20 Must-Watch Crime Movie Masterpieces, Ranked

Crime has proved one of cinema's most compelling plot devices, driving stories from caper comedies to bitter dramas. Heist films like Ocean’s Eleven (both Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 version and Lewis Milestone’s 1960 iteration) offer light entertainment, while more dramatic entries such as The Town and Boyz n the Hood confront the violence and devastation crime can bring.

No matter the tone, these films generate tension and suspense. Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep stands as an emblem of American film noir. Adapted from Raymond Chandler's novel, the 1946 picture reunited Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall; Bogart’s private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by General Sternwood to settle his youngest daughter’s gambling debts and in doing so uncovers deeper violence while falling for Vivian.

Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise merges road movie, feminist revenge and buddy comedy, starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon and marking Brad Pitt’s breakout; screenwriter Callie Khouri won an Oscar for her work.

United States

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