Crime backdrop

Crime movies

A deep dive into the underworld of gangsters, detectives, and heists where the line between right and wrong blurs.

Subgenres include: Organized Crime, Heist, Con Artist Crime.

Papillon

461. Papillon

Adventure Crime Drama Adventure Epic Prison Crime
7.2

20172h 14min

Czechia, Malta

Director: Michael Noer

Overview

Henri “Papillon” Charrière, a safecracker from the Parisian underworld, is wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, where he forges a strong friendship with Louis Dega, a counterfeiter who needs his protection.

Themes

Survival under confinement, Fragile alliances, Isolation and endurance, Resilience under duress, Wrongful conviction, System injustice

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Crooked House

462. Crooked House

Mystery Crime Thriller Whodunit Detective Mystery Crime
6.3

20171h 55min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Overview

A private investigator returns to a grand estate to help an old flame quietly confirm her grandfather’s death as natural, but a tainted insulin injection exposes murder and turns every eccentric relative into a suspect, forcing him to dig through their polished lies before the killer strikes again.

Themes

Secrecy and betrayal, Family deception, Poison as method, Will based legacy, Estate dynamics, Inheritance tension

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

V.I.P.

463. V.I.P.

Crime Thriller Action
6.6

20172h 8min

Director: Park Hoon-jung

Overview

A son to a high-ranked official in North Korea commits a series of murders going across the countries around the world. The movie depicts the following events as South Korea, North Korea and Interpol start chasing down after him.


American Made

464. American Made

Action Comedy Crime Drama Narcotics Crime
7.1

20171h 55min

United States, Luxembourg

Director: Doug Liman

Overview

The true story of pilot Barry Seal, who transported contraband for the CIA and the Medellin cartel in the 1980s.

Themes

Illicit wealth and risk, State complicity in crime, Law enforcement vs illicit networks, Cartel proxy warfare, Government secrecy and cover-up, Moral ambiguity of loyalty

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Logan Lucky

465. Logan Lucky

Comedy Crime Action Drama Heist
7.0

20171h 59min

United States

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Overview

Trying to reverse a family curse, brothers Jimmy and Clyde Logan set out to execute an elaborate robbery during the legendary Coca-Cola 600 race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Themes

Economic precarity, Deception as strategy, Family loyalty under pressure, Risk and improvisation, Wealth and social inequality, Institutional indifference

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Hitman's Bodyguard

466. The Hitman's Bodyguard

Action Comedy Crime Thriller Buddy Action
6.9

20171h 58min

Bulgaria, Canada

Director: Patrick Hughes

Overview

The world’s top bodyguard gets a new client, a hitman who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.

Themes

Trust under pressure, Duty vs loyalty, Justice under threat, Treachery and loyalty, Protective partnership, Risk and obligation

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Batman and Harley Quinn

467. Batman and Harley Quinn

Adventure Animation Comedy Crime City Adventure
5.9

20171h 14min

United States

Director: Sam Liu

Overview

Batman and Nightwing are forced to team with the Joker's sometimes-girlfriend Harley Quinn to stop a global threat brought about by Poison Ivy and Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man.

Themes

Parole and reintegration, Deception and alliance, Ambiguous loyalties, Scientific risk and control, Humanity versus nature, Eco-ethics and consequence

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Good Time

468. Good Time

Crime Thriller Drama Heist Modern Noir Thriller
7.3

20171h 42min

United States

Director: Benny Safdie

Overview

By sunrise, Connie must pull his cognitively impaired brother out of Rikers before the system swallows him whole, racing through neon-soaked streets, bad deals, and worse decisions as every hour drains his cash, his options, and his grip on control.

Themes

Family loyalty under pressure, Deception as survival, Disguise and risk, Crime as survival strategy, Care system scrutiny, Underworld entanglement, Loyalty versus legality

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Midnight Runners

469. Midnight Runners

Comedy Action Crime Buddy Comedy Buddy Action
7.3

20171h 49min

South Korea

Director: Jason Kim

Overview

Two apathetic police academy recruits who become best buddies through the tough training together witness a woman being abducted right before their very eyes. As they were taught in the academy, they quickly report the incident to the police, but the police are in no hurry to jump on the case. So the duo decide to take the matter into their own hands and rescue the woman.

Themes

Duty under pressure, Institutional neglect, Underground pursuit of justice, Moral courage, Bromance and teamwork, Risk vs rules

Available on

The Roku Channel
Kanopy
Hoopla
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Wind River

470. Wind River

Crime Mystery Drama Police Procedural Investigation Mystery
7.7

20171h 47min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Taylor Sheridan

Overview

An FBI agent teams with the town's veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.

Themes

Violence against women, Grief and intergenerational loss, Missing indigenous women crisis, Interagency tension and limits, Trauma and resilience in communities, Justice under resource constraints

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.