Top Ranked Crime Films on the Net

These are all the crime films from our survey of internet film polls. Similar to comedy there are 232 mentioned, with 191 making the top 1000. Our next post will show just the FILM NOIR sub-genre. Francis Ford Coppola [photo rt] has two of the top four here.

Top Ranked Crime Films

1. The Godfather [Coppola, Francis, 1972] #1 - US [photo rt] [AA]
2. Chinatown [Polanski, Roman, 1974] #3 - US
3. Vertigo [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1958] #6 - US
4. The Godfather: Part II [Coppola, Francis, 1974] #9 - US [AA]
5. M [Lang, Fritz, 1931] #11 - Germany
6. Taxi Driver [Scorsese, Martin, 1976] #12 - US
7. Sunset Boulevard [Wilder, Billy, 1950] #14 - US
8. Third Man, The [Reed, Carol, 1948] #15 - UK [photo below rt]
9. Bicycle Thief, The [De Sica, Vittorio, 1949] #16 - Italy
10. North by Northwest [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1959] #19 - US

11. Pulp Fiction [Tarantino, Quentin, 1995] #20 - US
12. Rashomon [Kurosawa, Akira, 1950] #22 - Japan
13. Touch of Evil [Welles, Orson, 1958] #30 - US
14. Goodfellas [Scorsese, Martin, 1990] #31 - US
15. Night of The Hunter, The [Laughton, Charles, 1955] #35 - US [photo btm]
16. Notorious [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1946] #42 - US
17. Manchurian Candidate, The [Frankenheimer, John, 1962] #43 - US 18. L.A. Confidential [Hanson, Curtis, 1997] #45 - US
19. Rear Window [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1954] #52 - US
20. Double Indemnity [Wilder, Billy, 1944] #56 - US
21. 400 Blows, The [Truffaut, François, 1959] #60 - France
22. Fargo [Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen, 1996] #61 - US
23. On the Waterfront [Kazan, Elia, 1954] #67 - US [AA]
24. Maltese Falcon, The [Huston, John, 1941] #71 - US
25. Conformist, The [Bertolucci, Bernardo, 1970] #76 - Italy-France-Germany

26. The Silence of the Lambs [Demme, Jonathan, 1991] #90 - US [AA]
27. Shadow of a Doubt [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1943] #104 - US
28. Bonnie and Clyde [Penn, Arthur, 1967] #105 - US
29. Do The Right Thing [Lee, Spike, 1989] #112 - US
30. Casino [Scorsese, Martin, 1995] #115 - US
31. The Conversation [Coppola, Francis, 1974] #120 - US [Grand Prize, Cannes]
32. Strangers on a Train [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1951] #121 - US
33. Big Sleep, The [Hawks, Howard, 1946] #123 - US
34. 12 Angry Men [Lumet, Sidney, 1957] #124 - US
35. Wages of Fear, The [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1952] #134 - France-Italy
36. Nights of Cabiria [Fellini, Federico, 1957] #136 - Italy-France
37. American Beauty [Mendes, Sam, 1999] #139 - US [AA]
38. Mean Streets [Scorsese, Martin, 1973] #142 - US
39. Hustler, The [Rossen, Robert, 1961] #153 - US
40. Shawshank Redemption, The [Darabont, Frank, 1994] #155 - US











41. Network [Lumet, Sidney, 1976] #157 - US [photo above]
42. Once Upon a Time in America [Leone, Sergio, 1984] #162 - US
43. Lives of Others, The [von Donnersmarck, Florian Henckel, 2006] #163 - Germany
44. Diaboliques, Les [Clouzot, Henri-Georges, 1955] #164 - France
45. No Country for Old Men [Coen Ethan and Joel, 2007] #166 - US [AA]
46. Laura [Preminger, Otto, 1944] #169 - US
47. Usual Suspects, The [Singer, Bryan, 1995] #170 - US
48. Yojimbo [Kurosawa, Akira, 1961] #172 - Japan
49. Dog Day Afternoon [Lumet, Sidney, 1975] #175 - US
50. Breathless [Godard, Jean-Luc, 1959] #179 - France

