40 Best Hollywood Crime Movies To Watch
If someone ever asks you what kind of Hollywood movie you prefer, then what would be your response?
What type of movie you would choose among love, action, comedy, and crime thriller?
If the same question I had to answer, I would definitely go for Hollywood crime movies. The script and technology used by Hollywood for their movie are what drives us crazy towards them.
Films of the crime genre generally involve various aspects of crime and detection.
In fact, there are different kinds of crime movies that Hollywood has introduced so far like the gangster crime film, crime comedy, suspense thriller, detective, and the procedural film(involving police).
It’s always fun watching Hollywood crime movies because you never know what will happen next.
I have listed the best Hollywood crime movies for you all which you’ll enjoy watching. Let's start.
1. The Shawshank Redemption
This is one of the best Hollywood crime movies to watch. It was released in 1994, the movie has in total 21 awards in its name. The script of this movie is based on Stephen king’s novel.
This film is about an investment banker named Andy Dufresne who was sentenced to life imprisonment at Shawshank prison for the murder of his wife and her lover. Only he knew that he was innocent.
Want to know more go watch it.
2. The Godfather (Series)
This Hollywood crime series consists of three films and was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The first one was released in 1972, then came Godfather part 2 in 1974, and the last one in 1990. Godfather series has been awarded Oscar and other popular awards.
This is a gangster genre about a mafia’s family and all series of Godfather are appreciable.
3. Pulp Fiction
This is a 1994 released crime/drama film directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and others.
This movie is one of the best crime thriller movies ever made in movie history.
The characters of this movie are related to the gangster world of Los Angeles. The way the characters of this movie and the mystery following them are presented is the reason for the huge success of this movie.
If you’re still looking for which Hollywood crime movie to watch, consider this.
4. The Dark Knight (Series)
Who here love superhero movies?
This one’s for them. The Dark Knight series is an action-based crime thriller. You’ll see the lead named Bruce Wayne who performs the role of Batman here.
The IMDb rating of the series is 8.3 and 8.4 respectively.
5. Inception
This is science fiction involving crime.
A man named Dominic Cobb is playing the role of a thief who steals information needed by entering a person’s mind through their dreams. Later you’ll see he’s given an almost impossible task to implant a new idea instead of stealing one.
This movie has a lot of twists and turns which you’ll definitely love while watching.
So far this has won 4 Oscars and therefore is a must-watch in the list of Hollywood crime movies.
6. Good Fellas
A 1990 crime/drama rated 7.5 on IMDb which is directed by Martin Scorsese.
The story revolves around Young Henry Hill who is a local boy turned gangster sharing the screen with Tommy DeVito who’s also a gangster, later turns out to be Henry’s best friend.
If you want to know his story of turning into a gangster you have to watch this movie.
7. Se7en
If you had a craze for crime detective stories then this one’s for you.
This Hollywood crime movie is about a mad murderer who targets every single person who commits seven deadly sins. You’ll see two police detectives investigating the strange murders.
I hope you’d love it
8. The Green Mile
This is a crime/drama movie released in 1999 and directed by Frank Darabont.
A man named John Coffey was accused of murdering and raping two girls who in actual was innocent.
If you want to know the actual person behind this crime just go and check this movie out.
This movie has a very good IMDb rating - 8.6
9. Parasite
Today people are more attracted to Korean drama this is a South Korean crime comedy movie for those who love Korean actors.
The film is directed by Bong Joon-ho and has an 8.6 IMDb rating, seems like people loved it a lot.
The story is about a poor boy Kim who somehow managed to provide tuitions to Park’s daughter and also manages to get his whole family in their house.
Later he kills Park for some reason that’s where the suspense lies.
Another Hollywood crime movie that will surely amaze you.
10. Silence Of Lambs
Silence Of Lambs is a Hollywood crime/horror movie having two series.
The story is based on true events. Both series revolves around a serial killer who eats flesh human flesh and the means used by officials to catch him.
11. Once Upon A Time In America
Another best Hollywood crime/drama to watch.
This movie is based on the novel “The Hoods” which has won over 12 awards.
This movie has three distinct periods and jumps back and forth between these times. Robert De Niro can be seen as Noodles (a gangster) and the story plots around him.
