Top 30 Ranked

Best Crime Movies of 2023, Ranked

Uncover the Most Gripping Crime Thrillers of the Year

Explore the best crime cinema including intense thrillers, gritty dramas, and action-packed mysteries from an unforgettable year of genre filmmaking.

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About 2023 Crime Movies

In the rearview mirror of cinematic history, 2023 will likely be remembered as the year the crime genre decided to stop playing by the rules. For a long time, crime movies felt trapped in a loop of gritty procedural motifs or the increasingly stale rhythms of the superhero adjacent heist. But the last twelve months provided a refreshing jolt to the system, proving that the genre is at its best when it bleeds into other categories, from historical epics to pitch black comedies.

The undisputed heavyweight of the year was Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. While many viewed it as a sprawling western or a historical drama, at its blackened heart, it was a forensic examination of a serial murder conspiracy. Scorsese inverted the classic whodunnit structure. Instead of focusing on the mystery, he forced the audience to sit in the room with the perpetrators. By making the banality of evil so intimate, he turned a tale of systemic theft and murder into an agonizing character study. It was a crime film that felt less like a movie and more like a reckoning, reminding us that the greatest thefts in history rarely happen in the dark.

On the other side of the Atlantic, Justine Triet gave us Anatomy of a Fall, a film that used the skeleton of a courtroom thriller to dissect the nuances of a failing marriage. It was perhaps the most intellectual crime film of the decade. By focusing on the ambiguity of a single death, Triet weaponized the genre's tropes to show how the legal system attempts to turn messy, human lives into neat, digestible narratives. It proved that a gripping crime story doesn't need a high speed chase if the dialogue is sharp enough to draw blood.

We also saw the return of the stylish, clinical thriller in David Fincher’s The Killer. After years of sprawling prestige television, Fincher returned to his roots with a cold, rhythmic look at the professional assassin. It was a movie about the job of killing, stripped of any romanticism or cinematic flair. By focusing on the monotony and the checklists, Fincher made the act of murder feel like a corporate logistical error. It was funny, alienating, and arguably the most honest depiction of a hitman we have seen in years.

Looking at the broader landscape, 2023 was the year the mid budget crime movie found its swagger again. Movies like Ethan Canin’s adaptation of Eileen and the darkly comedic Hit Man showed that there is still a massive appetite for stories about moral compromise and secret identities. These films moved away from the neon soaked aesthetics of the previous decade and embraced something more tactile and grounded.

Whether it was a three hour epic about the Osage Nation or a tight French courtroom drama, the crime films of 2023 shared a common thread. They were less interested in the act of the crime and more interested in the fallout. They explored how guilt lingers in the floorboards and how the truth is often the first thing to be sacrificed for the sake of a good story. If this is the direction the genre is heading, the future of the crime film looks dangerously bright.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

See Top Ten
30
2023 Crime in Kill Boksoon (2023)
Kill Boksoon
2023

At work, she's a renowned assassin. At home, she's a single mom to a teenage daughter. Killing? That's easy. It's parenting that's the hard part.

Action
Drama
2h 17m
Byun Sung-hyun
Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Si-a, Esom
29
2023 Crime in Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie (2023)
Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie
2023

Monk steps out of retirement as his stepdaughter's wedding turns tragic when her fiancé dies in a bungee jumping accident.

Comedy
Crime
1h 37m
Randall Zisk
Tony Shalhoub, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Melora Hardin
28
2023 Crime in Finestkind (2023)
Finestkind
2023

Two brothers from opposite sides of the tracks are reunited as adults. Desperate circumstances force them into a deal with an organized crime syndicate in Boston, and a young woman gets caught in the middle.

Crime
Drama
2h 6m
Brian Helgeland
Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones

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27
2023 Crime in The Goldman Case (2023)
The Goldman Case
2023

A second trial begins in November 1975 against French left-wing revolutionary Pierre Goldman, accused of several armed robberies and the death of two chemists.

Drama
Crime
1h 58m
Cédric Kahn
Arieh Worthalter, Arthur Harari, Stéphan Guérin-Tillié, Nicolas Briançon
26
2023 Crime in Scream VI (2023)
Scream VI
2023

Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.

