The 7 Best Crime Movies on Netflix Right Now
Netflix has no lack of great crime movies for those looking for a great story about smash-and-grab robberies, lifetime criminals or even thieving magicians. Below, we’ve put together a curated list of some of the best crime movies on Netflix right now, ranging from Oscar-winning dramas to underseen indies and beyond. There’s a little something for everyone, which speaks to the diversity of stories inside the crime genre.
The Departed
Despite being the man behind classics like “Raging Bull,” “Taxi Driver” and “The King of Comedy,” Martin Scorsese didn’t win his first Oscar until 2006’s “The Departed,” a fairly straightforward crime thriller with tremendous commercial appeal. That’s not to ding “The Departed” – the movie’s a rich and wildly entertaining crime saga – but it was surprising that it was this film that finally netted Scorsese the trophy. No matter, “The Departed” stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a cop who’s enlisted to go undercover in a crime ring run by a murderous Jack Nicholson, while Matt Damon plays a cop secretly working for Nicholson. The whole movie is a cat-and-mouse game with reversals and surprises galore, plus an absolutely stacked cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone and Vera Farmiga.
Sicario
Before Denis Villeneuve brought “Dune” to life, he casually made one of the best crime thrillers of the century by teaming up with future “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan. “Sicario” stars Emily Blunt as an FBI agent who teams up with a government task force to bring down a powerful cartel. Josh Brolin is a CIA officer who knows no limits while Benicio Del Toro plays a quiet assassin enlisted to help their cause. It’s taught and immaculately photographed by the great Roger Deakins, but it’s the film’s allegory that truly leaves a mark as Blunt is a stand-in for your average American citizen while Brolin’s ethically nebulous character represents the lengths to which the government will go in the name of “the greater good.”
Emily the Criminal
If an indie is more your speed, the 2022 film “Emily the Criminal” is a great underrated gem. Aubrey Plaza plays a young woman struggling to overcome her college loan debt who finds herself embroiled in a credit card scam, excited by the challenge. It’s a sweet, thrilling little movie.
American Gangster
This one was long-in-the-works before it finally got made by Ridley Scott, with Denzel Washington starring as a Harlem mob boss in late 1960s New York City and Russell Crowe as the detective hot on his trail. This is a crime epic, spanning years as Crowe’s character gets close to catching Washington’s crime boss only for him to slip away. The aces supporting cast includes Cuba Gooding Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin and Ted Levine.
Now You See Me
If you’re looking for a fun crime movie, how about magic crimes? “Now You See Me” follows a troupe of magicians – played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fischer – who use their craft to pull off various heists and crimes for the greater good. Mark Ruffalo is the cop trying to catch them, while Morgan Freeman plays a secretive supporting role. The 2013 film spawned two sequels, including the upcoming “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.”
Hit Man
“Hit Man” is an absolute blast. From “School of Rock” and “Boyhood” filmmaker Richard Linklater, the movie stars Glen Powell as an unassuming teacher who has a part-time job helping with undercover operations in Texas. When he falls for a woman who tries to hire him to kill her abusive husband, he finds himself continuing to play the role of this tough guy to pursue a relationship, all while a key blunder puts him in hot water with the police. Powell delivers a powerhouse performance and Adria Arjona is lovely as the woman he’s trying to date.
The Irishman
It wouldn’t be a “best crime movies” list without a double dose of Martin Scorsese. The filmmaker’s 3.5-hour opus “The Irishman” is a different kind of crime film as it chronicles the life of a hitman for the Italian Mafia, played by Robert De Niro, from his early days as a young man up through present day. Cutting edge VFX were used to de-age De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci so they could play their characters across decades, and the result is a violent yet thoughtful film about morality and mortality, and the value of human life.
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