51. There Will Be Blood [Anderson, Paul Thomas, 2007] #181 - US
52. Easy Rider [Hopper, Dennis, 1969] #191 - US
53. City of God [Meirelles, Fernando, 2002] #192 - Brazil-Germany-France
54. Reservoir Dogs [Tarantino, Quentin, 1991] #201 - US
55. Performance [Roeg, Nicolas/Donald Cammell, 1970] #202 - UK
56. Thelma & Louise [Scott, Ridley, 1991] #208 - US
57. Scarface [De Palma, Brian, 1982] #211 - US
58. Heat [Mann, Michael, 1995] #229 - US
59. Blue Velvet [Lynch, David, 1986] #231 - US
60. Slumdog Millionaire [Boyle, Danny, 2008] #234 - US [AA]
61. Out of the Past [Tourneur, Jacques, 1947] #238 - US
62. Rocco and His Brothers [Visconti, Luchino, 1964] #239 - Italy-France
63. Die Hard [McTiernan, John, 1988] #243 - US
64. Blow-Up [Antonioni, Michelangelo, 1966] #244 - Italy-UK
65. Le Jour se lève [Carné, Marcel, 1939] #255 - France
66. Badlands [Malick, Terrence, 1973] #271 - US
67. Fight Club [Fincher, David, 1999] #275 - US-Germany
68. Rebel Without a Cause [Ray, Nicholas, 1955] #285 - US
69. The Departed [Scorsese, Martin, 2007] #292 - US [AA]
70. Midnight Cowboy [Schlesinger, John, 1969] #294 - US [AA]
71. Lady Vanishes, The [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1938] #295 - UK
72. Anatomy of a Murder [Preminger, Otto, 1959] #297 - US
73. Don't Look Now [Roeg, Nicolas, 1973] #306 - UK
74. Deliverance [Boorman, John, 1972] #314 - US
75. In the Heat of the Night [Jewison, Norman, 1967] #325 - US

76. White Heat [Walsh, Raoul, 1949] #327 - US
77. Killing, The [Kubrick, Stanley, 1956] #329 - US
78. Player, The [Altman, Robert, 1992] #338 - US
79. Kiss Me Deadly [Aldrich, Robert, 1955] #341 - US
80. 39 Steps, The [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1935] #346 - UK
81. Boogie Nights [Anderson, Paul Thomas, 1997] #349 - US
82. Asphalt Jungle, The [Huston, John, 1950] #350 - US
83. Dead Ringers [Cronenberg, David, 1988] #355 - Canada
84. Le Samouraï [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1967] #358 - France
85. Trainspotting [Boyle, Danny, 1995] #360 - UK
86. Memento [Nolan, Christopher, 2000] #361 - US [photo rt]
87. In a Lonely Place [Ray, Nicholas, 1950] #366 - US
88. Peeping Tom [Powell, Michael, 1960] #368 - UK
89. Los Olvidados [Buñuel, Luis, 1950] #371 - Mexico
90. Band of Outsiders [Godard, Jean-Luc, 1964] #375 - France
91. King of Comedy, The [Scorsese, Martin, 1982] #377 - US
92. Paris, Texas [Wenders, Wim, 1984] #390 - US
93. Shoot the Piano Player [Truffaut, François, 1960] #393 - France
94. Cool Hand Luke [Rosenberg, Stuart, 1967] #399 - US
95. To Have and Have Not [Hawks, Howard, 1944] #410 - US
96. Crying Game, The [Jordan, Neil, 1992] #414 - UK
97. Se7en [Fincher, David, 1995] #420 - US
98. Léon [Besson, Luc, 1994] #421 - France
99. American History X [Kaye, Tony, 1998] #428 - US
100. Place in the Sun, A [Stevens, George, 1951] #431 - US

101. All the President's Men [Pakula, Alan J., 1972] #432 - US
102. Scarface [Hawks, Howard, 1932] #440 - US
103. The French Connection [Friedkin, William, 1971] #441 - US [AA]
104. L'Argent [Bresson, Robert, 1983] #442 - France-Switzerland









105. Requiem for a Dream [Aronofsky, Darren, 2000] #463 - US [photo above, one of the best post-2000 films]
106. Big Heat, The [Lang, Fritz, 1953] #466 - US
107. Crime of Monsieur Lange, The [Renoir, Jean, 1936] #469 - France 108. Point Blank [Boorman, John, 1967] #473 - US 109. Gran Torino [Eastwood, Clint, 2008] #474 - US
110. Mulholland Dr. [Lynch, David, 2001] #477 - France-US
111. Odd Man Out [Reed, Carol, 1947] #478 - UK
112. Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler [Lang, Fritz, 1922] #487 - Germany
113. Amores perros [Inarritu, Alejandro Gonzalez, 2000] #489 - Mexico
114. Atlantic City [Malle, Louis, 1980] #490 - Canada-France
115. Detour [Ulmer, Edgar G., 1945] #493 - US
116. Salvatore Giuliano [Rosi, Francesco, 1961] #495 - Italy
117. Sin City [Rodgriguez, Robert, 2005] #503 - US
118. Rope [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1948] #505 - US
119. High and Low [Kurosawa, Akira, 1963] #515 - Japan
120. Green Mile, The [Darabont, Frank, 1999] #528 - US
121. Chungking Express [Wong Kar-Wai, 1994] #533 - Hong Kong [photo rt]
122. Casque d'or [Becker, Jacques, 1952] #543 - France
123. Long Goodbye, The [Altman, Robert, 1973] #544 - US
124. Dirty Harry [Siegel, Don, 1971] #546 - US
125. Accattone [Pasolini, Pier Paolo, 1961] #551 - Italy