Horror
Thriller
2h 3m
Tyler Gillett
Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding
25
2023 Crime in Sun and Concrete (2023)
Sun and Concrete
2023

The four friends Lukas, Julius, Gino and Sanchez are trying to survive the everyday life in Neukölln, Berlin between drugs, gangs, rap, violence and boredom. Until they are one day making a serious decision with serious consequences because of a dead certain plan.

Crime
Drama
1h 59m
David Wnendt
Levy Rico Arcos, Rafael Luis Klein-Hessling, Vincent Wiemer, Aaron Maldonado-Morales
24
2023 Crime in Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine (2023)
Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine
2023

While visiting Hachijo-jima, Conan sneaks aboard a security boat heading to the Pacific Buoy, an off-shore facility constructed near the coasts built to connect surveillance cameras used by police forces around the world. However, an engineer gets abducted! An eerie sound of a propeller hums underwater as a dark figure begins to creep toward Ai Haibara... When the forbidden Black Box is opened, the sealed-away past will surface above the treacherous waves!

Animation
Action
1h 50m
Yuzuru Tachikawa
Minami Takayama, Wakana Yamazaki, Rikiya Koyama, Megumi Hayashibara
23
2023 Crime in Fast X (2023)
2023

Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they've ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who's fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.

Action
Crime
2h 22m
Louis Leterrier
22
2023 Crime in Red Rooms (2023)
Red Rooms
2023

The high-profile case of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier has just gone to trial, and Kelly-Anne is obsessed. When reality blurs with her morbid fantasies, she goes down a dark path to seek the final piece of the case’s puzzle.

Thriller
Crime
1h 58m
Pascal Plante
Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Élisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos
21
2023 Crime in Last Night of Amore (2023)
Last Night of Amore
2023

On the night before retirement, police lieutenant Amore is called to investigate the off-duty death of his longtime partner, who fell prey of an illegal scheme Amore himself was secretly part of.

Thriller
Crime
2h 4m
Andrea Di Stefano
Pierfrancesco Favino, Linda Caridi, Antonio Gerardi, Francesco Di Leva
20
2023 Crime in Jaane Jaan (2023)
Jaane Jaan
2023

When a single mother her teenage daughter becomes ensnared in a deadly crime, find an unexpected ally in their neighbor, a simple, doting but genius teacher math teacher comes to aid, while a tenacious cop digs into the case.

Crime
Thriller
2h 19m
Sujoy Ghosh
Kareena Kapoor Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Naisha Khanna
19
2023 Crime in The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story (2023)
The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story
2023

Based on a true story. 15-year-old Kara Robinson was kidnapped, assaulted and held captive for 18 hours. With her survival instincts kicking in, she plots a daring escape from the serial killer and leads police to his apartment.

Thriller
Drama
1h 28m
Simone Stock
Katie Douglas, Cara Buono, Kristian Bruun, Erik Athavale
18
2023 Crime in The Roundup 3: No Way Out (2023)
The Roundup 3: No Way Out
2023

Detective Ma Seok-do changes his affiliation from the Geumcheon Police Station to the Metropolitan Investigation Team, in order to eradicate Japanese gangsters who enter Korea to commit heinous crimes.

Action
Crime
1h 45m
Lee Sang-yong
Don Lee, Lee Jun-hyuk, Munetaka Aoki, Lee Beom-soo
17
2023 Crime in The Extortion (2023)
The Extortion
2023

An experienced commercial pilot is forced to collaborate with his country's intelligence services to avoid being punished for a serious fault he committed on the job. He is quickly plunged into an underworld of intrigue and extortion that will put his life at risk and he will pay a very high price to escape from it.

Thriller
Crime
1h 45m
Martino Zaidelis
Guillermo Francella, Pablo Rago, Andrea Frigerio, Carlos Portaluppi
16
2023 Crime in Dogman (2023)
Dogman
2023

A boy, bruised by life, finds his salvation through the love of his dogs.

