Some of the most popular and highly acclaimed films of the past few decades 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.
10’No Country for Old Men' (2007)
Starring: Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin
EveryCoen Brothersmovie contains good performances (sometimes even their less-than-great ones have standout actors), butNo Country for Old Menmight well be the best-acted film the brothers have directed. Part of this obviously comes fromJavier Bardemasthe memorably villainous Anton Chigurh, with the character being instantly iconic and Bardem’s performance overnight feeling like one for the ages.
But this grim crime/thriller film has many noteworthy runners up, in the acting department, considering everyone here –includingTommy Lee Jones,Josh Brolin,Woody Harrelson, andKelly Macdonald– is perfectly cast and impactful in the roles they play.No Country for Old Menwould be a memorable and striking film even without amazing acting, but the cast members really do elevate things, helping to make this one a modern classic.
No Country for Old Men
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9’Once Upon a Time in America' (1984)
Starring: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern
Anyone who’s seen a handful oficonic gangster movies will recognize numerous starsthat show up inOnce 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 alsoparticularly 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 Americatherefore needed great actors capable of excelling with the difficult subject matter at hand, and on that front, every one delivered (especially lead actorRobert De Niro, playing one ofthe coldest and most brutal charactershe’s ever portrayed).
Once Upon a Time in America
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8’On the Waterfront' (1954)
Starring: Marlon Brando, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Marie Saint
Before 1954,Marlon Brandohad already become a star, but it wasOn the Waterfrontwhere he got arguably his first chance to shine in a lead role within a movie that also happened to be largely perfect in every other area. Having co-stars delivering almost as great performances helped, too, withOn the WaterfrontbeingEva Marie Saint’s breakout role, and featuring other acting legends likeKarl Malden,Lee J. Cobb, andRod Steiger.
It’s a bold and sweeping crime film emotionally, noteworthy for how intimate and grounded it feels bythe standards of 1950s cinema. There’s a rawness toOn the Waterfrontin terms of its settings and the performances found within, and there’s probably a good argument to be made that it’s one of the best-acted films of its decade, within the crime genre or otherwise.
On The Waterfront
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7’High and Low' (1963)
Starring: Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa
Akira Kurosawafilms reliably have great acting, even when the films themselves are more clearly remembered for other reasons (likeSeven Samuraiand its action sequences… though the acting plays a part in those too, obviously).High and Lowis arguably Kurosawa’s greatest film that’s not a period drama or about samurai, being an expertly paced and consistently tense crime/thriller movie about an extortion attempt that immediately goes wrong.
High and Lowtracks how this event affects numerous people, and then deals with the aftermath in a way that proves just as interesting as all the sequences that take place before the crime is “resolved,” so to speak. Along the way, the acting is alsofantastic throughout, withToshirō MifuneandTatsuya Nakadai– both of whom starredin multiple Kurosawa films – being incredible here.
High And Low
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6’Heat' (1995)
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer
Heatisthe biggest (and arguably best)Michael Mannfilm, 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, withAl Pacinobeing 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,withHeatalso starring the likes of Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, William Fichtner, and Natalie Portman, to name just a few.
5’Pulp Fiction' (1994)
Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
The kind of stylized dialoguefound inPulp Fictionwouldn’t be the easiest to convincingly recite, but the cast here was more than capable of bringing the screenplay to life.Trying to list off all the great actors inPulp Fictionwould ultimately involve copying and pasting the entire cast list. There are just that many great actors here, and no real weak links, even among the minor characters who might only have a line or two (Steve Buscemiplays a waiter in this, for crying out loud).
Pulp FictionmadeJohn Travoltacool again, it gaveSamuel L. Jacksonone of his first big, scene-stealing roles, and it allowed bothUma ThurmanandBruce Willis(among others) to showcase their range. It’s an undoubtedly great film, and one of the best crime flicks of not just the 1990s, but of any decade, and the acting is a huge reason why it works as well as it does.
Pulp Fiction
4’The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
The Silence of the Lambswassuccessful enough to win the top 5 most coveted Academy Awards, includingBest 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 Lambsis 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.
The Silence of the Lambs
3’Chinatown' (1974)
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
For as great asan over-the-topJack Nicholsonperformancecan be, he’s equally compelling when he’s in more subdued roles and/or movies, which is well demonstrated byChinatown. This 1974 film is perhaps the definitive neo-noir movie, andthe quality of Nicholson’s performanceis equaled by his co-stars, too, withFaye Dunawaybeing exceptional andJohn Hustonmaking for a memorably evil antagonist.
Theentire film is great, really,withChinatown’s expert screenplaykeeping viewers in just the right amount of dark, never being overly confusingbut 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.
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2’Goodfellas' (1990)
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
As has been demonstrated by some of the aforementioned movies, Robert De Niro is a clearly great actor, and seems particularly at home within the gangster genre. He’s an essential part ofGoodfellas, too, but it’s a testament to everyone else that he’sarguably overshadowed by the likes of Joe Pesci,Ray Liotta, andLorraine Bracco(all of whom do get somewhat bigger and/or flashier roles).
But looking beyond the main cast,Goodfellasis stacked with legendary actors all giving great performances, sometimes even making an impression whenthey’re only in a scene or two.Martin Scorsesehas arguably never made a better crime movie than this one, andit’s similarly difficult to find a film of his that has as many good performances in it asGoodfellasdoes.
Goodfellas
1’The Godfather' (1972)
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall
Can any crime movie besidesThe Godfatherclaim to have better acting across the board? Well, perhapsThe 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 Godfathergave Brando one of his best-ever roles, and also helped establish some younger actors who were moreup-and-coming at the time, including Al Pacino,James Caan,Diane Keaton,Robert Duvall, andJohn Cazale, to name just a few. It’s in the same territory asPulp Fiction, when it comes to highlighting actors, because everyone inThe Godfather(andThe Godfather: Part II) is remarkable, whether they have leading roles or only make brief appearances.
The Godfather
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