The 20 best crime movies on Netflix right now

Roadside Attractions/Courtesy Everett; David Lee/Netflix; Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

There are few things more compelling than crime. Just ask filmmakers, who, since 1903's The Great Train Robbery, have understood the built-in dramatic possibilities of people doing things they should not. But there are all kinds of crime (and all kinds of criminals), some with more reason than others to steal, rob, murder, and otherwise wreak havoc. In this list of the best crime movies currently on Netflix (as of October 2023), you'll find home invaders, bank robbers, long cons, and spur-of-the-moment sprees, all for your viewing pleasure.

<i>Scarface</i> (1983)

"Say hello to my little friend" may be its most significant pop culture memory, but there's a lot more to Scarface than that coke-induced shootout. The Brian De Palma epic centers on the rise and fall of drug kingpin Tony Montana (Al Pacino), a Cuban refugee who gets in with a Miami drug lord and establishes his reputation before further breaking bad with his own criminal empire. Through its near-three-hour runtime, the film explores greed and corruption, the empty pursuit of materialism (and '80s specialty), and the tragic human cost of one man's selfish ambitions. With those themes, though, the film also has style for days, with De Palma mounting a production so lavish that viewers have multiple interpretations of whether the director is satirizing or glamorizing the gangster lifestyle. And, of course, the film features one of Pacino's definitive performances, foretelling decades of full-throated, gonzo turns from the actor in subsequent films. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Scarface: Netflix

Director: Brian De Palma

Cast: Al Pacino, Steven Bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Robert Loggia

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<i>Heat</i> (1995)

Notable for being the first onscreen partnership of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, this crime epic had a lot of, well, heat, ahead of its 1995 release, and it more than lived up to expectations. The film centers on experienced thief Neil McCauley (De Niro) whose various heists are detected by LAPD cop Vincent Hanna (Pacino). As McCauley continues to chase the high of a well-orchestrated theft, Hanna loves the pursuit, leading to an iconic scene of the two of them calling a brief truce over some coffee at a diner, where they learn they're more alike than they thought. "You can feel their joy in performing," EW's critic wrote of the scene. "We're not watching McCauley and Hanna anymore; we're watching De Niro and Pacino trying to out-insinuate each other." —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Heat: Netflix

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Jon Voight, Val Kilmer

Related content: Revisiting the highs (and low) of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino's big-screen collaborations

<i>Collateral</i> (2004)

Before committing entirely to action blockbusters, Tom Cruise delivered one of his most unique performances as a grey-haired hitman in this well-received crime thriller. Cruise's smooth-criminal Vincent enters the cab of Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx), offering an exorbitant amount of money to drive him around to various stops in Los Angeles all night. Max soon learns of Vincent's profession and is subsequently forced to continue driving him, as the bodies pile up. Cruise's chilling turn is matched by Foxx's Everyman nervousness, delivering a performance that earned the latter an Oscar nomination. Wearing its noir influence on its sleeve, "The film generates suspense by dividing our sympathies in clever and unexpected ways," said EW's critic.

Where to watch Collateral: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill

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<i>The Raid: Redemption</i> (2012)

This crime thriller is a nonstop action-heavy roller coaster, set in the heart of Indonesia. The film centers on an elite police squad who infiltrate a safe house owned by merciless drug lord Tama, in the hope of taking him down. Then, Tama hears word of the covert mission and launches a counterattack, leading to a bloody battle. Not unlike India's RRR in 2022, the Indonesian-language The Raid: Redemption proved to a Western audience raised on comparatively substandard action movies how it should be done, with artfully crafted bullet-ridden sequences of violence and mayhem. The film spawned a sequel, The Raid 2, which is also on Netflix. —K.J.

Where to watch The Raid: Redemption: Netflix

Director: Gareth Evans

Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahetapy, Tegar Sathya

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<i>Donnie Brasco</i> (1997)

The line between officer and criminal is blurred in this adaptation of the book of the same name co-written by Joseph D. Pistone. Like the book, Donnie Brasco centers on Pistone's experiences working as an undercover FBI agent as he maneuvers his way into New York City's Bonanno crime family. Johnny Depp plays Pistone (who goes by the alias Donnie Brasco), while Al Pacino portrays hitman Lefty Ruggiero, who mentors "Donnie." From there, Donnie finds himself drawn into the family's life of crime — and questioning where his loyalties truly lie. EW's critic praised the film as "a wonderfully dense, clever, and moving gangland thriller," providing rich character work for Depp and especially Pacino. —K.J.

