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 classiccrime 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.
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.
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 asOcean’s 11, Baby DriverandGambit,luxuriate in the swagger of their roguish characters.Heatis 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 ofHeat’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,Heatends with a bittersweet showdown between the two men.Mann is currently working onHeat 2, both a sequel and a prequel based on his own novel.
The1990s were a great time for gritty crime dramas, andThe Silence of the Lambshas 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 thatThe Silence of the Lambshas 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 givesThe Silence of the Lambsso 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.
David Fincher has long been one of the most interesting directors working in the crime genre, andSe7enwas his first big hit. After a disappointing debut withAlien 3,Fincher bounced back in style, establishing himself as a director worth watching.Se7enhas 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.
Se7enmixes 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 endinghas ensured that it has remained popular for decades.
The Fugitivestars 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, andThe Fugitiveprovides 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 Fugitivetakes inspiration from a real-life case, but it invents plenty of its own twists and turns. This helpsThe Fugitivekeep 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 ofThe Fugitive’s appeal comes in the quieter moments, as the hunter and the hunted plot their next chess move.
The Big Lebowskiwas 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 Lebowskiis 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 inThe 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 Lebowskicame out two years afterFargo, another of theCoen brothers' best movies, and it cemented their reputation as two of the funniest directors in Hollywood.
Even among those who haven’t seen it,The Usual Suspectsholds 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 ofThe Usual Suspectsis 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 Suspectsis 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.
Point Breakis 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 Breakelevates 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 whenPoint Breakcould be much bigger and louder, but Bigelow is not John Woo or John McTiernan. This is whyPoint Break’s dramatic ending works perfectly, even though it consists of a simple conversation between two characters on a beach.
L.A. Confidential’s number one rankingon 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 inL.A. Confidentialwithout becoming too pulpy and stereotypical.L.A. Confidentialbacks up its style with plenty of substance, as each of the characters feels layered and relatable.L.A. Confidentialis adapted from a novel by James Ellroy, and it maintains the author’s fascinating twisty narrative and witty, character-specific dialogue.
Martin Scorsese has been one of the most important directors in the crime genre since the 1970s, andGoodfellasis one of his greatest hits.Goodfellasis 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 toGoodfellas,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.Goodfellaskeeps 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.
Reservoir Dogswas a moderate success at the time, butPulp Fictionwas 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 structurehas 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 toPulp Fiction’s subversive approach, as he refuses at every turn to write the predictable words and phrases.
