The 15 Best Crime Movies Of All Time, Ranked

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There’s just something about crime movies that not only continues to thrill audiences but has an appeal that transcends borders and cultures. Whether it’s wish fulfillment stories that follow rebellious protagonists defying the law or capers that pack plenty of brutal action, the crime genre is an enduringly cathartic one. From police procedurals to stylish heist flicks with a noted escapist flair, there is a lot of variety and nuance within the genre, more than just the mob movies that it’s normally associated with.

Simply put, we love crime movies and the genre is one that dates back to the earliest days of the cinematic medium. With so many iconic films to choose from, we narrowed it down to the best, through both their quality and expansive influence. With further ado, here are the 15 best crime movies of all time ranked.

Nobody was expecting a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack movie “Ocean’s 11” in 2001, but filmmaker Steven Soderbergh made it the coolest crime caper in years. Boasting an all-star cast, “Ocean’s Eleven” has paroled thief Danny Ocean (George Clooney) assemble a crew to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. All three casinos are owned by no-nonsense businessman Terry Benedict (Andy García), who also happens to be dating Ocean’s ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts). Despite the casinos’ next-level security, Ocean and his crew put each of their uniquely special set of skills to use to pull off the heist of a lifetime.

Stylishly filmed and with much of the ensemble cast effortlessly cool, particularly Clooney and co-star Brad Pitt, “Ocean’s 11” is a remake that is far superior to its predecessor. What propels Soderbergh’s movie is a steady pace, a self-aware sense of humor, and its leads giving understated performances where no one is trying to upstage each other. The movie’s success spawned a trilogy and a 2018 spin-off, but the remake remains the best of the series. Slickly made while cementing Soderbergh as the hippest filmmaker in Hollywood, “Ocean’s Eleven” is escapist crime cinema perfection.

Whereas the original 1932 “Scarface” was released at the height of Prohibition in the United States, its 1983 remake made its debut during the widespread proliferation of cocaine. Directed by Brian De Palma, the remake turns Tony Montana (Al Pacino) from an Italian immigrant in Chicago to a Cuban refugee in Miami. Montana quickly rises through the ranks as he works with the Colombian cartels to form a powerful drug empire. However, his penchant for excess and instability, along with his tenuous alliance with the cartels, leads to his eventual downfall.

While there is a cogent argument that the 1983 “Scarface” is a self-indulgent and over-the-top remake, particularly compared to the original, excess is the theme of the movie. From Pacino’s fiery performance as Montana to the graphic violence throughout the film, everything about this version feels exaggerated. Predating “Miami Vice,” the remake redefined the crime genre for the ’80s, especially its stylishly luxurious villains. A rise and fall story that’s just as unfettered as its volatile protagonist, “Scarface” is as iconic as the genre gets.

While Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa may be best known for his samurai movies, including classics like “Seven Samurai,” he did make contemporary crime as well. The best of these is 1963’s “High and Low,” a procedural starring his longtime creative collaborator Toshirō Mifune. The movie follows businessman Kingo Gondo (Mifune), whose professional life falls apart when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped, in a failed attempt to kidnap Gondo’s own son for ransom. As Gondo works with the police to identify and apprehend the kidnapper, his precarious position at his company comes under scrutiny.

More than just a simple kidnapping story, Kurosawa examines the class divide and world of Japanese business in “High and Low.” Because of Gondo’s wealth and prominence in society, it’s his driver that suffers, while the crooks involved are jealous of Gordo’s social standing. This is something clearly articulated by the movie’s ending, with Kurosawa putting Gordo face-to-face with his tormentor. While it’ll be interesting to see how Spike Lee remakes the movie, “High and Low” remains one of the best crime films to come out of Japan.

One of the best crime epics released in the 21st century was produced in Brazil with 2002’s “City of God.” The story revolves around gangfare in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro from the ’60s through the early ’80s. Protagonist Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) witnesses the rise of local crime boss Li’l Zé (Leandro Firmino), an especially murderous figure who terrorizes his community. This places Li’l Zé on a collision course with Knockout Ned (Seu Jorge), a former vigilante who allies himself with a rival gang.

“City of God” is a searing look at the communities often ignored by the rest of the world, perpetuating an endless cycle of violence inextricably trapping those caught in it. The brutality is unflinching and frankly depicted while the characters involved are hardened by this prolonged experience. And while the story spans over a decade, its stakes always feel personal and intimate, especially when the going gets ugly. One of the best movies to come out of Brazil, “City of God” is a film that commands its audience’s attention, calling them to bear witness.

Another international crime movie released in 2002 that saw global success was the Hong Kong film “Internal Affairs.” The movie follows two moles, undercover cop Chan Wing-yan (Tony Leung) who infiltrates a triad, and Lau Kin-ming (Andy Lau), a Hong Kong police officer secretly working for the triads. Gradually becoming aware of each other’s existence, but not their respective identities, Wing-yan and Kin-ming begin a deadly cat-and-mouse game to expose the other. As mob boss and Kin-ming’s true superior Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) prepares to receive a large illegal drug shipment, this deadly web of intrigue comes to a head.