Where to watch Donnie Brasco: Netflix

EW grade: N/A (read the review)

Director: Mike Newell

Cast: Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, Anne Heche

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<i>The Mule</i> (2018)

Clint Eastwood has directed and starred in many a crime drama, and this well-received late entry in his career proved he still had it. Based on a real-life story, Eastwood plays Earl Stone, a Korean War veteran whose financial troubles lead him to accept an offer from a cartel to transport cocaine across Illinois. He's seemingly undetectable due to unconscious perceptions about his demographic, but doesn't know a special agent is on his trail. It's a powerful vehicle for Eastwood, telling an earnest story of desperation and regret, without getting too bogged down in misery. "With a lean and economical script by Nick Schenk... that refuses to judge Earl as harshly as some in the audience will no doubt want," writes EW's critic, "The Mule fits the 88-year-old Eastwood perfectly." —K.J.

Where to watch The Mule: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Peña, Dianne Wiest, Andy García

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<i>Holy Spider</i> (2022)

Based on true events, this harrowing Persian-language film tells the story of Saeed Hanaei, the serial killer who murdered multiple sex workers in Iran in the early-2000s. Here, the investigation is told from the perspective of a fictional journalist, Arezoo Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi), who faces deep-seated sexism on her path to the truth and puts her own life in danger to get a confession out of Hanaei. Operating as both a gripping crime thriller and a trenchant social commentary about systemic misogyny, Holy Spider was a favorite when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, with Amir Ebrahimi winning the Best Actress prize. —K.J.

Where to watch Holy Spider: Netflix

Director: Ali Abbasi

Cast: Mehdi Bajestani, Zar Amir Ebrahimi

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<i>Léon: The Professional</i> (1994)

Natalie Portman made her film debut in this stylized crime thriller about a hitman (Jean Reno) who looks after a 12-year-old girl (Portman) whose family's murder was orchestrated by a corrupt DEA agent (Gary Oldman). Hungry for revenge, the girl asks him to teach her his trade as the pair begin to forge an unlikely bond. Much of the appeal of Léon: The Professional is in seeing French director Luc Besson bring his visual flair to the streets of New York City. As EW's Lisa Schwarzbaum praised in 1994, "Besson sees marvelous visual possibilities in the existence of crummy tenement hallways strewn with mowed-down bodies. He sees cinematic romance in the fluorescent-lit downtown offices of corrupt drug-enforcement agents, in hole-in-the-wall eateries in Little Italy." —K.J.

Where to watch Léon: The Professional: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Luc Besson

Cast: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello

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<i>Lost Girls</i> (2020)

Based on true events, Lost Girls focuses on the aftermath of unspeakable crimes rather than the crimes themselves. Amy Ryan stars as Mari Gilbert, the real-life mother who pressured investigators to find her missing daughter, leading to the uncovering of several murders by the still-unknown Long Island serial killer. The mystery drama, directed by Oscar-nominated documentarian Liz Garbus, drew raves for its humanizing of the victims. "To the people who love them," wrote EW's Leah Greenblatt in her review, "they're still daughters and sisters, mothers and friends. And Garbus, a much-awarded documentarian...works hard to make them seen in her narrative-feature debut." —K.J.

Where to watch Lost Girls: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Liz Garbus

Cast: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke, Oona Laurence, Dean Winters, Miriam Shor, Reed Birney, Kevin Corrigan, Gabriel Byrne

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<i>Reservoir Dogs</i> (1992)

Quentin Tarantino exploded onto the scene with the cult classic Reservoir Dogs, his feature directorial debut. Following a diamond heist that takes more than a few wrong turns, a colorful group of gangsters squabble over whether one of them might be an undercover police officer. Paranoia leads to tense standoffs (and a healthy amount of gunfire) at a warehouse gathering point. Reservoir Dogs proved to be a strong introduction to Tarantino's idiosyncratic style, with numerous elements that would become trademarks in his filmography, including sharp dialogue, dark humor, and a whole lot of bloody violence. Plus, with a strong ensemble that included Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi, and more, it established Tarantino's strong eye for casting. —K.J.

Where to watch Reservoir Dogs: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Michael Madsen

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<i>Prisoners</i> (2013)

The kidnapping of two children leads to a father seeking vengeance on his own terms in Denis Villeneuve's thrilling crime drama. Hugh Jackman stars as Keller, the father of one of the missing kids who is dissatisfied with the police response and proceeds to torture the suspected kidnapper. But there are no easy answers here, leading Keller down a dark path while Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) tries to get to the bottom of the case himself. EW's Owen Gleiberman praised Prisoners in his 2013 review, calling it, "a breed of thriller that's exciting, cathartic, and powerfully disturbing." —K.J.

