The 2020s are only halfway over, but there have already been some great crime movies for fans of the genre to enjoy. The 2020s have offered a mix of comedies, period dramas and murder mysteries that all take the crime genre to new and interesting places. The genre has always had plenty of variety, so it’s exciting to see how it’s evolving in the 2020s. Hopefully, the 2020s can continue this trend.
So far in the 2020s, many directors who are popular for their previous crime movies have returned to the genre, like Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and David Fincher. There has also been room for some exciting new talents to emerge, like how Emerald Fennell burst onto the scene withPromising Young Woman.Another interesting trend is that female directors are emerging to lead the genre.
Last Night in Sohois a supernatural horror movie, a psychological thriller and a murder mystery all rolled into one. It wasn’t as immediately popular as Edgar Wright’s other movies, but it has the potential to grow in stature in the coming years, because its puzzle-box charms beckon the audience in for multiple rewatches. The strange time-travel is never fully explained, leaving audiences to interpret Ellie’s cross-generational connection to Sandie for themselves.
Last Night in Sohois a supernatural horror movie, a psychological thriller and a murder mystery all rolled into one.
WhileLast Night in Sohohas plenty of other genre considerations, the murder mystery is what drives the plot forward.It’s an unusual type of mystery, since so many details are initially unknown, including the true identity of both the victim and the killer. Wright’s visual design presents a gorgeous and immersive version of 1960s London, which perfectly balances out the dark horror that colors a crime movie like no other.
No Sudden Moveis one of the most underappreciated movies of the last few years, since its release on HBO Max didn’t give it the biggest audience. It would have been interesting howNo Sudden Movewould have performed with a theatrical release, because it contains many of the elements of Steven Soderbergh’s other crime capers, particularlyLogan Luckyandthe Ocean’s Trilogy.
No Sudden Moveis a wonderfully stylish period crime thrillerabout a blackmail scheme that goes horribly wrong, as the criminals find that they’ve been set up. Soderbergh makes some splashy choices with his direction, but he also gets the best out of a great ensemble cast, which includes Benicio del Toro, Don Cheadle and Kieran Culkin. The actors manage to maximize Soderbergh’s dark comedy without neglecting the story’s innate tension.
Many ofDavid Fincher’s best moviesare crime genre classics, likeSe7en, ZodiacandFight Club. The Killercontinues Fincher’s obsession with violence and criminal psychology, but it’s a much different kind of crime movie. With Michael Fassbender playing the unnamed hitman,The Killeris a slow, sure-footed thriller that creates an immersive atmosphere, even if it doesn’t grab its audience by the throat.
The Killercontinues Fincher’s obsession with violence and criminal psychology, but it’s a much different kind of crime movie.
The Killer’s beguiling charms don’t appeal to everyone, and some critics and audiences were put off by Fincher’s unique approach. For those on the same wavelength asThe Killer,it’s an enchanting thriller with a few shocking bursts of action. Fassbender’s even-handed performance is key toThe Killer,since the audience spends so much time in his company and inside his mind. He rises to the task, presenting a cool front that shows one or two cracks when the pressure gets cranked up.
2024 didn’t produce quite as many great crime movies as some other years, but there were a few exceptions worth watching.Drive-Away Dollsis an underrated comedy starring Margaret Qualley,Monkey Manis a blistering directorial debut from Dev Patel, andJuror #2shows that Cline Eastwood has still got it.Love Lies Bleedingis one of thebest thrillers of 2024, delivering some hard-hitting action woven into its queer love story.
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The 2010s were a strong decade for crime movies. David Fincher, Martin Scorsese and Steven Soderbergh all produced thrilling crime classics.
Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian both deliver superb performances inLove Lies Bleeding,and they develop a chemistry that carries the story through some of Rose Glass' weird and inventive flourishes. This means thatLove Lies Bleedingis consistently surprising, and the visually confronting style is perfect for a movie that concerns itself with the fallout of reckless romance and reckless criminal activity.
Rian Johnson reinvigorated the mystery genre with 2019’sKnives Out,creating a seemingly straightforward whodunnit that soon reveals itself to be anything but the typical Agatha Christie-style formula.Glass Onionis something of a step-down, but it’s still better than most other mystery movies from the last few years.Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysterywill mark Johnson’s next move in his game of wits with his audience.
As the years pass,Glass Onioncould start to look like a time capsule from a tumultuous time.