If this plot seems familiar to Martin Scorsese fans, Scorsese’s 2006 film “The Departed” was a relatively faithful remake of “Infernal Affairs.” The original Hong Kong version offers its two leads more visibly emotional depth than the American remake, with Lau and Leung really finding the tortured heart of their characters. The movie also boasts some standout cinematography that helps captivate the audience, a significant step above most of its contemporaries. The start of a whole trilogy, the first “Infernal Affairs” movie is far and away the best, and proudly distinct from its Hollywood remake.

Sometimes stylized as “Se7en,” it was this 1995 movie that kickstarted director David Fincher’s movie career rather than the maligned 1992 “Alien 3.” Set in a nameless American city, disenfranchised police detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) prepares for retirement as he’s paired with hotshot younger detective David Mills (Brad Pitt). The duo begin investigating a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) whose murders are graphically inspired by the biblical seven deadly sins. As the investigation continues, Somerset and Mills realize the murderer is observing both of them and their personal lives.

From its gruesome murder scenes to its mercilessly bleak ending, “Seven” solidified Fincher as an expert crime filmmaker. There is a stylistic visual approach that elevates the movie’s nihilistic tone, something that helped set it and Fincher apart from their contemporaries. So much of Fincher’s storytelling sensibilities are on display here, while the movie is the ultimate ’90s serial killer film. Fincher is at his most overtly vicious in making “Seven,” something that leaves the characters and audience shaken.

While 2019’s “Parasite” cemented Bong Joon Ho as one of the best filmmakers to come out of South Korea, his 2003 movie “Memories of Murder” remains his greatest crime story. Based on a string of murders committed in the Hwaseong area of Korea, the movie is similarly set in the region in the late ’80s when these killings occurred. Local police detective Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) investigates a serial killer targeting women in the area, joined by Seoul detective Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung) who uses more modern forensic methods. However, their investigation is hampered by increasingly frustrating complications as the murderer claims more victims.

“Memories of Murder” has Bong know when to let a scene breathe and do its own work in delivering story and tension. There is a pastoral quality to the movie, with how it utilizes its landscapes and environments, before ratcheting up the terror whenever the killer strikes. Like much of his work, Bong undercuts a lot of the tension with moments of dark humor, before raising the stakes once again. A twisted crime procedural, “Memories of Murder” is still one of Bong’s best movies and greatest films produced in Korea.

If there was ever a character that set the mold for the archetype of a cop who doesn’t play by the rules but gets results it’s Harry Callahan. Played by Clint Eastwood, Callahan appeared in five crime movies released throughout the ’70s and ’80s, starting with 1971’s “Dirty Harry.” The series’ inaugural movie has Callahan, a San Francisco police detective, hunting Scorpio (Andy Robinson), a serial killer inspired by the real-life Zodiac Killer. Though Callahan successfully identifies Scorpio and tracks down his whereabouts, he becomes frustrated by the bureaucratic red tape keeping him from stopping the murderer.

On paper, Harry Callahan is a bad day from turning into a completely dirty cop, as his nickname would suggest. This trait is mitigated in the subsequent sequels, presumably to make the character more likable, but the original “Dirty Harry” makes Eastwood’s performance more nuanced and complex. And of all the opponents that Callahan faces throughout the series, none are anywhere near as memorably unnerving as Robinson’s Scorpio. More than just popularizing an enduring archetype, “Dirty Harry” is a solid crime film and one of Eastwood’s most enduring characters ever.

The biggest name in Hong Kong action filmmaking who saw global success and acclaim is John Woo. 1992’s “Hard Boiled” was Woo’s last movie before moving to take on Hollywood productions, pairing him with past collaborators Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung. The movie follows Tequila Yuen (Chow) and Alan (Leung), two cops investigating triad activity in Hong Kong. This culminates in a long-running gunfight at a local hospital, with Tequila and Alan battling waves of enemies working for triad boss Johnny Wong (Anthony Wong).

In Woo’s celebrated career, some of the absolute best action scenes that he ever directed are in “Hard Boiled.” The climactic showdown in the hospital is a technical marvel, particularly with its use of long takes and tightly choreographed gunplay as Tequila and Alan advance through enemy opposition. Chow’s Tequila is among his most memorable characters, haunted by a part failure on the job, self-medicating through alcohol and his love of jazz. For anyone curious why Woo has such a vaunted reputation, “Hard Boiled” is the movie that best showcases his filmmaking strengths.

Martin Scorsese’s career took off with the 1973 crime movie “Mean Streets,” but the filmmaker wouldn’t be inextricably associated with the genre until 1990’s “Goodfellas.” An adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book “Wiseguy,” the movie recounts the life of mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), who becomes involved with the mafia in the ’50s. Hill rises through the ranks of the mob, stealing truck shipments around New York, working with fellow gangsters Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci). However, as the trio become involved in dealing cocaine, their bad habits and fiery tempers unravel their lives.

