Crime: 145

The film Molly’s Game (2017) is both written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, making it his directorial debut. It is based on the memoir of the same name by world-class mogul skier Molly Bloom. Despite her Olympic aspirations, Molly’s career as a skier is cut short due to a severe injury during a qualifying event in 2002. Taking a break from her law school plans, she moves to LA where she becomes a bottle service waitress at a club. There, she meets Dean, an extravagant but unsuccessful real estate developer who hires her as his office manager. Through this job, Molly gets involved in organizing underground ...

Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) is an American neo-noir prison action thriller film directed and written by S. Craig Zahle. The story centers around Bradley Thomas, a former boxer who turns to drug smuggling to support himself after losing his job. However, a series of unfortunate events lands him in prison, where he must make the difficult decision of whether or not to kill a man in order to save his pregnant wife from a powerful drug lord seeking revenge. Along the way, Bradley is faced with the consequences of his previous actions and must navigate through various moral dilemmas. In this dark and unpredictable world, ...

American Made (2017), an action comedy film directed by Doug Liman and written by Gary Spinelli, draws inspiration from the life of Barry Seal. A former TWA pilot who later became a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel, Seal is eventually recruited as an informant for the DEA. The CIA also takes notice of Seal’s ability to smuggle Cuban cigars into the country and enlists him to take aerial photographs of Sandinista bases in 1978. Soon, he becomes involved with Pablo Escobar’s infamous cartel, led by Jorge Ochoa and Carlos Lehder, who want a part of his ...

Logan Lucky (2017), a heist comedy film, was helmed by the renowned director Steven Soderbergh and written by Rebecca Blunt. Soderbergh famously ended his retirement for this project and distributed it independently through his company, Fingerprint Releasing. The protagonist of the film, Jimmy Logan, is let go from his construction job at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During a visit with his ex-wife Bobbie Jo to see their daughter Sadie rehearse for a beauty pageant, Jimmy discovers that Bobbie Jo and her new spouse are moving ...

American Crime Story (2016–2024) is an American anthology true crime television series created and produced by a team that includes Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, as well as Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Simpson. It is part of the American Story media franchise, which also includes American Horror Story. Each season stands alone as a ...

War Dogs (2016) is an American black comedy crime film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Phillips, Jason Smilovic and Stephen Chin. It is based on a 2011 Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson, as well as Efraim Diveroli’s 2016 memoir Once a Gun Runner, which was outlined in an ongoing lawsuit. Lawson later ...

Triple 9 (2016) is an action thriller directed by John Hillcoat and written by Matt Cook. In Atlanta, a group of dishonest law enforcement and seasoned criminals, including Marcus Belmont (played by Anthony Mackie), Franco Rodriguez, and Gabe and Russell Welch, are coerced by the Russian Mob into robbing a heavily guarded bank in broad daylight. Terrell Thompkins, an ex-special forces member now working in the private sector, leads the team. Unhappy with the job, Irina Vaslov, head of the mob, takes Terrell’s family hostage and demands they rob a safe house for ...

Focus (2015) is an American comedy-drama film, helmed by writers and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. The story follows seasoned con-man Nicky Spurgeon as he crosses paths with Jess Barrett, a novice grifter attempting to lure and deceive him with the help of a pretend jealous husband. Despite their initial failure, Nicky imparts some crucial advice on remaining level-headed in the face of unexpected challenges. Later, he meets with Jess for drinks and reveals his father’s dark past involving a ‘Toledo Panic Button’ tactic – shooting ...

Public Morals (2015) is an American police drama TV series, helmed by Edward Burns as creator, writer, executive producer and director. Set in 1960s New York City, the show follows the Public Morals Division of the NYPD as they tackle vice in the city while navigating their personal lives as Irish Americans. Aired on TNT from August to October 2015, the series was a joint effort between TNT and producers Amblin Television, Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, and ...

The American biographical crime drama film, Black Mass (2015), tells the story of notorious mobster Whitey Bulger. Directed by Scott Cooper and written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth, it is based on Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill’s 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob. Set in 1975, the film follows James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, leader of the ...

Sicario (2015) is an American action thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Taylor Sheridan. Set in Chandler, Arizona, it follows FBI Special Agents Kate Macer and Reggie Wayne as they lead a raid on a Sonora Cartel safe house, where they make a gruesome discovery. During the operation, two police officers are killed by an explosive booby trap. As a result of her performance, Kate joins a Joint Task Force run by CIA Officer Matt Graver and former Mexican prosecutor turned CIA-trained assassin Alejandro Gillick. Together, they aim to locate and capture ...

