Crime: 145

Black and White (1999), an American drama film by director James Toback, follows the life of Rich Bower. As a mover and shaker in the rap music scene, he is also involved in numerous other legitimate and illegitimate business ventures. His apartment serves as a popular gathering spot for musicians, hangers-on, and hipsters striving to fit into what they perceive as the most fashionable crowd. Among them are a group of white kids seeking acceptance within this community. Sam Shields, a filmmaker, is working on a documentary about Rich and his inner circle with the assistance of her husband Terry Downey, who feels out of ...

Thick as Thieves (1999) is an American crime film based on the novel by Patrick Quinn. A thief, loaned from Chicago mafia to Detroit underworld, is double-crossed by the local boss. Barely escaping, he vows revenge and enlists the help of two close friends. However, a determined detective is hot on their trail. As they burn the Detroit underworld to the ground, two experienced thieves turn against each other when one sets up the other for a crime. The first is a suave professional who leads a private life, listening to old jazz records and caring for his sick dog, Wally. The second is a gangster with expensive tastes ...

Hell’s Kitchen (1998) is a film written and directed by Tony Cinciripini. Its plot revolves around a robbery gone wrong, resulting in the accidental death of one of the robbers. The culprit, Johnny, is sentenced to five years in prison. His former girlfriend, Gloria blames him for her brother’s death and upon his release, she urges her new boyfriend to seek revenge. However, the new boyfriend knows that Johnny was not at fault and cannot bring himself to harm him. In the meantime, Johnny turns his life around by pursuing boxing and receiving training from a former heavyweight contender.

Rounders (1998) is an American drama film, directed by John Dahl, that delves into the underground world of high-stakes poker. Mike McDermott, a gifted player and law student in New York City, has his sights set on winning the World Series of Poker. However, at an underground Texas hold ’em game run by Russian mobster Teddy ‘KGB’, Mike’s confidence leads to him losing his entire $30,000 bankroll in one hand. Determined to focus on school and keep his promise to his girlfriend Jo, Mike turns down mentor Joey Knish’s offer to stake him and instead takes on a part-time job. But when his friend ...

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) is a popular British crime film both written and directed by Guy Ritchie. The movie not only gained international recognition for Ritchie, but also marked the feature film debuts of actors Jason Statham and  Vinnie Jones, both known for their previous careers as a diver and footballer, respectively. With a modest budget of $1.35 million, the film proved to be a major hit by earning over $28 million at the box office. Its plot ...

Donnie Brasco (1997) is an American crime drama film directed by Mike Newell. Set in 1978 New York City, it follows the story of Lefty Ruggiero, an aging enforcer in the Bonanno crime family, and Joseph D. Pistone, a young FBI agent undercover as jewel thief ‘Donnie Brasco’. When Donnie questions the authenticity of a diamond acquired by Lefty from a strip club owner and takes revenge on his behalf, their partnership begins. Under Lefty’s guidance, Donnie learns about the rules of the Mafia and meets his colleagues in the crew – Sonny Black, Nicky, Paulie, and rival leader Sonny Red. After the ...

James Mangold wrote and directed Cop Land (1997), a neo-noir crime drama. Garrison, New Jersey is the home of several police officers from the 37th Precinct of the NYPD: Lt. Ray Donlan, Det. Leo Crasky, and officers Gary Figgis, Jack Rucker, Frank Lagonda, and Joey Randone. Taking advantage of a department regulation loophole by becoming ‘auxiliary transit cops’, Donlan and his group are shielded from the scrutiny of the NYPD’s Internal Affairs division. Sheriff Freddy Heflin also protects them, making them virtually untouchable. Heflin has always aspired to join the NYPD but was unable to do so due to ...

Le Cousin (1997) is a French film directed by Alain Corneau. The film follows the story of Nounours, an informer with a special arrangement with the police. He is nicknamed ‘cousin’ and receives 10% of the drugs seized due to his assistance. However, after inspector Maurin, Nounours’s personal contact, tragically takes his own life, inspector Gérard Delvaux takes over the case. Meanwhile, judge Lambert is conducting investigations into the illegal practices of the police force. Her persistent efforts have led her to Gérard and also to Nounours as the source of heroin in recent deadly overdose cases. ...

Jackie Brown (1997), an American crime film by Quentin Tarantino, is based on the 1992 novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. A flight attendant, Jackie smuggles money from Mexico into the US for Ordell Robbie, a Los Angeles gun runner. When Ordell’s courier, Beaumont Livingston, is arrested, he enlists the help of bail bondsman Max Cherry to free him. However, after killing Beaumont to keep him quiet, Ordell finds himself in a tight spot when ATF agent Ray Nicolette and LAPD detective Mark Dargus discover the cash and drugs in Jackie’s possession. Facing ...

2 Days in the Valley (1996) is a darkly humorous American film by writer-director John Herzfeld. Two hired killers, Lee Woods and Dosmo Pizzo, enter a bedroom and find a sleeping couple: Olympic athlete Becky Foxx and her ex-husband Roy Foxx. After injecting Becky with a tranquilizer, Lee shoots Roy and the two men flee to an empty spot near Mulholland Drive. There, Lee stages Dosmo’s death by shooting him and blowing up their car. With his girlfriend Helga Svelgen in tow, Lee runs from the scene while Dosmo miraculously survives thanks to his bulletproof vest. Seeking refuge at the opulent home of affluent art ...