Where to watch Prisoners: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano

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<i>Emily the Criminal</i> (2022)

This is what happens when student loan debt is so insurmountable that it causes you to take drastic action. Aubrey Plaza plays Emily, a woman working as a delivery driver for a catering service whose minor criminal record prevents her from attaining a better job. With crippling debt, she turns to a life of credit card fraud, which provides fast money and she soon finds herself having a knack for the business and her ambitions inevitably grow larger. Plaza pulls off one of her best performances yet, with a distinct New Jersey accent to boot. "She makes Emily's tumble into the underworld believable — and more importantly, interesting," hailed EW's Leah Greenblatt. "She may be a wanton criminal, but she's also a woman very much for these times: Not the antiheroine we knew we needed, maybe, but one that we deserve." —K.J.

Where to watch Emily the Criminal: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: John Patton Ford

Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Gina Gershon

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<i>The Harder They Fall</i> (2021)

Against the backdrop of the Old West, outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) is ready for revenge. Having witnessed his parents' murder at a young age by the villainous Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), Love and his gang seek out the dastardly criminal, recently freed from prison. Together with his gang and his lover, Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), Love prepares to finally seek justice for his childhood trauma. Propelled by kinetic energy, committed performances, and a dynamic soundtrack, The Harder They Fall also made headlines as one of the only mainstream Westerns to feature an all-Black cast among its principal characters. The film assembled newer stars like Majors and Beetz with familiar favorites like Elba, Regina King, and Delroy Lindo, and the cast earned numerous ensemble award nominations among critics' groups. —K.J.

Where to watch The Harder They Fall: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Jeymes Samuel

Cast: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, LaKeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Danielle Deadwyler

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<i>The White Tiger</i> (2021)

An enterprising Indian man does whatever he can to break free of a life of servitude in this sprawling crime drama. Young Balram (Adarsh Gourav) works as a chauffeur for a rich couple (Rajkummar Rao and Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who treat him with respect but still keep the boundaries of their different classes in place. One night, a deadly accident leads to Balram having to take the blame for it, which sends him down a path of exploiting his boss and trying to find a way out so that he can be his own boss. The White Tiger earned huge critical acclaim, with EW's Leah Greenblatt praising the central performance by Gourav, "whose soulful combination of sheer will and vulnerability should, in a just world, win him the kind of accolades that helped make Slumdog's Dev Patel a star." Gourav received a BAFTA nomination for his turn, while writer-director Ramin Bahrani earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. —K.J.

Where to watch The White Tiger: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao

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<i>The Good Nurse</i> (2022)

This slow-burn crime drama is all the more chilling knowing it's based on a true story. Jessica Chastain plays Amy Loughren, an ICU night nurse who discovers that her friend and colleague, Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), has been secretly killing patients. A pair of police detectives on the case convince Amy — who is also dealing with a heart condition — to find a way to get Charlie to reveal the truth. The Good Nurse drew praise particularly for its central performances by Chastain and Redmayne. "Chastain, tremulous yet determined, brings something gratifyingly grounded to her everywoman hero," EW's Leah Greenblatt wrote in her review, "and an eerie, pitch-perfect Redmayne, wearing Charlie's nice-guy drag like a battering ram, lets his mask slip so incrementally that the final scenes feel like a true terrifying rupture." Redmayne earned nominations at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and BAFTAs for his performance. —K.J.

Where to watch The Good Nurse: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Tobias Lindholm

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Nnamdi Asomugha, Kim Dickens, Noah Emmerich

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<i>The Nice Guys</i> (2016)

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe are an unexpected yet perfect buddy-cop pairing in this underrated 2016 gem. The crime comedy follows private investigator Holland March (Gosling) and fixer Jackson Healy (Crowe) as they look into the disappearance of the daughter of a high-ranking Department of Justice official. Along the way, they come across colorful characters aplenty as they navigate 1970s Los Angeles. Directed and co-written by Shane Black, who made a name for himself with other smart-alecky films like 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and 2013's Iron Man 3, the film crackles with wise-guy banter and rich atmosphere. As EW's Chris Nashawaty put it, "Basically, it's Inherent Vice without the highbrow aspirations, or The Big Lebowski with two Dudes." —K.J.