With its three leads, “Goodfellas” repositioned mob movie tropes through the eyes of the little guys, not so much the ruling capos. Hill’s descent into a life of organized crime carries the movie as he and his associates commit increasingly heinous acts and eventually pay the consequences for them. This is a mob movie rooted in suburban America, subverting the image of domestic bliss with drug trafficking and backroom murders. A triumph for all creative parties involved, “Goodfellas” set a new high-water mark for the genre.

As far as cops-and-robbers stories go, there really is no movie that surpasses 1995’s “Heat,” written and directed by celebrated filmmaker Michael Mann. The crime drama depicts the cat-and-mouse game between career criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and police detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino). After an armored car heist turns violent, McCauley becomes a person of interest for Hanna while McCauley and his crew face betrayal from their associates. This leads to the pair developing a begrudging respect for each other, despite being on opposite sides of the law, while McCauley plans one last score.

In addition to creating “Miami Vice,” Mann has directed plenty of crime movies, but none with the same urgency and memorable characters as “Heat.” From its bank heist sequence to the quiet diner conversation between McCauley and Hanna, the movie is packed with some of the most tightly crafted scenes of the genre. The movie also offers a rare on-screen pairing between De Niro and Pacino, who play particularly well off of each other. For a movie that runs for nearly three hours, “Heat” never feels as long as it actually is, with Mann keeping the proceedings unfailingly riveting.

Mob movies had certainly existed before “The Godfather,” but filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola completely revitalized and redefined the genre with his 1972 movie. Adapting Mario Puzo’s 1969 novel of the same name, the movie follows the New York-based Corleone family as they face challenges to their organized crime empire in the ’40s. While longtime family patriarch Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is overwhelmed, his son Michael (Al Pacino) rises from reluctant figure to a significant power player in New York’s criminal underworld. This leads Michael to take drastic action in ensuring his family interests are secure, no matter who stands in his way.

Coppola’s 1972 classic continues to set the mold for mob movies over 50 years since its initial release. With an impressive ensemble cast, the Corleone family saga is richly realized, led by a star-making performance from Pacino. The movie has a tighter focus than its sequels, honing in on Michael embracing his underhanded destiny to become a powerful and merciless mobster. A cinematic triumph that has stood the test of time, “The Godfather” is one of the best crime movies ever made.

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino had kicked off his directorial career with a string of crime movies that evoked their ’70s influences right down the cinematography and accompanying soundtracks. The best of this bunch, and one of Tarantino’s most enduring movies ever, is 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.” The movie follows the perspectives of multiple figures in Los Angeles’ criminal underworld, including a pair of hit men and a boxer (Bruce Willis) paid off to throw a match. These characters intersect as their individual arcs violently collide through their illicit activities, changing their lives forever.

All the major hallmarks of a Tarantino movie are on full display in “Pulp Fiction,” particularly a story involving multiple perspectives and razor-sharp dialogue. The latter makes the film extensively quotable, with Samuel L. Jackson quickly proving himself a natural in delivering Tarantino’s lines. But more to the point, while the stakes are real and the violence is graphic, “Pulp Fiction” is just a lot of fun. Inspiring waves of imitators, Tarantino’s 1994 flick quietly redefined crime movies for a new generation and made the release of subsequent Tarantino films feel like an event.

The identity of the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the ’60s and ’70s, remains an open-ended mystery decades after the serial killer’s rampage stopped. The investigation to identify and apprehend the murderer is the subject of 2007’s “Zodiac,” directed by David Fincher, who grew up in the Bay Area during the killings. The movie follows journalists Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.) working with police detective Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo). As the Zodiac Killer continues to claim victims, he begins openly taunting the trio, making them realize just how close to the danger they are.

Meticulously constructed, even by Fincher’s usual perfectionist standards, and relentlessly tense throughout its runtime, “Zodiac” is a pitch-perfect crime procedural. The movie is a portrait of obsession, as all three investigators are drawn deeper into the intrigue surrounding the Zodiac Killer, affecting each of their psyches and personal lives. This is punctuated by the killings, which are among the most brutal scenes Fincher has ever directed. Criminally overlooked upon its initial release, “Zodiac” is Fincher firing on all cylinders to deliver a true crime classic.

While the first “Godfather” set a high bar, both for crime movies and mature cinematic storytelling, its 1974 sequel exceeded all expectations. The story is divided across two timelines, with one chronicling the rise of Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in the early 20th century as an aspiring mob boss. The other narrative focuses on Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in the ’50s, facing scrutiny from the federal government, rival mobster Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), and betrayal from within his family. Both Corleone patriarchs face their own challenges as they lead the crime outfits in their respective time periods, with Michael’s family particularly impacted.

With its dual narrative spanning roughly half a century, “The Godfather Part II” is the most ambitious mob movie ever made. Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t just go bigger with the scope of his story but deeper, especially with the moral compromises that Michael finds himself making. Everything about the sequel feels richer than its predecessor, offering a fuller backstory while organically continuing the Corleone family saga. Arguably the greatest sequel ever made to one of the greatest crime movies ever made, “The Godfather Part II” is a masterclass in how to craft a follow-up.