Sleepers (1996), an American crime drama film, was written, produced and directed by Barry Levinson. It is based on Lorenzo Carcaterra’s novel of the same name. Childhood friends Lorenzo ‘Shakes’ Carcaterra, Tommy Marcano, Michael Sullivan and John Reilly reside in Hell’s Kitchen during the 1960s. Their parish priest Father ‘Bobby’ Carillo, who has had a troubled past himself, attempts to guide them towards making good decisions. While still engaging in pranks and working for local gangster King Benny, the boys take things too far when ...

The American crime-drama film, The Funeral (1996), directed by Abel Ferrara, centers around the death of one of the three violent Tempio brothers. As his brothers Chez and Ray mourn his passing, they each cope with their grief in contrasting ways – Ray with a cool and calculating demeanor while Chez’s hot temper flares. Flashbacks reveal that Johnny, although a criminal, had a softer side and was influenced by communist meetings he attended as a spy. The primary suspect in his murder is rival gangster Gaspare Spoglia. Determined to seek revenge, both Ray and Chez make a vow to avenge their brother’s ...

The  film The Sunchaser (1996) is a road crime drama, directed by Michael Cimino. It follows the story of Brandon ‘Blue’ Monroe, a sixteen-year-old half-Navajo gang member from East L.A., who is serving time in prison for murdering his abusive stepfather. During his annual medical visit, Blue receives devastating news from Dr. Michael Reynolds, a wealthy and materialistic oncologist with a wife and daughter. He is told that he has abdominal cancer and only has a short time left to live. Determined to find healing from a medicine man he knew in Arizona when he was eight years old, Blue takes Michael hostage ...

The film Set It Off (1996), directed by F. Gary Gray, follows the story of Francesca ‘Frankie’ Sutton, a bank teller in Los Angeles. After recognizing one of the robbers from her neighborhood during a robbery, Frankie is fired and falsely accused by Detective Strode of being an accomplice. She then begins working at Luther’s Janitorial Services with her friends Lida ‘Stony’ Newsom, Cleopatra ‘Cleo’ Sims, and Tisean ‘T.T.’ Williams. Unfortunately, their boss Luther treats them poorly and pays them very little. Tired of struggling to make ends meet, Frankie suggests ...

Heat (1995) is an American crime film written and directed by Michael Mann. It stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro among an ensemble cast. The movie follows the story of Neil McCauley, a skilled thief operating in Los Angeles. Along with his crew – including Chris Shiherlis, Michael Cheritto, Gilbert Trejo, and new recruit Waingro – they successfully pull off a heist of $1.6 million in bearer bonds from an armored car. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when Waingro impulsively kills one of the guards, forcing ...

She’s Out (1995) is a British primetime television crime drama that premiered in 1995 on ITV. The series, consisting of six parts, was produced by Cinema Verity for Carlton Television and written by acclaimed writer Lynda La Plante as a follow-up to her previous series Widows. Set ten years later, She’s Out continues the story of Dolly Rawlins, with Ann Mitchell reprising her role as the central character and Kate Williams joining the cast as Audrey Withey. Executive producer

Casino (1995) is an epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. In the movie, sports handicapper and Mafia associate Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein is enlisted by the Chicago Outfit to run the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas alongside frontman Philip Green. With Sam at the helm, the casino sees a significant increase in profit, thanks in part to some unaccounted-for cash skimmed from the count room and delivered to the Midwest Mafia bosses. To ensure protection for Sam, the ...

Natural Born Killers (1994) is an American crime movie directed by Oliver Stone. One scene shows Mickey Knox and his wife Mallory stopping at a diner in the New Mexico desert. As she dances to music from a jukebox, two rednecks show up and begin harassing Mallory in a sexual manner. Despite initially seeming to enjoy the attention, Mallory eventually beats one of the men severely. Joining in on the violent act, Mickey and Mallory proceed to kill everyone else in the diner except for one customer, to whom they confidently reveal their names before leaving. Seeking refuge in the desert, the couple takes a moment to ...

Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the American independent film, Pulp Fiction (1994). The narrative of the film deviates from chronological order and centers around three separate protagonists: Vincent Vega, a hitman; Butch Coolidge, a prizefighter; and Jules Winnfield, Vincent’s business partner. It opens with a diner robbery by a couple and then transitions between the three story lines before concluding back at the diner. Throughout the film, there are seven distinct narrative sequences, marked by intertitles. Summary. As Pumpkin and Honey Bunny dine at ...

A Perfect World (1993), an American crime drama film directed by Clint Eastwood, follows the story of convicts Robert ‘Butch’ Haynes and Terry Pugh who escape from a Texas state penitentiary in 1963. While fleeing, Terry stumbles upon Phillip Perry’s home where he lives with his devout Jehovah’s Witness mother and two sisters. Seizing an opportunity for a hostage, Butch takes the young boy along with them. However, things take a turn when Butch is forced to kill Terry after an attempt to harm Phillip. Now on the run from police, the unlikely pair continues their journey through the Texas highway. ...