Some of the past few decades’ most popular and highly acclaimed films have belonged to the crime genre, whether they’re gangster movies, police procedurals, or dark comedies. As a result, it’s not surprising to find, alongside great screenplays and bold directorial choices, great performances from various actors, many of whom seem to relish the opportunity to play characters on the wrong (or sometimes right) side of the law.
What follows is an assortment of unequivocally great crime movies, all of which have at least several strong performances within, or even seem to have nothing but cast members firing on all cylinders throughout.
There are some omissions here, particularly films where one actor stands out above all others (sorry, Scarface), but the important thing is this: these are undoubtedly essential crime movies, and all contain amazing, perhaps even timeless performances.
5. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Anyone who’s seen a handful of iconic gangster movies will recognize numerous stars that show up in Once Upon a Time in America. It’s a huge film with a narrative that spans decades, and the runtime which reaches over four hours depending on the cut you watch is immense enough that the film certainly has room to feature many actors throughout.
It’s also particularly dark by gangster movie standards, with the criminal characters having little to no redeeming qualities, especially once the narrative reaches the point when they become ruthless and intensely competitive gangsters.
Once Upon a Time in America, therefore, needed great actors capable of excelling with the difficult subject matter at hand, and on that front, every one delivered (especially lead actor Robert De Niro, playing one of the coldest and most brutal characters he’s ever portrayed).
4. Heat (1995)
Heat is the biggest (and arguably best) Michael Mann film, serving as an absorbing crime epic that might technically be about a detective trying to take down a master thief, but feels so much bigger and more dramatic than such a premise suggests.
It pushes things to near-breaking point, and is all the more riveting for it, with dialogue-heavy scenes feeling just as impactful as the louder and more explosive action sequences. Matching the energy and ambition of the filmmaking is the acting, with Al Pacino being especially big and effectively over-the-top.
Robert De Niro’s character is, in contrast, more subdued, but brings a fantastically quiet intensity to the surprisingly human criminal he plays. And the rest of the supporting cast is phenomenal, with Heat also starring the likes of Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, William Fichtner, and Natalie Portman, to name just a few.
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs was successful enough to win the top 5 most coveted Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins) and Best Actress (Jodie Foster). For those two alone, it’s already a fantastically well-acted movie, but all the supporting actors shine here as well, never going so far, though, as to eclipse the two leads.
It’s an immensely satisfying crime film that also feels like something of a horror/thriller movie, being about the uneasy alliance between a serial killer and a young agent, the latter consulting the former for help with catching another serial killer at large.
The Silence of the Lambs is a supremely well-oiled machine of a movie, and the kind of well-acted classic that’s likely to appeal to anyone, regardless of how much they might ordinarily like or dislike crime/thriller/horror films.
2. Chinatown (1974)
For as great as an over-the-top Jack Nicholson performance can be, he’s equally compelling when he’s in more subdued roles and/or movies, which is well demonstrated by Chinatown. This 1974 film is perhaps the definitive neo-noir movie, and the quality of Nicholson’s performance is equaled by his co-stars, too, with Faye Dunaway being exceptional and John Huston making for a memorably evil antagonist.
The entire film is great, really, with Chinatown’s expert screenplay keeping viewers in just the right amount of darkness, never being overly confusing but still trusting that those watching are paying attention.
It pushes things to new levels when it comes to intensity and bleakness, even by film noir/neo-noir standards, but that’s one reason why it holds up as such a classic. The acting, of course, is another.
1. The Godfather (1972)
Can any crime movie besides The Godfather claim to have better acting across the board? Well, perhaps The Godfather: Part II, which loses Marlon Brando but replaces him with Robert De Niro, both of whom won Oscars for playing Vito Corleone at different stages of his life. Consider that legendary sequel an honorable mention here; the acting in it is arguably just as good as the first movie.
The Godfather gave Brando one of his best-ever roles and also helped establish some younger actors who were more up-and-coming at the time, including Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, and John Cazale, to name just a few.
It’s in the same territory as Pulp Fiction, when it comes to highlighting actors, because everyone in The Godfather (and The Godfather: Part II) is remarkable, whether they have leading roles or only make brief appearances.