Action
Drama
1h 55m
Luc Besson
Caleb Landry Jones, Jojo T. Gibbs, Christopher Denham, Clemens Schick
15
2023 Crime in The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon (2023)
The Pig, the Snake and the Pigeon
2023

The arrogant, third most-wanted criminal in Taiwan, decides to get rid of the top two competitors and crowns himself the most-wanted criminal before dying.

Crime
Drama
2h 14m
Wong Ching-Po
Ethan Juan, Gingle Wang, Lee Lee-Zen, Cherry Hsieh
14
2023 Crime in The Equalizer 3 (2023)
The Equalizer 3
2023

Robert McCall finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends' protector by taking on the mafia.

Action
Thriller
Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman
13
2023 Crime in Extraction 2 (2023)
Extraction 2
2023

Back from the brink of death, highly skilled commando Tyler Rake takes on another dangerous mission: saving the imprisoned family of a ruthless gangster.

Action
Thriller
2h 2m
Sam Hargrave
Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Tornike Gogrichiani
12
2023 Crime in 12.12: The Day (2023)
12.12: The Day
2023

After the assassination of President Park, martial law has been declared. A coup d'état bursts out by Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwang and a private band of officers following him. Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-shin, an obstinate soldier who believes the military should not take political actions, fights against Chun Doo-gwang to stop him. The conflict between the two grows while military leaders are holding their decision and Defense Minister is gone. In the midst of chaos, the spring of Seoul that everyone longed for heads to unexpected direction.

Drama
Thriller
2h 22m
Kim Sung-soo
Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon
11
2023 Crime in Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Anatomy of a Fall
2023

A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.

Thriller
Mystery
2h 31m
Justine Triet
Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner, Antoine Reinartz
10
2023 Crime in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
John Wick: Chapter 4
2023

With the price on his head ever increasing, John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

Action
Thriller
2h 50m
Chad Stahelski
Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Ian McShane
Why it ranks

Chad Stahelski elevates the underworld’s bureaucracy into an operatic tragedy defined by intricate mythology and relentless technical precision. It remains the gold standard for high-concept crime, treating every bullet and betrayal with the weight of a Shakespearean epic.

9
2023 Crime in Marlowe (2023)
Marlowe
2023

Private detective Philip Marlowe becomes embroiled in an investigation involving a wealthy Californian family after a beautiful blonde hires him to track down her former lover.

Crime
1h 49m
Neil Jordan
Why it ranks

Liam Neeson steps into the shadow of the definitive hardboiled detective with a weary, atmospheric reverence for the genre's roots. This is a sun-bleached Raymond Chandler tribute that trades kinetic action for the smoky, rhythmic malaise of 1930s Los Angeles.

8
2023 Crime in Murder Mystery 2 (2023)
Murder Mystery 2
2023

After starting their own detective agency, Nick and Audrey Spitz land a career-making case when their billionaire pal is kidnapped from his wedding.

Mystery
Comedy
1h 31m
Jeremy Garelick
Why it ranks

While leaning into comedic absurdity, this sequel manages to maintain a surprisingly tight adherence to the classic locked-room mystery structure. It serves as a lighthearted but technically proficient homage to the Golden Age whodunit, fueled by frantic pacing.

7
2023 Crime in To Catch a Killer (2023)
To Catch a Killer
2023

Baltimore. New Year's Eve. A talented but troubled police officer is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator to help profile and track down a mass murderer.

Thriller
Crime
1h 59m
Damián Szifron
Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, Jovan Adepo, Ralph Ineson
Why it ranks

Damián Szifron breathes new life into the urban manhunt trope by focusing on the fractured empathy between a traumatized beat cop and a nihilistic marksman. The film’s visceral sound design and bleak aesthetic elevate it far above standard police procedural fare.

6
2023 Crime in The Killer (2023)
The Killer
2023

After a fateful miss, an assassin battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.

Crime
Thriller
Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard
Why it ranks

David Fincher strips the assassin subgenre to its barest, most clinical essentials, presenting murder as a tedious exercise in logistics and patience. It is a cynical, expertly paced meditation on the professionalization of violence in a globalized world.