AlthoughGlass Onioncame out just a couple of years ago, it already feels more dated than other movies from 2022.It’s one of very few major movies that actually addresses the pandemic and lockdowns head-on, but it also seems to capture the mood of society at the time perfectly. As the years pass,Glass Onioncould start to look like a time capsule from a tumultuous time. The movie’s big anti-twist about its villain is something that will remain interesting and unique.
Guillermo Del Toro’sNightmare Alleyisthe second adaptation of William Lindsey Gresham’s 1946 novel, following Edmund Goudling’s classic noir thriller from 1947.Del Toro makes the intelligent decision to keep the story in the post-war years, so the bleak scenery and the desperation of certain characters can feed into Del Toro’s shocking horror. Bradley Cooper delivers a compelling performance as a drifter who latches onto any money-making opportunity available, eventually becoming a high-profile mind-reader and illusionist.
WhileNightmare Alleyis encased in the kind of classy trappings that define Old Hollywood, its roots have all the unseemly indulgence of B-movies.
WhileNightmare Alleyis encased in the kind of classy trappings that define Old Hollywood, its roots have all the unseemly indulgence of B-movies. The horror inNightmare Alleyis everpresent, even when Stanton Carlisle seems to have escaped his mysterious origins and desperate poverty. Del Toro infuses every scene with an undercurrent of dread that keeps Stanton at a distance, reminding the audience of his enigmatic origins and the void within his heart.
Promising Young Womanis titled to provoke a response, just as the entire movie seems set up to confront its audience about the realities of sexual assault, and how so many people are complicit in a violent culture, whether they are aware of it or not. Carey Mulligan delivers a dazzling performance as a woman who embarks on a revenge tour after her friend is sexually assaulted.
Emerald Fennell’s debut feature is remarkably self-assured.
Promising Young Womansets its sights on both men and women. It’s just as much about the systems that exist to stifle justice for women as it is about the criminality of predatory men, and it takes an intelligently antagonistic approach to the debate.Promising Young Womanseeks to turn the tables, and Mulligan’s extremist antihero is the kind of contentious figure that it needs to spark debate. Emerald Fennell’s debut feature is remarkably self-assured.
Batman movies have generally been getting darker and darker, and 2022’sThe Batmanis about as far removed from the days of Adam West as possible. Robert Pattinson is the latest actor to don the cape and cowl, and he delivers a surprising performance that shows his lack of action star pedigree isn’t the drawback some people thought it might be. He’s an unconventional Batman, and this fits the movie perfectly.
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The Batmanis a dark, moody crime thriller that takes more inspiration from film noir detective movies than other superhero fare. It’s a couple of steps further than Christopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy ever took the character, placing him in the path of a chaotic serial killer who clearly draws on the Zodiac.The Batmanstill delivers plenty of hard-hitting actionto please fans, but it also has a story worth mulling over.
Many ofMartin Scorsese’s best moviesare crime movies, starting with his earliest hits likeMean StreetsandTaxi Driver,and continuing through the artistic shifts ofGoodfellasandThe Wolf of Wall Street. Killers of the Flower Moonproves that he’s just as interesting as ever, telling a story of serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma that has the ambition and articulation to address the entire history of white America.
Killers of the Flower Moon’s mammoth runtime can be a turn-off for some people, but it’s an intelligent epic that repeatedly proves itself worth the investment.Grounded by three outstanding performances from Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone, it recreates a time and place with incredible authenticity.Killers of the Flower Moonis the latest in a series of towering achievements that have become so commonplace it’s almost easy to diminish them in isolation.
Anatomy of a Fallfeels very much like the kind of movie that rarely gets made these days. There is no hook, no gimmick and no great postmodernist subversion of thought to entice viewers. It is, quite simply, a superb story, written and acted to a degree of quality that is difficult to achieve.Anatomy of a Fallbelieves in itself, and this infectious confidence gives it an appealing swagger that allows the audience to sit back and enjoy.
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Courtroom dramas have the power to engage viewers with thought-provoking stories of deceit and malpractice and have remained as popular as ever.
Anatomy of a Fallshould already hold a place alongside the best courtroom dramas ever made. Its surgical precision and economy of words draws the audience into a deceptively complex mystery that hinges on the smallest of details, although the emotional stakes of the case are really what dictates the flow of proceedings.Anatomy of a Fall’s endingensures that it lives long in the memory, and it cements its place as the outstanding crime movie of the 2020s so far.
