Tag Archives: suspense

Best Crime Movies of 2014

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Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance as a crazed L.A. crime journalist cements his reputation as one of the best actors working today.

Gone Girl
Based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn, the movie is faithful to the book, including the ending that has enough plot holes to drive a semi through.

Kill The Messenger
Based on the true story of journalist Gary Webb, Jeremy Renner is superb as a reporter who becomes the target of a vicious smear campaign that drives him to the point of suicide after he exposes the CIA’s role in arming Contra rebels in Nicaragua and importing cocaine into California.

Foxcatcher
In another movie based on a true event, Steve Carell plays against type as disturbed, eccentric, multi-millionaire John du Pont, whose relationship with Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler Mark Schultz leads to tragic consequences.

The Drop
Based on a screenplay from crime novelist Dennis Lehane, the story follows a bartender through a covert scheme of funneling cash to local gangsters – “money drops” in the underworld of Brooklyn bars. Featuring James Gandolfini in his last role before his sudden death.

The Equalizer
Any movie starring Denzel Washington is worth seeing. Washington stars a man with a mysterious past who helps a young girl under the control of Russian gangsters.

Non-Stop
Liam Neeson plays a federal air marshal on a flight from New York to London, who gets a text telling him that unless 150 million dollars is transferred to an offshore account, someone will die every 20 minutes.

John Wick
Keanu Reeves plays an ex-hitman who comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him in this action, revenge thriller.

A Walk Among The Tombstones
Based on the character created by Lawrence Block, Liam Neeson is Matt Scudder, a former cop now a private eye, who is asked by a drug dealer to find the men who kidnapped his wife in this noir mystery thriller.

A Most Wanted Man
In one of his last films, the late Philip Seymore Hoffman gives a wonderful performance in this twisted tale of espionage set in Hamburg, Germany.

2012 Best Crime/Suspense Movies

This year’s crop of my ten best crime/suspense movies is notable for having only one foreign film on the list. But what a film it is! Hollywood has definitely had a good year when it comes to crime movies. I encourage those of you who love them to see the films listed below. They are in no particular order.


Skyfall is the best Bond ever. Visually stunning with the summit of a glass tower in nighttime Shanghai, a luxurious gambling den floating off the shore of Macau; a battered and abandoned ghost-city on a forgotten island in the South China Sea. Add a villain played brilliantly by Javier Bardem and terrific performances by Daniel Craig and Judi Dench and you’ve got a great movie.


A wonderful movie that’s based on a historical incident, Argo is an edge of your seat thriller and clearly one of the best films of 2012. Ben Affleck does a great job as a director building tension even though we know the ending. The movie has a superb supporting cast and is terrifically entertaining.


Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña are terrific in End of Watch, a gritty, realistic portrayal of police officers who discover a secret that makes them the target of a dangerous drug cartel. A wonderful screenplay written by David Ayer, who also wrote Training Day.


In Arbitrage, Richard Gere––in his best role in years––plays a New York hedge-fund manager trying to sell his empire to a major bank before his fraud is discovered. Susan Sarandon, as his wife, and Brit Marling, as his daughter, are excellent in supporting roles. What starts as a Wall Street movie turns abruptly into a complex thriller and character study.


Christopher Nolan’s final installment of his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, has plenty of action, intrigue, and a wonderful twist near the end. I’ve always thought Christian Bale has been the best Batman, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Plus, there’s a superb supporting cast with Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.


Despite the obvious comparisons to the Matt Damon Bourne movies, Jeremy Renner does an excellent job in the role of Aaron Cross in The Bourne Legacy. There’s plenty of action along with meditative moments that provide insights into the character. It would be great to see a fifth installment with both Renner and Damon.


I’ve been a big fan of Jennifer Lawrence ever since I saw her Oscar-nominated performance in Winter’s Bone. Once again, she brings her A-game to the role of Katniss in The Hunger Games, an intriguing and exciting film based on the bestselling book, which depicts a time in the not-to-distant future when children are chosen to fight to the death on reality TV.


If you’ve read the Reacher books by Lee Child, then you know Reacher is 6’5″ and over 200 pounds. Tom Cruise is neither, but then what actor in Hollywood is? The crime film delivers on the action front as Cruise, playing an ex-military investigator and anti-hero living off the grid, attempts to save a friend and expert sniper accused of shooting five people.


This Norwegian film illustrates why Scandinavia has been producing so many outstanding crime dramas. Instead of CGI rendered explosions, stunts and special effects, we have a thrilling story with great characters and surprising twists and double-crosses. Oh how I wish more crime dramas followed this formula.


I confess I haven’t seen this movie because it opens in mid-January in the Twin Cities. But based on its tremendous reviews, four Golden Globe nominations including Best Picture, director Kathryn Bigelow’s previous work in The Hurt Locker, and a story about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, you have all the elements of a great movie. I couldn’t leave it off my list.