126. Witness for the Prosecution [Wilder, Billy, 1957] #558 - US
127. Killing of a Chinese Bookie, The [Cassavetes, John, 1976] #567 - US
128. Gun Crazy (Deadly is the Female) [Lewis, Joseph H., 1950] #583 - US
129. Reversal of Fortune [Schroeder, Barbet, 1990] #587 - US
130. Ace in the Hole [Wilder, Billy, 1951] #604 - US
131. Le Boucher [Chabrol, Claude, 1970] #611 - France
132. Mystic River [Eastwood, Clint, 2003] #612 - US [photo rt]
133. The Lady from Shanghai [Welles, Orson, 1947] #615 - US
134. Foolish Wives [von Stroheim, Erich, 1922] #634 - US
135. Blow Out [De Palma, Brian, 1981] #646 - US
136. Sleuth [Mankiewicz, Joseph L., 1972] #647 - US
137. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels [Ritchie, Guy, 1998] #672 - UK
138. JFK [Stone, Oliver, 1991] #690 - US
139. Ossessione [Visconti, Luchino, 1943] #696 - Italy
140. Dial M for Murder [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1954] #701 - US
141. Fox and His Friends [Fassbinder, Rainer Werner, 1975] #708 - Germany
142. In Bruges [McDonagh, Martin, 2008] #709 - UK
143. Killer, The [Woo, John, 1989] #710 - Hong Kong
144. Pépé le Moko [Duvivier, Julien, 1937] #719 - France
145. Picnic at Hanging Rock [Weir, Peter, 1975] #732 - Australia
146. Changeling [Eastwood, Clint, 2008] #739 - US
147. Crash [Haggis, Paul, 2004] #752 - US
148. Capote [Miller, Bennett, 2005] #761 - Canada-Us
149. Bob le flambeur [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1956] #767 - France
150. Time of the Gypsies [Kusturica, Emir, 1988] #769 - Yugoslavia

151. Woman in the Window, The [Lang, Fritz, 1944] #775 - US
152. Get Carter [Hodges, Mike, 1971] #777 - UK
153. They Live by Night [Ray, Nicholas, 1948] #785 - US
154. L'Enfant (The Child) [Dardenne, Jean-Pierre & Luc, 2005] #795 - France
155. Traffic [Soderbergh, Steve, 2000] #798 - US [four Oscars, incl director]
156. Gomorra [Garrone, Matteo, 2008] #806 - Italy
157. Quiz Show [Redford, Robert, 1994] #811 - US
158. Fat City [Huston, John, 1972] #819 - US
159. Hana-Bi [Kitano, Takeshi, 1997] #820 - Japan
160. Maria Full of Grace [Marston, Joshua, 2004] #821 - Columbia-US
161. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang [LeRoy, Mervyn, 1932] #830 - US
162. Short Film About Killing, A [Kieslowski, Krszystof, 1988] #845 - Poland
163. Verdict, The [Lumet, Sidney, 1982] #849 - US
164. 47 Ronin, The [Mizoguchi, Kenji, 1962] #869 - Japan
165. You Only Live Once [Lang, Fritz, 1937] #870 - US
166. Boys Don't Cry [Pierce, Kimberly, 1999] #877 - US
167. Bad Timing [Roeg, Nicolas, 1980] #881 - UK
168. Safe [Haynes, Todd, 1995] #885 - US
169. Z [Costa-Gavras, Constantin, 1969] #903 - France
170. Straw Dogs [Peckinpah, Sam, 1971] #906 - US
171. Witness [Weir, Peter, 1985] #907 - US
172. Grifters, The [Frears, Stephen, 1990] #917 - US
173. Informer, The [Ford, John, 1935] #918 - US [four Oscars, incl actor, director]
174. Down by Law [Jarmusch, Jim, 1986] #931 - US
175. Branded to Kill [Suzuki, Seijun, 1967] #934 - Japan

176. Port of Shadows [Carné, Marcel, 1938] #936 - France
177. Fugitive, The [Davis, Andrew, 1993] #937 - US
178. Le Trou [Becker, Jacques, 1960] #938 - France-Italy
179. Murder by Contract [Lerner, Irving, 1958] #945 - US
180. Assault on Precinct 13 [Carpenter, John, 1976] #947 - US
181. Black Sunday [Bava, Mario, 1977] #950 - Italy
182. While the City Sleeps [Lang, Fritz, 1956] #951 - US
183. Public Enemy [Wellman, William A., 1931] #952 - US
184. Reckless Moment, The [Ophüls, Max, 1949] #953 - US
185. Il Bidone [Fellini, Federico, 1955] #954 - Italy
186. Red Circle, The [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1970] #956 - France-Italy
187. Edge of Heaven, The [Akin, Fatih, 2007] #965 - Gy-Tky-Italy
188. Thin Blue Line, The [Morris, Errol, 1988] #979 - US
189. The Thin Man [Van Dyke, W.S., 1934] #986 - US [photo rt, Powell and Asta] 190. La Bête humaine [Renoir, Jean, 1938] #989 - France
191. Miller's Crossing [Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen, 1990] #993 - US
192. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt [Lang, Fritz, 1956] #1005 - US
193. Last Letter, The [Gannon, Russell, 2004] #1006 - US
194. Last Seduction, The [Dahl, John, 1993] #1018 - US
195. Shanghai Gesture, The [von Sternberg, Josef, 1941] #1024 - US
196. American Friend, The [Wenders, Wim, 1977] #1025 - Germany-France
197. Wrong Man, The [Hitchcock, Alfred, 1956] #1026 - US
198. Duel [Spielberg, Steven, 1971] #1030 - US
199. Forbidden Lie$ [Broinowski, Anna, 2007] #1031 - Australia
200. Klute [Pakula, Alan J., 1971] #1037 - US

201. Sonatine [Kitano, Takeshi, 1993] #1067 - Japan
202. Lone Star [Sayles, John, 1996] #1074 - US
203. Sling Blade [Thornton, Billy Bob, 1996] #1081 - US
204. Docks of New York, The [von Sternberg, Josef, 1928] #1097 - US
205. Fury [Lang, Fritz, 1936] #1103 - US
206. Plein soleil (Purple Noon) [Clément, René, 1960] #1119 - France
207. La Femme Infidèle [Chabrol, Claude, 1969] #1122 - France
208. Touki Bouki [Mambéty, Djibril Diop, 1973] #1124 - Senegal
209. Judex [Franju, Georges, 1963] #1126 - France-Italy
210. Getaway, The [Peckinpah, Sam, 1972] #1129 - US
211. Rocker [Lemke, Klaus, 1972] #1130 - Germany
212. Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The [Greenaway, Peter, 1989] #1131 - UK
213. Night Moves [Penn, Arthur, 1975] #1137 - US
214. Fallen Angels [Wong Kar-Wai, 1995] #1150 - Hong Kong [the sequel to Chungking Express, was intended as one long film]
215. Virgin Spring, The [Bergman, Ingmar, 1960] #1155 - Sweden
216. Force of Evil [Polonsky, Abraham, 1948] #1160 - US
217. Killers [Siodmak, Robert, 1946] #1163 - US
218. Leave Her to Heaven [Stahl, John M., 1945] #1165 - US
219. Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, The [Buñuel, Luis, 1955] #1175 - Mexico 220. Little Caesar [LeRoy, Mervyn, 1931] #1180 - US
221. Variety [Dupont, E.A., 1925] #1184 - Germany
222. Cutter's Way [Passer, Ivan, 1981] #1190 - US
223. Second Breath [Melville, Jean-Pierre, 1966] #1195 - France
224. Spione [Lang, Fritz, 1928] #1208 - Germany
225. Moonrise [Borzage, Frank, 1948] #1215 - US
226. Scarlet Street [Lang, Fritz, 1945] #1223 - US
227. Accident [Losey, Joseph, 1967] #1229 - UK
228. Pixote [Babenco, Hector, 1981] #1238 - Brazil
229. Blast of Silence [Baron, Allen, 1961] #1239 - US
230. Defiant Ones [Kramer, Stanley, 1958] #1240 - US
231. Angel Face [Preminger, Otto, 1952] #1254 - US
232. Rififi [Dassin, Jules, 1955] #1260 - France

Oscar-winning actor Charles Laughton's only direction, Night of the Hunter, a brilliantly chilling noir in which Robert Mitchum terrorizes a family, as a preacher with 'love' and 'hate' tattoed on his fingers; ranked 35th on our internet survey of all film polls. Note the religious imagery in the composition above, in which the lighting forms an imaginary church.

I would add: The Yakuza, Inside Man, The Thief, The Long Good Friday, Blood Simple, Gangs of New York, Another Country, Diva, Run Lola Run, La Femme Nikita, Citizen X

Note: the post just after this one has just the foreign crime films, 61 total