Where to watch The Nice Guys: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Shane Black

Cast: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer, Margaret Qualley, Keith David, Kim Basinger

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<i>22 July</i> (2018)

Based on true events, 22 July reconstructs one of the worst days in Norwegian history when a white nationalist terrorist killed 77 people via explosives and gunfire. Director Paul Greengrass, who helmed such pulse-pounding thrillers as United 93 (2006) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), delivers another tense experience here as we follow the terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik (Anders Danielsen Lie), as he shows no mercy to his victims. Be warned, though, EW's Chris Nashawaty noted in his review: "22 July is exceptionally choreographed," but "tough to sit through." The film is a harrowing look at the banality of evil in its most dangerous form. —K.J.

Where to watch 22 July: Netflix

EW grade: B– (read the review)

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Jon Øigarden

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<i>The Highwaymen</i> (2019)

Bonnie and Clyde stunned audiences when it premiered in the summer of 1967, revolutionizing cinema with its casual broadcasting of gratuitous sex and violence. The Highwaymen (2019), the story of the two Texas rangers charged with hunting down the bank robbers, doesn't take the same guns-blazing approach, but remains a worthy follow-up to one of Hollywood's best-known crime stories. Less of an action film than a character study with occasional stunt sequences, The Highwaymen stars Woody Harrelson and Kevin Costner as past-their-prime patrolmen, pulled out of their desultory retirements and returned to the job — and their old partnership — by a put-upon Texas governor (Kathy Bates). Directed by John Lee Hancock with an eye towards authenticity — the crew filmed the climactic showdown on the same stretch of road where the outlaws were ambushed in May of 1934 — Costner says the experience of shooting the final scene was "haunting." A slow-burn Depression-era buddy cop film with historical roots, EW critic Chris Nashawaty wrote, "The Highwaymen is a leisurely ride with a pair of actors who know how to do a lot by not doing too much." —Dennis Perkins

Where to watch The Highwaymen: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: John Lee Hancock

Cast: Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Kathy Bates, John Carroll Lynch, Kim Dickens, Thomas Mann

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<i>The Irishman</i> (2019)

Now that Netflix has cited this Martin Scorsese Mob movie as one of the "expensive vanity projects" the streamer will no longer be producing, it's about time to check out the old-timer filmmaker's collaboration with longtime muse Robert De Niro. Based on a biography of supposed Mafia hitman (and self-professed murderer of Teamster head Jimmy Hoffa), Frank Sheeran, The Irishman sees Scorsese once more returning to that specific criminal underworld, legendary stars in tow. In addition to De Niro's Sheeran, Hoffa himself is played by Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel plays mobster Angelo Bruno, and Joe Pesci (lured out of retirement by De Niro) plays mob boss Russell Bufalino. And if you're wondering how those septuagenarian stars can play middle-aged, 1950s–1970s versions of their real-life characters, you can thank that Netflix money. The streamer allowed Scorsese to experiment with groundbreaking (and mostly successful) de-aging tricks as De Niro's elderly assassin looks back on his improbably eventful life of crime. So, does The Irishman qualify as a "vanity project?" Possibly. But it's not vanity when you're Martin Scorsese, continuing the career-long exploration of the links between power, violence, greed, and the American dream. —D.P.

Where to watch The Irishman: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Ray Romano, Stephen Graham, Bobby Cannavale

Related content: Martin Scorsese explains why The Irishman wouldn't have worked as a TV series

<i>El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie</i> (2019)

Sure, this sequel film following Jesse Pinkman's struggle to leave his criminal past behind (after escaping those neo-Nazis in the Breaking Bad finale) might be little more than another few episodes of the hit series. But who's complaining about that? Especially as Aaron Paul returns to his career-making role, and series creator Vince Gilligan returns as writer and director. As Gilligan proved with his equally showstopping spinoff series Better Call Saul, he's adept at fleshing out his characters' pasts and futures with equal skill. Returning shattered to an Albuquerque reeling from his meth-cooking work, Paul's Pinkman is as weighed down by guilt over his actions as he is by the gathered forces hunting him. Seeking out old allies and accomplices (among others, this marked the last on-screen appearance of Robert Forster as criminal "disappearer" Ed Galbraith) as he plots his next move, Pinkman must contend with the damage he's done to himself and everyone in his life, all while contemplating whether he deserves a fresh start at all. Paul has never been better than as the tortured Pinkman. —D.P.

Where to watch El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Director: Vince Gilligan

Cast: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Krysten Ritter, Charles Baker, Matt Jones, Robert Forster, Jonathan Banks, Bryan Cranston

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• Martin Scorsese: The Irishman interview