Best Crime Film

While a book, the enduring cultural impact of the film adaptation (especially the 1941 version) makes it a necessary inclusion for understanding the genre's visual language. It defined the look, the dialogue rhythm, and the cynical tone of the hardboiled detective in cinema. For understanding the *f...

Pixote is a 1980 Brazilian crime drama by Hector Babenco about street children in Sao Paulo, noted for its harsh realist style.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity is Kinji Fukasaku's 1973 Japanese yakuza film, the first of a five-part series based on Hiroshima gang memoirs.

Carlos is a 2010 crime thriller by Olivier Assayas about Venezuelan militant Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal.

Election 2 is Johnnie To's 2006 Hong Kong triad film, a sequel also released as Triad Election and selected for the Cannes Film Festival.

Blue Ruin is Jeremy Saulnier's 2013 American revenge thriller, a Kickstarter-backed independent film that won a FIPRESCI prize at Cannes.

Infernal Affairs II is a 2003 Hong Kong crime drama by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, a prequel tracing the moles before Infernal Affairs.

Ash Is Purest White is a 2018 Chinese crime drama by Jia Zhangke about a woman's loyalty to a gangster across years of social change.

A Hard Day is a 2014 South Korean crime thriller by Kim Seong-hun about a detective who hides a fatal accident and faces blackmail.

The Traitor is a 2019 Italian crime drama by Marco Bellocchio about Mafia turncoat Tommaso Buscetta, a key witness in the Maxi Trial.

Mesrine: Killer Instinct is a 2008 French crime biopic by Jean-Francois Richet about Jacques Mesrine's rise as a violent outlaw.

Drug War is Johnnie To's 2012 Chinese-Hong Kong crime thriller, following a police captain's bargain with a meth-ring operator.

Miss Bala is a 2011 Mexican crime drama by Gerardo Naranjo about a beauty pageant contestant trapped inside cartel violence.

Exiled is Johnnie To's 2006 Hong Kong action crime film set in 1998 Macau, where hitmen confront loyalty before the handover.

A Dirty Carnival is a 2006 South Korean crime drama by Yoo Ha about a low-ranking gangster trying to climb Seoul's underworld.

Romanzo Criminale is Michele Placido's 2005 Italian crime drama, based on Giancarlo De Cataldo's novel inspired by the Banda della Magliana.

The Outlaws is a 2017 South Korean crime action film by Kang Yoon-sung, inspired by Garibong-dong gang cases and launching The Roundup series.

Running Out of Time is Johnnie To's 1999 Hong Kong thriller, a 72-hour duel between a dying criminal and a police negotiator.

Suburra is Stefano Sollima's 2015 Italian neo-noir crime film, based on a Bonini-De Cataldo novel about organized crime and Rome politics.

Graveyard of Honor is Kinji Fukasaku's 1975 Japanese yakuza film, adapted from Goro Fujita's book about real gangster Rikio Ishikawa.

The Connection is a 2014 French crime thriller by Cedric Jimenez about magistrate Pierre Michel and the Marseille heroin trade.

PTU is Johnnie To's 2003 Hong Kong neo-noir crime film, set over one night as police search for a sergeant's missing revolver.

The Wild Goose Lake is a 2019 Chinese neo-noir by Diao Yinan about a fugitive gangster, selected for Cannes main competition.

SPL: Kill Zone is Wilson Yip's 2005 Hong Kong action crime film, starring Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Simon Yam, and Wu Jing.

Infernal Affairs III is Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's 2003 Hong Kong crime drama, completing the trilogy by intercutting sequel and prequel events.

The Roundup: No Way Out is Lee Sang-yong's 2023 South Korean action crime sequel, following Ma Seok-do into a cross-border drug case.

Heli is a 2013 Mexican crime drama by Amat Escalante about a family drawn into drug violence, earning Best Director at Cannes.

The Roundup: Punishment is a 2024 South Korean action crime film by Heo Myung-haeng, the fourth Crime City entry, tied to a gambling case.

French Connection II is John Frankenheimer's 1975 sequel, sending Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle to Marseille to pursue Alain Charnier.