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.

The Interpreter

931. The Interpreter

Crime Thriller Political Thriller
6.4

20052h 8min

France, Germany

Director: Sydney Pollack

After Silvia Broome, an interpreter at United Nations headquarters, overhears plans of an assassination, an American Secret Service agent is sent to investigate.

Themes

False flag deception, Abuse of power, Loss and resilience, Indictment and accountability, Protective duty under threat, Witness as catalyst

Available on

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

Sin City

932. Sin City

Crime Thriller Organized Crime Modern Noir Thriller
8.0

20052h 4min

United States

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Welcome to Sin City. This town beckons to the tough, the corrupt, the brokenhearted. Some call it dark… Hard-boiled. Then there are those who call it home — Crooked cops, sexy dames, desperate vigilantes. Some are seeking revenge, others lust after redemption, and then there are those hoping for a little of both. A universe of unlikely and reluctant heroes still trying to do the right thing in a city that refuses to care.

Themes

Neo-noir mood, Based on graphic novel, Held captive dynamics, Mysterious killer dynamics, Based on comic universe, Black and white contrast

Available on

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

A Bittersweet Life

933. A Bittersweet Life

Action Drama Crime Organized Crime Tragic Drama
7.5

20051h 59min

South Korea

Director: Kim Jee-woon

Kim Sun-woo is an enforcer and manager for a hotel owned by a cold, calculative crime boss, Kang who assigns Sun-woo to a simple errand while he is away on a business trip; to shadow his young mistress, Hee-soo, for fear that she may be cheating on him with a younger man with the mandate that he must kill them both if he discovers their affair.

Themes

Power dynamics, Loyalty under pressure, Isolation and longing, Deception and cover-up, Risk and retaliation, Vengeance and consequences

Available on

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

Anthony Zimmer

934. Anthony Zimmer

Thriller Crime Drama Romance Cover-Up Thriller
6.5

20051h 30min

France

Director: Jérôme Salle

François, an ordinary Joe, falls hard for the sublimely beautiful woman who has just picked him up on the train and invited him to spend the weekend with her on the Riviera. But when the lady disappears the next morning and the police drag him in for questioning, François discovers he's been set up to pass for her notorious outlaw husband on the run, Anthony Zimmer. Even though he's been lied to and manipulated, François' life is changed forever and he's ready to give anything - maybe even his life - to hold this mysterious beauty in his arms again.

Themes

Seduction as manipulation, Hidden identity deception, Money laundering fronts, Romantic entanglement amid crime, Police pressure and investigation, International crime network

Available on

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

The Beat That My Heart Skipped

935. The Beat That My Heart Skipped

Drama Crime Entertainment Industry Drama Organized Crime
7.2

20051h 47min

France

Director: Jacques Audiard

A ruthless real estate agent discovers a passion for piano and auditions with help from a young virtuoso, but the pressures of his corrupt career threaten to derail his musical aspirations.

Themes

Loyalty vs ambition, Deception and betrayal, Class inequality in housing, Economic pressure from corruption, Pursuit of art under risk, Family ties and debt

Available on

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

Hostage

936. Hostage

Action Thriller Crime Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Organized Crime
6.5

20051h 53min

Germany, United States

Director: Florent-Emilio Siri

When a mafia accountant is taken hostage on his beat, a police officer – wracked by guilt from a prior stint as a negotiator – must negotiate the standoff, even as his own family is held captive by the mob.

Themes

Duty under life-threatening stakes, Trauma from hostage crisis, Deception in legal enforcement, Crime finance exposure, Moral ambiguity of negotiations, Coercion and leverage dynamics

Available on

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

The Ax

937. The Ax

Comedy Crime Drama Thriller Dark Comedy
7.3

20052h 2min

France, Belgium

Director: Costa-Gavras

Bruno is a former paper mill worker who has been unemployed for three years. Concluding that there is too much competition in his line of work, he decides to eliminate his competition permanently.

Themes

"movie: the ax. genres: comedy, Drama, Thriller, Crime, Thriller main themes: based on novel or book, Based on novel or book, Economy, Capitalism, Economy full keywords list: based on novel or book, Comedy, Unemployment, Corporation, Paper industry, Unemployed, Challenging the viewer to reflect on the societal structures that contribute to such extreme measures.", Luger. concept analysis: the film delves into the psychological impact of unemployment and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals in dire economic circumstances. it serves as a stark commentary on the lengths to which desperation can drive a person

Available on

Google Play Movies
Canal VOD
Orange VOD
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Stone Cold

938. Stone Cold

Drama Crime Thriller TV Movie Police Procedural
7.1

20051h 27min

United States

Director: Robert Harmon

Jesse Stone is a former L.A. homicide detective who left behind the big city and an ex-wife to become the police chief of the quiet New England fishing town of Paradise. Stone's old habits die hard as he continues to indulge his two favorite things: Scotch whiskey and women. After a series of murders—the first ever in Paradise—and a high school girl is raped, he's forced to face his own demons in order to solve the crimes.

Themes

Shoreline investigation stress, Gun owners dynamics, High school girl case, Parking lot violence, Tape recording leverage, Footage voyeurism

Available on

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

Dear Wendy

939. Dear Wendy

Comedy Crime Drama Romance Dark Comedy
6.5

20051h 45min

Denmark, France

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

In a blue-collar American town, a group of teens bands together to form the Dandies, a gang of gunslingers led by Dick Dandelion. Following a code of strict pacifism at odds with the fact that they all carry guns, the group eventually lets in Sebastian, the grandson of Dick's childhood nanny, Clarabelle, who fears the other gangs in the area. Dick and company try to protect Clarabelle, but events transpire that push the gang past posturing.

Themes

Underdog resilience, Group belonging under pressure, Pacifist code under violence, Perceived deception, Secret society dynamics, Self esteem through belonging

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV
Movistar Plus+
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Unleashed

940. Unleashed

Action Crime Martial Arts Action Organized Crime
7.0

20051h 43min

China, France

Director: Louis Leterrier

Raised as a slave, Danny is used to fighting for his survival. In fact, his "master," Bart, thinks of him as a pet and goes as far as leashing him with a collar so they can make money in fight clubs, where Danny is the main contender. When Bart's crew is in a car accident, Danny escapes and meets a blind, kindhearted piano tuner who takes him in and uses music to free the fighter's long-buried heart.

Themes

Violence as spectacle, Coercion and control, Exploitation by crime networks, Trauma and memory recovery, Found family amid violence, Identity under concealment

Available on

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