The 1990s were a period of change for the crime genre, and some of the decade’s best movies are must-watch material for cinephiles. Directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and David Fincher set about revitalizing the landscape of the crime genre in the 1990s. There were gritty, realistic thrillers as well as highly stylized crime movies which sought to deconstruct the many tropes of the genre.
To this day, the 1990s stand out as one of the best decades for crime movies, with a number of unimpeachable classics all being produced in a few short years. Not since the glory days of film noir had crime movies been so important and so popular. Some of these classic crime movies were inspired by real cases, which made them even more chilling, while others were pure fantasy. There are some ’90s crime movies that every self-respecting film fan should watch.
Related 10 Incredible Crime Movies From A-List Directors
The crime genre tends to attract plenty of legendary directors, even those who are most famous for their work in completely different genres.
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10 Heat (1995)
Michael Mann Brings Pulsating Action To The Heist Genre
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10/10 8.7/10 Heat
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*Availability in US Director Michael Mann Release Date December 15, 1995 Cast Al Pacino , Robert De Niro , Val Kilmer , Jon Voight , Tom Sizemore , Diane Venora
Michael Mann’s masterpiece is one of the best heist movies ever made, balancing the genre’s innate sense of style with some hair-raising action. Other heist movies, such as Ocean’s 11, Baby Driver and Gambit, luxuriate in the swagger of their roguish characters. Heat is just as visually arresting as any of Mann’s films, but it feels more palpably dangerous than the standard for the heist genre.
At the heart of Heat‘s enduring appeal is the scorching chemistry between Al Pacino’s detective and Robert De Niro’s master thief. The duo engage in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse across Los Angeles, and their strangely intense dynamic borders on obsession. Fittingly, Heat ends with a bittersweet showdown between the two men. Mann is currently working on Heat 2, both a sequel and a prequel based on his own novel.
9 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
The Quintessential Gritty 1990s Detective Drama
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10/10 The Silence of the Lambs
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*Availability in US Director jonathan demme Release Date February 14, 1991 Cast Jodie Foster , Anthony Hopkins , Scott Glenn , Ted Levine , Anthony Heald , Brooke Smith , Diane Baker , Kasi Lemmons
The 1990s were a great time for gritty crime dramas, and The Silence of the Lambs has a strong claim to being the best of the bunch. Even those who haven’t seen Jonathan Demme’s adaptation of Thomas Harris’ novel will be aware of Hannibal Lecter, the cannibalistic serial killer brought to life by Anthony Hopkins in Oscar-winning form. Not everyone will know that The Silence of the Lambs has much more to offer.
Hopkins’ captivating performance as Lecter is balanced out by Jodie Foster as the rookie FBI analyst Clarice Starling. The dynamic between these two characters is what gives The Silence of the Lambs so much of its intrigue, even while the real killer on the loose remains hidden in the shadows. When Buffalo Bill does eventually come into view, it sets up a gripping finale.
8 Se7en (1995)
David Fincher’s First Crime Drama Is One Of His Best
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8/10 9.2/10 Se7en
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*Availability in US Director David Fincher Release Date September 22, 1995 Cast Brad Pitt , Gwyneth Paltrow , John C. McGinley , Morgan Freeman , Kevin Spacey
David Fincher has long been one of the most interesting directors working in the crime genre, and Se7en was his first big hit. After a disappointing debut with Alien 3, Fincher bounced back in style, establishing himself as a director worth watching. Se7en has many of the hallmarks of a classic cop drama, with two mismatched detectives tracking an elusive killer. What makes it stand out is its dark tone.
Se7en mixes some elements of horror into its grisly detective mystery, not just with the macabre posing of John Doe’s victims, but also with the way that the two detectives find themselves drawn deeper into the case. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt both deliver superb performances. They sell the close personal bond of their characters, which is important amid the doom and gloom of the world they inhabit. Se7en‘s iconic ending has ensured that it has remained popular for decades.
7 The Fugitive (1993)
Harrison Ford Stars In A Clever Thriller
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7/10 The Fugitive
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*Availability in US Director Andrew Davis Release Date August 6, 1993 Cast Joe Pantoliano , Sela Ward , Julianne Moore , Tommy Lee Jones , Harrison Ford
The Fugitive stars Harrison Ford as a surgeon falsely accused of killing his wife, and Tommy Lee Jones plays the U.S. Marshal tasked with tracking him down when he escapes from a prison transport vehicle. Jones has always been an actor who excels at playing cops and detectives, and The Fugitive provides him with one of his career’s most memorable. He is pitch-perfect as the gruff lawman who pays no mind to the morality of his work.
The Fugitive takes inspiration from a real-life case, but it invents plenty of its own twists and turns. This helps The Fugitive keep up its relentless pace as Harrison Ford’s wrong-man character is pursued across the country. There are a few riveting action sequences as the FBI close in, but a lot of The Fugitive‘s appeal comes in the quieter moments, as the hunter and the hunted plot their next chess move.
6 The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Coen Brothers’ Cult Hit Is A Classic Crime Comedy
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8/10 9/10 The Big Lebowski
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*Availability in US Director Joel Coen , Ethan Coen Release Date March 6, 1998 Cast Julianne Moore , Jeff Bridges , Steve Buscemi , John Turturro , John Goodman , David Huddleston , Phillip Seymour Hoffman
The Big Lebowski was a box-office bomb, but it soon developed a cult following. Over the years, it has become recognized as a hugely influential crime comedy. The Big Lebowski is constructed like many other crime movies, with a case of mistaken identity which leads an unwitting civilian into a complex criminal conspiracy. The subversive twist is that the Dude has no interest in the Elmore Leonard-esque world he is thrust into.