5
2023 Crime in Reptile (2023)
Reptile
2023

Following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.

Crime
Mystery
2h 14m
Grant Singer
Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Pitt
Why it ranks

Grant Singer crafts a tactile, slow-burn mystery that feels drenched in the uneasy atmosphere of a modern noir. The film succeeds by lingering on the peripheral details of a detective’s psyche, suggesting that some conspiracies are as internal as they are external.

4
2023 Crime in Boston Strangler (2023)
Boston Strangler
2023

Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole bravely pursue the story of the Boston Strangler at great personal risk, putting their own lives on the line in their quest to uncover the truth.

Crime
Mystery
1h 53m
Matt Ruskin
Why it ranks

This methodical procedural bypasses sensationalism to focus on the institutional misogyny that hampered a legendary manhunt. It finds its tension not in the shadows of the killer, but in the frantic clacking of typewriters and the quiet persistence of female journalists.

3
2023 Crime in Sharper (2023)
Sharper
2023

A small, wealthy family in New York City gets progressively torn apart by secrets, lies, and the theft that orchestrates all of it.

Thriller
Crime
1h 55m
Benjamin Caron
Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton
Why it ranks

A sleek, neon-drenched puzzle box that prioritizes the psychological architecture of the long con over simple shock value. The film excels at depicting Manhattan’s high-society elite as a predatory ecosystem where every interaction is a calculated transaction.

2
2023 Crime in Cocaine Bear (2023)
Cocaine Bear
2023

Inspired by a true story, an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.

Thriller
Comedy
1h 35m
Elizabeth Banks
Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta
Why it ranks

Elizabeth Banks weaponizes a preposterous premise to explore the chaotic collision of low-level drug trafficking and primal nature. This gonzo exercise in carnage proves that even the most grounded procedural tropes benefit from a dose of unpredictable, ursine-flavored mayhem.

1
2023 Crime in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)
Killers of the Flower Moon
2023

When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

Why it ranks

Scorsese delivers a staggering autopsy of systemic greed, transforming a historical atrocity into a chillingly intimate portrait of betrayal. Its power lies in how it frames the banality of evil against the vast, indifferent landscape of the American West.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

The best crime movies of 2023 often blend crime with other genres like history, thriller, and dark comedy. Films like "Killers of the Flower Moon" combine historical drama with crime, while "Cocaine Bear" infuses comedy into the crime thriller, showcasing the genre's versatility this year.

In 2023, crime films have notably pushed boundaries by merging with diverse genres, moving beyond traditional gritty procedures. This evolution is evident in movies like "Sharper," which presents complex psychological crime thriller elements, and "Murder Mystery 2," which reinvents the crime comedy dynamic.

Yes, acclaimed directors such as Martin Scorsese and David Fincher made significant contributions to crime cinema in 2023. Scorsese's film offers a richly detailed historical crime narrative, while Fincher delivers a tightly woven thriller, both elevating the genre with their distinctive styles.

2023's crime thrillers focus on intricate storytelling and character depth rather than just action sequences. Films like "The Killer" emphasize suspense and moral ambiguity, differentiating them from more straightforward action-oriented crime movies like "John Wick: Chapter 4."

"Cocaine Bear" and "Murder Mystery 2" skillfully blend comedy with crime, offering a fresh and entertaining take on the genre. These films balance suspenseful crime plots with humor, appealing to audiences looking for lighter yet engaging crime stories.

Historical events significantly enrich the narrative depth of 2023 crime movies, as seen in "Killers of the Flower Moon," which explores true events with dramatic intensity. Such films use historical contexts to add a layer of authenticity and gravity to the crime genre.

Yes, the list includes international crime films like "12.12: The Day," a South Korean movie blending war, history, and crime genres. This inclusion highlights the global reach and diverse storytelling approaches within the 2023 crime cinema landscape.

2023 crime movies explore a wide spectrum, from intense mysteries in "Boston Strangler" to personal and psychological drama in "Reptile." The genre's scope covers not only the pursuit of justice but also the complex emotional and ethical dimensions of crime.
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