The crime genre is one of the most exciting and flexible in the industry, as it can adapt into a classic "whodunit" like Rian Johnson's latest Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery or a gritty mobster epic like Martin Scorsese's iconic Goodfellas. HBO Max is arguably one of the best mainstream streaming services available for this genre, with it hosting classics and modern hits alike.
The aforementioned Goodfellas and Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction are good representatives of the platform when it comes to the classics, but it also shows the genre's flexibility with superhero-themed crime dramas, like Christopher Nolan's revered The Dark Knight.
Goodfellas (1990)
Director Martin Scorcese's movies are some of the most iconic in the history of the medium. He's famous for his approach to mobster dramas, with Goodfellas often cited by fans as his greatest overall achievement. The movie serves as the biographical story of real-life mobster Henry Hill and key members associated with him, taking place from 1955 to 1980.
Goodfellas is both ruthless and stylish, complete with an all-star cast typical of a Scorsese movie. Ray Liotta does exceptional work depicting the leading character's darkly euphoric highs and suitably pitiful lows, Robert De Niro expertly conveys an intimidating composure, while Joe Pesci's terrifying chaotic performance is certainly worth the Oscar.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Combining elements of the western genre with crime noir, the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men is one of the most gripping modern thrillers. Based on author Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name, the movie follows three core characters: a Vietnam veteran who stumbles upon a massive amount of money in the desert, a cold-blooded hitman tasked with retrieving it, and a police sheriff assigned to this case.
No Country for Old Men is a masterclass in establishing tension with such a bleak setting, namely through Javier Bardem's emphatic performance as the antagonist. His performance as Anton Chigurh was transcendent and is still one of the most chilling portrayals of psychopathy on-screen.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
A classic from another one of the film industry's most prolific directors, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction is arguably one of the most inventive crime movies to date. That's largely thanks to the movie's excitingly unconventional narrative structure, with several events being depicted out of chronological order that, combined with its entertaining dark humor and surreally grounded focus on dialogue, makes for a unique watching experience.
It follows three plotlines each with its protagonists and how their stories intertwine, comprised of hitman Vincent Vega, boxer Butch Coolidge, and Vincent's business partner Jules Winnfield. Pulp Fiction is still widely thought of as Tarantino's best movie.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Even outside of Batman adaptations specifically, Nolan's sophomore entry in his trilogy The Dark Knight has been widely acclaimed as the best superhero movie in general. Where Begins before it was the most comic book-y and Rises was more like a war epic, Knight thoroughly entrenched itself into gritty, realistic crime drama.
There are many reasons why The Dark Knight is as revered as it is -- with Heath Ledger's Joker being one of them -- but part of it is how Nolan expertly balanced its influences from beloved comics like The Long Halloween and The Killing Joke with Michael Mann's Heat for real-world inspiration. They meshed seamlessly to show how masterful grounded Batman stories can be.
The Departed (2006)
It's a bit of an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Scorsese's catalog of movies, but his 2006 endeavor The Departed is surely worth a shout. The Oscar Award-winning movie is also perhaps the director's best work on this side of the century.
This movie is a crime drama with riveting twists and turns throughout, taking full advantage of its star-studded ensemble (Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, etc.) to tell an intricate, ruthless tale surrounding the Irish mob. The Departed is mesmerizing in the grimiest ways, using its convincing cast of characters to explore practically every facet of the moral spectrum.
Seven (1994)
David Fincher is known for directing some of the most compelling psychological thrillers ever, with the grim Seven being one of his most memorable. The power duo of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play a pair of detectives tasked with apprehending a sadistic serial murderer that bases his killings on the seven deadly sins from Christian ideology.
Not for the faint of heart, Seven is an enthralling crime deep-dive into the depths of evil bolstered by two powerful leading performances, and a prime example of how to set an intense atmosphere of dread.
The Batman (2022)
It's hard to follow up on the rich legacy Nolan and Christian Bale left behind in the theatrical space for the Caped Crusader, and even though The Dark Knight still stands in a class of its own, Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's The Batman is a successful reboot. The movie finally works in the "World's Greatest Detective" element that even Nolan's trilogy mostly ignored, depicting a raw and reclusive Bruce Wayne working to live up to that epithet.
Taking a grimmer spin on the Riddler, The Batman draws on the hero's best comics, throws in a dash of Fincher's Seven and Scorsese's Taxi Driver, and accomplishes the rare feat of being something that pays reverence to the source material and feels refreshing all at once.
Memento (2001)
Another Nolan movie, Memento was an early entry into his filmmaking catalog. The director is known for his mind-bending narrative elements, and this psychological crime thriller brilliantly shows the roots of this style. Guy Pearce stars as Leonard Shelby, a man suffering from a neurological disorder that results in short-term memory loss.
He's also incapable of forming new memories, all of which combine for a riveting premise as Leonard desperately tries the culprits who attacked him and killed his wife. Similar to Pulp Fiction, Memento thrives and engrosses thanks to its creative nonlinear narrative approach.
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Gone Baby Gone was actor Ben Affleck's directorial debut, with his brother Casey Affleck playing the leading role. An adaptation of author Dennis Lehane's 1988 novel of the same name, the movie follows two Boston private investigators as they try to find a single mother's abducted daughter.
The movie was released to a strong critical reception, with major plaudits going to Affleck's proven eye for dramatic direction. However, the duo of Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan's portrayal of Angie Gennaro was also widely praised, along with bringing a fresh Boston-based perspective to a crime thriller.
Training Day (2001)
One of actor Denzel Washington's most legendary performances, director Antoine Fuqua's Training Day is a 2000s classic. Alongside Ethan Hawke, both actors portray LAPD narcotics officers as they tread through the gang-dominated neighborhoods of South Central LA over a day.
It's a tense police drama powered by the electric dynamic between Washington and Hawke's characters, with the former winning an Oscar for his excellent performance as the vile Detective Harris. Training Day tells a hardened story of organized crime, and how it can seep into the roots of law enforcement all the same.