The 16 best crime movies on Netflix

22 July (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 critic notes: “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. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 22 July: Netflix

EW grade: B–

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Jon Øigarden

Boyz N the Hood (1991)

John Singleton’s seminal coming-of-age drama remains as impactful as it was in 1991. The film follows Tre Styles (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a young Black man growing up in South Central L.A. with college on his mind. Tre’s childhood friend, Doughboy (Ice Cube), is now a member of the Bloods gang, and after the rival Crips provoke Ricky (Morris Chestnut), the conflict between the gangs spirals out of control. However, the film is well-balanced enough to also make room for lightness, with EW’s critic noting, “The movie is most enjoyable — and perceptive — when it’s content to be a slice of urban life.” —K.J.

Where to watch Boyz N the Hood: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: John Singleton

Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long

Caught Stealing (2025)

A Manhattan bartender fights for his life in this grungy yet entertaining crime drama from director Darren Aronofsky. Austin Butler stars as Hank Thompson, a former baseball player who pet-sits for his neighbor’s cat, not knowing his neighbor has angered the local Russian Mob — and they take it out on Hank. What follows is a madcap adventure around the city that we won’t spoil here, powered by Butler’s winning charisma and a colorful cast of characters surrounding him. —K.J.

Where to watch Caught Stealing: Netflix

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (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? Returning shattered to an Albuquerque reeling from his meth-cooking work, Aaron Paul’s Jesse is as weighed down by guilt over his actions as he is by the gathered forces hunting him. Seeking out old allies and accomplices as he plots his next move, a tortured Jesse 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. —Dennis Perkins

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

EW grade: B+

Director: Vince Gilligan

Cast: Aaron Paul, Jesse Plemons, Krysten Ritter, Charles Baker, Matt Jones

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

A crime is afoot, and, once again, Benoit Blanc suspects foul play. Daniel Craig reprises his deliciously fun role as the private detective in this standalone sequel to 2019’s Knives Out, as he joins a murder mystery party hosted by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). When a guest ends up actually dying, fingers are pointed among the group of friends, and Detective Blanc goes about trying to solve the murder. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, as there are so many more layers to this onion than one could even predict. Featuring gasp-worthy twists and a committed ensemble (particularly Kate Hudson and Janelle Monáe), Glass Onion is an entertaining mystery with a healthy dose of social satire. —K.J.

Where to watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery: Netflix

EW grade: B+

Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson

The Good Nurse (2022)

This crime drama is all the more chilling knowing it’s based on a true story. Jessica Chastain plays Amy, an ICU nurse who discovers that her friend and colleague, Charlie (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 for its central performances by Chastain and Redmayne. “Chastain, tremulous yet determined, brings something gratifyingly grounded to her everywoman hero,” EW’s critic writes, “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.” —K.J.

Where to watch The Good Nurse: Netflix

EW grade: B+

Director: Tobias Lindholm

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne

The Harder They Fall (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. —K.J.

Where to watch The Harder They Fall: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: Jeymes Samuel

Cast: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo

The Highwaymen (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). —D.P.

Where to watch The Highwaymen: Netflix

EW grade: B

Director: John Lee Hancock

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

Holy Spider (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

The Irishman (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, and Joe Pesci plays mob boss Russell Bufalino.

Nominated for 10 Oscars, The Irishman sees Scorsese continuing his 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+

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin

Lost Girls (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 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,” writes EW’s critic, “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

Director: Liz Garbus

Cast: Amy Ryan, Thomasin McKenzie, Lola Kirke, Oona Laurence, Dean Winters

Molly’s Game (2017)

Based on the true story of entrepreneur Molly Bloom, this crime drama biopic is a riveting rise-and-fall saga. Jessica Chastain stars as Bloom, a former athlete who got involved in the underground poker scene, eventually running high-stakes games that attract a wealthy clientele and dangerous mafia organizations. The film recounts Bloom’s story as she is eventually indicted and put on trial. Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin made his feature directorial debut with this, and his fingerprints are all over it, particularly his signature snappy dialogue. EW’s critic raves, “Molly’s Game is a cool, crackling, confident film that appeals to your intelligence instead of insulting it.” —K.J.

Where to watch Molly’s Game: Netflix

EW grade: A–

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong

Pulp Fiction (1994)

More than 30 years later, it’s safe to say that Quentin Tarantino’s nonlinear black comedy was a game-changer for the crime movie genre. Exploring the lives of a boxer, a diner-robbing couple, a gangster’s wife, and a pair of chatty hitmen, Pulp Fiction plays by its own rules in exploring how each of their messy lives intersects. “In Pulp Fiction,” EW’s critic wrote at the time of the film’s release in 1994, “Tarantino creates a dizzying spectacle of life at its darkest, only to release us, with a wink, into the light.” —K.J.

Where to watch Pulp Fiction: Netflix

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Ving Rhames

Rebel Ridge (2024)

This muscular, Emmy-winning crime thriller is one of the most satisfying made-for-Netflix films in years. Like a modern-day Rambo, the film centers on a Marine Corps veteran named Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) who is hoping to post bail for his cousin, only to have his funds confiscated by a pair of dirty police officers. After trying to get his money back, he runs into obstacles at nearly every turn, forcing him to take matters into his own hands. It’s a gripping action film with a badass star turn from Pierre that also has a lot on its mind about systemic corruption and the tension between cops and civilians. —K.J.

Where to watch Rebel Ridge: Netflix

Director: Jeremy Saulnier

Cast: Aaron Pierre, Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, David Denman, Emory Cohen

The White Tiger (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 trying to find a way out.

EW’s critic praises 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.” —K.J.

Where to watch The White Tiger: Netflix

EW grade: B+

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao

Zodiac (2007)

Who is the Zodiac Killer? It’s a question that has haunted both professional detectives and amateur sleuths for decades, as depicted in this chilling masterpiece from director David Fincher. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Robert Graysmith, the real-life political cartoonist who attempted to decode the infamous serial killer’s messages and went down numerous rabbit holes for years. Detectives eventually identify one man as a likely suspect, though he is ultimately not charged, resulting in ambiguity that continues to this day. “Explaining a mystery is an act of reassurance,” writes EW’s critic, noting that Zodiac “offers no such soothing closure, and that’s part of what’s haunting about it.” —K.J.

Where to watch Zodiac: Netflix through Feb. 16

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch