The 5 Best Crime Movies of the 21st Century, Ranked So Far

For all its darkness, true crime and crime cinema remain among the most enduringly popular forms of entertainment. That has been the case for generations — even centuries, if the genre’s roots are taken into account. Films such as “Bonnie & Clyde,” “The Godfather,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Chinatown,” “Double Indemnity,” and “Fargo” have each helped shape the crime movie as we know it. Why does the genre continue to thrive despite its brutality and often unsettling subject matter? Part of the answer lies in our fascination with the most troubling corners of human nature. There is also the appeal of piecing together a mystery and trying to solve it before the characters do. Filmmakers have been telling crime stories, both true and fictional, for as long as movies have existed. The question is: which crime films stand out in the 21st century?

The answer is far from simple. The 21st century has delivered an abundance of outstanding crime movies, including “No Country for Old Men,” “Memories of Murder,” “Memento,” “25th Hour,” “Brick,” “Nightcrawler,” and “Traffic,” all of which came close to making this list. Crime-driven action thrillers such as “Kill Bill” and “John Wick” also deserve recognition from fans of the genre. Even so, the choices had to be narrowed to five films made by some of the era’s most gifted and exacting directors. From excellent to virtually unimpeachable, these are the five best crime movies of the 21st century, ranked.

David Fincher’s 2014 crime thriller “Gone Girl,” adapted by Gillian Flynn from her own bestselling 2012 novel, is the kind of film that has inspired countless imitators without ever being truly replicated. The story begins with Nick Dunne, played by Ben Affleck, a Missouri native who owns a bar with his twin sister, Margo, known as “Go” (Carrie Coon in her film debut). On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick leaves the bar after receiving an alarming call from a neighbor. When he returns home, he finds the house in disarray — and his wife, Amy Elliott Dunne, missing. Rosamund Pike’s performance in the role remains one of the film’s defining strengths.

As detectives investigate and begin to suspect that Amy’s disappearance may involve foul play, Nick becomes the center of a relentless media storm. He is desperate to learn where his wife has gone, but soon starts to fear that she may be framing him for her murder. Nick, of course, has plenty of damaging secrets of his own. With its razor-sharp editing, superb ensemble cast, Flynn’s incisive screenplay, and Fincher’s controlled, meticulous direction, “Gone Girl” is a modern crime classic. Tyler Perry and Neil Patrick Harris both play strikingly against type, while Pike earned the film’s only Oscar nomination for her iconic performance. And, naturally, any movie that contains Amy’s infamous “cool girl” speech has already secured a place in pop-culture history.

In hindsight, it is remarkable that Martin Scorsese had to wait until the 2007 Academy Awards to win his first Oscar for best director and best picture. His 2006 crime epic “The Departed” finally earned him both honors, and the film remains one of the finest crime dramas ever made. Loosely adapted from the 2002 Hong Kong thriller “Infernal Affairs” and infused with real Boston crime stories, it stars Jack Nicholson as Frank Costello, a powerful mob boss who controls Boston’s underworld. Frank’s influence extends into the police department through Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a young man whose rise he helped finance. In response, the police place their own undercover operative inside Frank’s organization: Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), who deliberately serves time in prison and commits crimes to gain the gang’s trust.

Packed with reversals, nerve-racking set pieces, and outstanding performances, “The Departed” is a master class in crime filmmaking. The cast also features Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga, and Mark Wahlberg, who has rarely been as effective as he is here. A superb soundtrack complements Scorsese’s assured direction, while the film’s famously explosive conclusion delivers a final sting. More than a remake or a traditional undercover thriller, “The Departed” is one of the defining crime movies of the 21st century — and its best picture victory remains thoroughly deserved.

Martin McDonagh’s “In Bruges” is often overshadowed by his later films, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “The Banshees of Inisherin,” both of which received numerous Academy Award nominations. That makes it easy to overlook his remarkable 2008 feature debut. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play Ken and Ray, two London hitmen ordered to hide out in the medieval Belgian city of Bruges after a job goes badly. Their strict and volatile boss, Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes), expects them to keep a low profile while they await further instructions.

A useful way to describe “In Bruges” is as “Before Sunrise” with considerably more profanity, violence, and criminal activity. As Ken and Ray wander through the city’s picturesque streets, they encounter a colorful collection of figures, including Chloë (Clémence Poésy), a mysterious drug dealer; Jimmy (Jordan Prentice), a dwarf working on a film; and Marie (Thekla Reuten), the pregnant owner of their hotel. The story takes several sharp and unexpected turns, yet McDonagh’s experience as a playwright gives the film a wonderfully theatrical rhythm. Funny, melancholy, and brutally violent, “In Bruges” is one of the century’s most distinctive crime thrillers.

Bong Joon Ho had already spent decades making remarkable films, including the acclaimed crime drama “Memories of Murder,” before “Parasite” became a worldwide phenomenon in 2019. The film elevated Bong to Hollywood’s A-list, won widespread critical praise, and became a major box-office success. After currency conversion, it earned more than $258 billion against a comparatively modest budget of $11.4 million. Its impact, however, extended well beyond its commercial performance.

This dark, violent, and brilliantly constructed examination of class begins with the Kim family: father Kim Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho), mother Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin), son Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), and daughter Ki-jung (Park So-dam). Living in a cramped, run-down apartment in Seoul, the family struggles to make ends meet. When a friend leaving to study abroad recommends Ki-woo for a tutoring job, he enters the wealthy Park household with the help of a scholar’s rock, a gift said to bring prosperity and good fortune. Before long, every member of the Kim family has found a way into the Park home. Chung-sook replaces the housekeeper, Ki-taek takes over as the family’s driver, and Ki-jung presents herself as an art therapist for the Parks’ troubled young son.

The film’s extraordinary midpoint turn is best experienced without advance knowledge, so it will remain unspoiled here. On repeat viewings, though, Bong’s careful construction becomes even clearer, with clues revealed to have been hiding in plain sight all along. “Parasite” also made history at the 2020 Oscars as the first film in an Asian language to win best picture. Its landmark victory was entirely fitting.

Yes, David Fincher appears twice on this list — and with good reason. Yet even alongside “Gone Girl,” his 2007 film “Zodiac” stands above nearly every other 21st-century crime drama. Adapted from Robert Graysmith’s books “Zodiac” and “Zodiac Unmasked,” published in 1986 and 2002, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Graysmith, a political cartoonist drawn into the hunt for the Bay Area serial killer known as the Zodiac. Beginning in 1969, the killer sends newspapers and authorities a series of strange, coded letters. Crime reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) initially dismisses Graysmith’s theories, but the two eventually work together after realizing that Graysmith may be able to interpret the messages.

Their investigation soon expands to include San Francisco police officers Dave Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and Bill Armstrong (Anthony Edwards), who are assigned by Captain Marty Lee (Dermot Mulroney) to help pursue the killer. Bleak, methodical, and deeply unsettling, “Zodiac” gains much of its power from the fact that the case at its center remains unsolved as of this writing. Fincher turns that uncertainty into a source of mounting dread, creating a crime film that refuses easy answers. Among the best crime movies of the 21st century, “Zodiac” remains the one to beat.