Jeff Bridges delivers a masterclass of deadpan comedy in The Big Lebowski. The Dude’s steadfast commitment to drinking white Russians and bowling guides his every move. He may be surrounded by more bombastic personalities, but he has no intention of playing their game. The Big Lebowski came out two years after Fargo, another of the Coen brothers’ best movies, and it cemented their reputation as two of the funniest directors in Hollywood.
5 The Usual Suspects (1995)
A Classic Crime Thriller With An Unforgettable Ending
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8.3/10 The Usual Suspects
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*Availability in US Director Bryan Singer Release Date August 16, 1995 Cast Kevin Spacey , Kevin Pollak , Benicio Del Toro , Gabriel Byrne , stephen baldwin , Chazz Palminteri
Even among those who haven’t seen it, The Usual Suspects holds a reputation as a movie with a big twist. Knowing that this twist is coming and being able to predict it are two different things entirely. The brilliance of The Usual Suspects is that it seems to be designed so that spoiling the twist doesn’t spoil the movie. It’s worth rewatching to see the bread crumbs left by Christopher McQuarrie’s script.
The Usual Suspects is deceptively simple for most of its runtime, with a compelling mystery that seems to be drawing closer to a conclusion. The twist is what makes it so special, reframing the entire movie in a single moment. After the bursts of action at the dock, it’s up to Bryan Singer’s direction to keep the interrogation scenes just as visually interesting, and he places a lot of trust in his actors.
4 Point Break (1991)
Kathryn Bigelow Creates A Surprisingly Emotional Drama Using Heist Genre Tropes
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Point Break
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*Availability in US Director Kathryn Bigelow Release Date July 12, 1991 Cast Patrick swayze , Keanu Reeves , Gary Busey , Lori Petty , John C. McGinley , James LeGros , John Philbin
Point Break is a little ridiculous, but the magic of Kathryn Bigelow’s heist thriller is that it manages to make a compelling – if not convincing – argument that surfing occupies a place at the moral center of the universe. Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi is a philosophical surfer who travels the world in search of the biggest waves using the money he gets from robbing banks. Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Utah is the young FBI agent who goes undercover in his gang.
Point Break elevates many of the tropes of schlocky action thrillers from the 1980s and 1990s. Bigelow’s assured direction has a big part to play in this approach, as she centers dramatic heft over spectacle. There are moments when Point Break could be much bigger and louder, but Bigelow is not John Woo or John McTiernan. This is why Point Break‘s dramatic ending works perfectly, even though it consists of a simple conversation between two characters on a beach.
3 L.A. Confidential (1997)
A Perfectly Plotted Neo-Noir Thriller
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8/10 L.A. Confidential
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*Availability in US Director Curtis Hanson Release Date September 19, 1997 Cast Russell Crowe , Guy Pearce , Kevin Spacey , Kim Basinger , Danny DeVito
L.A. Confidential‘s number one ranking on the Rotten Tomatoes list of the 300 best movies of all time raised some eyebrows, but there’s no denying that Curtis Hanson’s neo-noir thriller is a hugely rewarding treat for fans of the genre. Hanson assembled a cast which mixed some Hollywood A-listers with a few actors who were relatively unknown in the United States at the time, including Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe.
Hanson does a great job of capturing the atmosphere of 1950s Los Angeles in L.A. Confidential without becoming too pulpy and stereotypical. L.A. Confidential backs up its style with plenty of substance, as each of the characters feels layered and relatable. L.A. Confidential is adapted from a novel by James Ellroy, and it maintains the author’s fascinating twisty narrative and witty, character-specific dialogue.
2 Goodfellas (1990)
Martin Scorsese Backs Up His Status As A Legend Of The Crime Genre
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10/10 10/10 Goodfellas
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*Availability in US Director Martin Scorsese Release Date September 21, 1990 Cast Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco , Paul Sorvino , Frank Sivero
Martin Scorsese has been one of the most important directors in the crime genre since the 1970s, and Goodfellas is one of his greatest hits. Goodfellas is based on a true story, but this doesn’t stop Scorsese from adding many of his own stylistic flourishes. There is no shortage of iconic moments, from Henry Hill’s opening line to the beautifully timed needle drop of “Sunshine of Your Love”.
The real-world context lends credence to Goodfellas, as does Scorsese’s considerable prestige in the gangster genre. This means that the drama retains a lot of weight, even when the dialogue is endlessly entertaining and laden with sly jokes. Goodfellas keeps up a rapid pace between its gruesome murders and moments of dark comedy. There have been very few gangster movies which are so fun to watch.
1 Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s Sophomore Feature Shook Up The Crime Genre
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10/10 8.3/10 Pulp Fiction
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*Availability in US Director Quentin Tarantino Release Date October 14, 1994 Cast John Travolta , Bruce Willis , Ving Rhames , Samuel L. Jackson , Uma Thurman , Christopher Walken , Tim Roth , Harvey Keitel , Eric Stoltz , Rosanna Arquette
Reservoir Dogs was a moderate success at the time, but Pulp Fiction was an instant smash, and it helped shape the crime genre for years to come. Quentin Tarantino’s second feature pays tribute to the past century of cinema, but its self-aware tone and the flair with which it deconstructs the form were radically new. Every drop of blood in Tarantino’s choreographed carnage is expertly placed.
Pulp Fiction‘s non-linear structure has been mimicked many times, but rarely if ever has it been replicated successfully. Tarantino’s taut script ensures that it’s far more than just a gimmick, as he masterfully weaves together his seemingly unrelated narrative threads. His dialogue is the other key to Pulp Fiction‘s subversive approach, as he refuses at every turn to write the predictable words and phrases.