12. Taxi Driver
A 1976 crime/drama where a taxi driver named “Travis” is the main lead suffering from insomnia, he helps an underage prostitute girl intending to clean corruption from the city. He also attempts to kill Palantine his assassinate.
The reviews of this movie are quite good.
13. To Kill A Mocking Bird
Taking you back to 1962 when this epic crime/drama was released.
A widower father and a lawyer named Atticus Finch are seen playing the lead role in helping a wrongly accused black man.
The whole drama is attention-seeking, how he fights against the community which opposes his decision of supporting a black man.
14. Joker
Joker is most probably the only Hollywood crime movie where we praise and love a villain.
You might have seen the face in this movie on social media used as a meme or can be seen in some motivating pages.
This crime thriller movie is very popular among teens. A story of a troubled comedian who indulges himself in serious crimes.
15. Snatch
This is a Hollywood crime comedy directed by Guy Ritchie.
This is one of the top-rated movies of Hollywood.
The story is about a Turkish unlicensed boxing promoter, a Russian gangster, and amateur robbers. Things get worse with the robbery of the diamond.
16. Heat
Another crime thriller involving professional bank robbers and their mistake of leaving a clue after the robbery.
The Heat was directed by Michael Mann who wrote it too. The film has an 8.2 IMDb rating.
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer could be seen in lead roles.
17. L.A. Confidential
An amazing movie directed by Curtis Hanson, released in 1997, starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and others.
As corruption increases in the 1950s, three policemen decided to investigate the matter according to their own brand of justice.
A drama, full of suspense and mystery.
18. Inside Job
A Hollywood crime documentary showing events following a global financial meltdown and the reasons behind it.
This movie got an 8.2 IMDb rating and shows the true picture of dirty politicians.
19. Memories Of Murder
This one’s quite interesting.
This crime/action drama was released in 1990 and was directed by Robert Michael Lewis.
The story is about a woman who suffers from amnesia and loses her memory. When she gets back her memory, she finds herself married to a man whom she doesn’t love. She keeps having flashbacks of a woman who tries to kill her, but nobody believes her.
This is quite different, you must watch it.
20. The Grand Budapest Hotel
The story of the film is about a man named Gustave H, who has murder allegations, and to prove his innocence, he befriends a lobby boy.
The characters in the movie could be seen speaking in French, English, and German.
This Hollywood crime movie has a good taste of humor as well.
21. The Departed
The famous Hollywood crime thriller “The Departed” is has been directed by Martin Scorsese.
It has won in total 97 awards and 4 Oscars.
This movie is praised for its direction. The Departed is said to be a remake and more loved by people than the original.
The story has rush, excitement, and of course adventure which you would experience in your veins while watching.
22. Kill Bill
This is a crime drama series having two volumes.
Both the series are full of thrills and revenge.
Volume 1 was released in 2003 and volume 2 the following year.
The story is about a pregnant woman who tries to kill people who betrayed her.
Moreover, both series were successful at the box office.
23. Gone Girl
A crime movie in which the wife of the lead character Nick Dunne goes missing on their 5th wedding anniversary and the whole media focus is on him.
A mysterious crime movie that shows the trouble Nick faces after his wife disappears.
Want to know more?
Go watch it.
24. Catch Me If You Can
The story is about a boy named Frank whose fortune surprises everyone like his age.
An FBI agent who gets obsessed tries to catch him like a cat behind a rat.
As the name suggests the boy seems to tease everyone who tries to get behind him.
25. Nightcrawler
A 2014 Hollywood crime thriller movie with a 7.8 IMDB rating.
The story is quite different as well as engaging. A thief named “Louis Bloom” tries to earn from photographs of crime scenes. He goes very extreme to get them which leads to car crashes, violence, and many deaths.
26. Murder On The Orient Express
This one’s a detective crime movie.
Here, a detective named Hercule Poirot is traveling on a train in which a murder occurs.
He decides to find the culprit because he knew that the murderer is present on the train only.
If you loved Sherlock Holmes stories then I’m pretty sure you’ll love this one too.
27. The Irishman
An epic Hollywood crime movie with highly renowned actors and good direction.
