptive viewers will find hard to anticipate. The Player is a crime movie and a film industry satire all at once, and it does both unlike any other film of its kind.
“The Negotiator”
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, & More; Released In 1998; 75% On Rotten Tomatoes
Now we’re getting into the deep cuts. The Negotiator is peak Sam Jackson, but the late ’90s film often gets lost among the actor’s extensive filmography. That is, Jackson works a lot, and his roles in bigger movies tend to draw attention away from films like The Negotiator, which is arguably his most underrated leading performance.
The Negotiator might not be a perfect movie, but it is all about Jackson, letting him flaunt every weapon in his acting arsenal. And some real weapons too, as he plays a hostage negotiator who is forced to become a hostage-taker when he is framed for corruption. It might not be a masterpiece, but The Negotiator is undeniably a great watch.
“A Simple Plan”
Starring Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, & Bridget Fonda Released In 1998; 91% On Rotten Tomatoes
Director Sam Raimi’s A Simple Plan is one of the all-time-great “here’s why you shouldn’t do crime” movies. It starts with its main characters finding a crashed plane in the woods; among the wreckage is a corpse, and a bag with over $4 million dollars in it. It’s a classic “what would you do?” set-up.
Without giving too much away, what the protagonists do has increasingly dire consequences. They start making bad decisions that get them in over their heads, leading to an emotionally devastating climax. A Simple Plan is a quiet, tense film. It us short on spectacle, and instead focuses on the character-driven side of crime drama.
“Basic”
Starring Sam Jackson, John Travolta, & More; Released In 2003; 21% On Rotten Tomatoes
This is the first entry on this list where you should straight up ignore the Rotten Tomatoes score. Yes, it’s a mess, but it’s a highly watchable, and rewatchable mess. Arguably, viewers’ negative response to the movie is more a product of the expectations Basic doesn’t live up to, rather than the problems with the movie itself.
Basic reunited Sam Jackson and John Travolta nearly a decade after Pulp Fiction. It was directed by Die Hard’s John McTiernan. Does it live up to the standard set by those films? No. But if you watch the movie spoiler-free, will you find yourself hooked by its Rashomon-like jumble of unreliable narrators? Definitely.
“The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada”
Directed By & Starring Tommy Lee Jones; Released In 2005; 85% On Rotten Tomatoes
Tommy Lee Jones’ directorial debut, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, is a curious blend of real-life and literary influences. It is a neo-western that draws on elements of William Faulkner’s Southern Gothic masterpiece As I Lay Dying, while also taking inspiration from an actual murder. It’s an emotionally heavy story, one that emphasizes the true weight of crime.
[Three Burials] is a darkly timely film which tries to reckon with and reconcile the region’s racial and national tensions with American ideals.
Too often, crime movies are frivolous with depictions of death and murder. Three Burials is predicated by the extralegal killing of the eponymous Mequiades, a Mexican ranch hand, by a Border Patrol officer. It is a darkly timely film which tries to reckon with and reconcile the region’s racial and national tensions with American ideals.
“Lucky Number Slevin”
Starring Bruce Willis, Josh Hartnett, & Many More; Released In 2006; 52% On Rotten Tomatoes
As its Rotten Tomatoes score suggests, viewers are sharply divided on Lucky Number Slevin. Is it a good movie? Is it? It’s really up to you to decide. Either way, it is a must-watch crime movie. It is a modern mash-up of noir, action, and comedy, and while Slevin’s particular blend of genres doesn’t appeal to everybody, it does have its fans.
Lucky Number Slevin’s plot hinges on a major reveal, one not all viewers will be on board with. What few people will complain about, though, is the movie’s star-studded cast, not all of whom necessarily realize how campy the movie they’re in actually is. Whether that is gloriously, or ingloriously campy, if 2000s forgotten gem Slevin isn’t on your radar, it should be.
“Smokin’ Aces”
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, & Many More; Released In 2007; 31% On Rotten Tomatoes
Smokin’ Aces is another crime movie time hasn’t been kind to, but it was a huge box office success when it was released 20 years ago, and went on to develop a cult following on home video. Smokin’ Aces is as much a relic of its era as White Heat. Despite its flaws, it is noteworthy for its ensemble cast, and for its ambition.
Smokin’ Aces is an over-the-top “gonzo” action movie, in which a misunderstanding leads to a horde of hitmen and hitwomen descending on a Lake Tahoe casino trying to take out a high-profile target. Chaos ensues, and even if every plot beat doesn’t hit, the outrageous action and stylistic violence is undeniably entertaining.
- Release Date
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January 26, 2007
- Runtime
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108 Minutes
- Director
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Joe Carnahan