Better Call Saul (2015–2022) is a show that branches off from Breaking Bad, a popular crime drama series that aired from 2008 to 2013. It follows the story of Jimmy McGill, an ex-con artist striving to make a name for himself as a public defender. The show captures his gradual transition into his eventual Breaking Bad persona of Saul Goodman, the ostentatious criminal lawyer who has ties to the drug cartel. Most of the events take place six years prior to those in Breaking Bad, from around 2002 to 2008. Jimmy’s brother Chuck McGill serves as his inspiration to leave his past as ‘Slippin’ Jimmy’ behind when he lived in ...

Fargo (2014–2024) is an award-winning American black comedy crime drama TV show, created and primarily written by Noah Hawley. Inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, which was written and directed by the Coen brothers, it also takes place within the same fictional universe. The Coens were impressed with Hawley’s script and served as executive producers for the series. It first aired on FX on April 15, 2014, and follows an anthology format. Each season is set in a ...

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) is an American biographical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter. It is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoir of the same name. In 1987, 22-year-old Belfort begins working as a stockbroker for L.F. Rothschild, under Mark Hanna. He is quickly drawn to the drug-fueled broker culture and Hanna’s belief that a broker’s only goal is personal wealth. Belfort loses his job after Black Monday, the largest one-day stock market drop since 1929. He then ...

Empire State (2013) is an American crime drama film that follows the story of two childhood friends who plot to rob an armored car repository, but are met with resistance from an NYPD officer. Chris Potamitis comes from a working-class family in Astoria, Queens, New York during the early 1980s. His immigrant father was recently fired from his job at a questionable Greek social club after ten years of service. Despite his attempts to join the police force, Chris is unable to due to a previous marijuana conviction. He settles for a low-paying job as a security guard at the poorly-run Empire Armored Car Company, where there is little security and morale is low. A tragic ...

The action thriller film Snitch (2013), directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Dwayne Johnson, is based on the real-life experiences of DEA informant James Settembrino. College student Jason Collins gets pulled into a dangerous situation by his friend Craig, who convinces him to receive a package of drugs at his house. However, the package also contains a tracking device. When DEA officers raid the house, Jason attempts to escape but is caught and arrested by Agent Cooper. Later on, while attending a barbecue with his estranged father John Matthews (who owns a ...

Created by Steven Knight, Peaky Blinders (2013–2022) is a British period crime drama set in Birmingham during the aftermath of World War I. The show follows the notorious exploits of a gang bearing the same name, loosely inspired by a real urban youth gang from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The series centers around a family with mixed Irish Traveller and Romani roots, situated in Birmingham, England, just months after the end of the war. Led by their cunning and ambitious boss Tommy Shelby, the Peaky Blinders gang capture the attention of Major Chester Campbell, a detective chief inspector dispatched from ...

The American crime drama TV series Ray Donovan (2013–2020), created by Ann Biderman, debuted on Showtime on June 30, 2013. The show follows Liev Schreiber as the lead character, who works as a ‘fixer’ for the prestigious law firm Goldman & Drexler in Los Angeles, representing wealthy and famous clients. However, his life is thrown into turmoil when his father Mickey Donovan is unexpectedly released from prison. After seven seasons, Showtime announced the cancellation of the series on February 4, 2020. However, a feature-length film to wrap up the story was ...

American Hustle (2013) is a black comedy crime film, helmed by director David O. Russell and written by Eric Warren Singer. The movie drew inspiration from the real-life FBI Abscam operation that took place during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Set in 1978, it follows the tale of con artists Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser, who have teamed up to pull off various scams. To improve their schemes, Sydney assumes the guise of ‘Lady Edith Greensly’, an English aristocrat. Despite their successful partnership, Irving is torn between his love for Sydney and his ...

Out of the Furnace (2013), an American crime drama film directed by Scott Cooper and written by Cooper and Brad Ingelsby, follows steel mill worker Russell Baze as he deals with his brother Rodney’s involvement in illegal gambling. After seeing Rodney at a horse racing simulcast, Russell learns that he borrowed money from John Petty, who runs unlawful games at his bar. Russell visits Petty, pays off part of the debt, and promises to cover the rest. However, after driving home drunk one night, Russell causes a fatal ...