The story of an Irishman who has strong links with mafias and wants to be known as a great mobster kills many people.
How he indulges himself in these crimes is worth watching.
28. The Untouchables
Kevin Costner could be seen here playing the role of a mobster names Elliott Ness who was prohibited to enter the U.S.A. Despite all this, he continued his illegal liquor business. A cop was assigned the duty to catch him.
The acting is great along with the location.
29. Collateral
Who all are Tom Cruise fans here?
You guessed right Tom Cruise is seen playing a major role here who’s on a mission to kill people. When his taxi driver Max gets to know about it, he decides to stop him.
Collateral could be said as a masterpiece of American cinema.
30. No Country For Old Men
A 2007 released crime/ drama about a drug deal that goes wrong. A welder finds 2 million dollars in a box then comes a psycho killer who kills everyone to get those 2 million dollars.
This Hollywood crime movie has so far won 4 Oscars and 163 other awards.
31. Chinatown
A Hollywood crime thriller directed by Roman Polanski.
A famous detective J.J.Gittes is hired by a woman as she doubts that her husband has an affair.
The story gets really tricky as the detective finds himself caught in a web of corruption and murder.
The story sounds quite interesting.
32. The Third Man
A novelist Holly Martins travels to Postwar Vienna to investigate the murder of his old friend.
The Third Man is a Hollywood crime movie with an 8.2 IMDb rating.
The acting, dialogues, and sounds are amazing.
33. Touch Of Evil
A 1958 released crime thriller involving mystery was directed by Orson Welles.
The story is about a murder, kidnapping, and corruption in a town located at the Mexican border.
Charlton Heston could be seen playing the role of Mike Vargas in this.
34. Training Day
The story is about Jake Hoyt who wants to become an LAPD agent. Unfortunately, he is appointed to Alonzo Harris who mistreats everyone and opens fire without any reason like a madman. The way he handles drug cases is also questionable.
Now you must be aware of how difficult it would have been for Jake to work under Alonzo.
You must go and watch the full movie if you want to know how he handled the drug cases and Alonzo.
35. Drive
This Hollywood crime movie is directed by Nicholas Winding Refn.
The story is quite confusing as well as interesting as a man with multiple jobs who initially helps his neighbor, later falls for her. Her husband is a prisoner. The story is about how he plans to help her husband later save tries to save Irene and her child from the mobster.
36. Cidade De Deus
A 2002 Hollywood crime drama movie.
The story revolves around two boys who adopt different professions. One chose photography as a profession and the other one became a drug dealer.
The situations they go through are very well showcased.
37. Casino
An epic film of 1995 where Ace a mafia runs a casino in Las Vegas and soon rises power.
Everything goes well till his friends create problems and complications for him.
Again a masterpiece of director Martin Scorsese which is a must-see.
38. Primal Fear
Primal Fear is another fantastic Hollywood crime movie full of surprises.
Aaron Stampler’s life goes under a drastic change when people suspected him of killing a priest. A lawyer comes forward to fight for him.
If you haven’t watched it till now, go watch it.
39. Scarface
One of the best 1983 Hollywood crime drama movies. The story of this movie is about Tony Montana and his friend who builds his strong drug empire. Later, when Tommy’s empire rises he thinks of everyone as his enemy.
If you love mafia kind of movies then you must check this one.
40. Widows
This crime thriller is about a group of women who lost their husbands in a police encounter. They decide to execute their husbands' plan of robbery.
Nearly 91% of people liked this movie.
I have made it easier for you all to choose any Hollywood crime thriller among these top movies of all time.
The astounding stories excite me. Some are based on true events while some on famous novels. The best part is this all seem real.
The use of technology, dialogues, actions, locations, and above all the direction accompanied with outstanding acting is what makes Hollywood Crime Movies a must-watch.
Now, what are you waiting for?
Get some popcorn for yourself as well as your friends or your movie partner and go watch any crime drama you love from the above listed.
Crime movies or web series are always full of surprises and that is the reason why almost everyone loves them. Now, when it comes to Hollywood, our expectations are always high, and surprisingly, they never even fail.
So, no matter whatsoever my mood is, Hollywood crime movies are always on my priority watch list.
Do share the list with your friends and enjoy watching.
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