Worst2First: My Top Ten Crime Films

Worst2First: 

My Top Ten Crime Films

Despite the saying, crime really does pay - at least when it comes to film.  From the original "Scarface" in 1932, crime has been portrayed on the silver screen with differing levels of success, but there's those truly great crime films that draw you in from the start and often than not leaves you rooting for the bad guy.

Here are my personal top ten favorite crime films, worst2first...

**THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS**

#10

Snatch

Before he remade "Sherlock Holmes" and the Arthurian legend, Guy Ritchie was directing some excellent crime/comedy films that were fast paced, intelligent, and done with a unique directing style all his own.  "Snatch" is one of his best works, brilliantly blending two stories - one involving a stolen diamond and another dealing with a mobster who gets involved in boxing - in a way that's fast-paced, cleverly written, and downright hilarious in a truly dark way.  Featuring a stellar ensemble cast including Lennie James, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Benicio del Toro, Jason Statham and Brad Pitt, "Snatch" will have you laughing out loud while you're trying to fully comprehend the nuanced story.

#9

Fargo

Directed by the genius brother duo Joel and Ethan Coen, "Fargo" features Frances McDormand in her Oscar-winning role as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant Minnesota police chief who is investigating the case of car salesman Jerry (played by William H. Macy), who hires two men to kidnap his wife, but things don't go as planned.  It's a great dark comedy with terrific performances, a fascinating locale, the most unique use of a woodchipper ever, and top-notch actors.  It also garnered its own television series that's won several Golden Globes, Primetime Emmys and other prestigious accolades.

#8

The Usual Suspects

Earning Kevin Spacey an Academy Award, as well as introducing the world to one of cinema's most infamous villains in Keyser Soze, Christopher McQuarrie's "The Usual Suspects" is an intriguing tale of violence and terror when a massacre occurs on a ship, the police interview the survivors to find out what really happened.  Featuring a top notch cast including Spacey, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro and Kevin Pollak, the film is highly cerebral and will keep you guessing to the very end.

#7

Pulp Fiction

The film that revitalized John Travolta's career, "Pulp Fiction" is an epic crime drama directed by Quentin Tarantino and focuses on several interconnected stories, but mostly centers on Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson's pair of hitmen who wax philosophical (the classic Quarter Pounder scene is still listed as one of the most famous moments in recent cinematic history).  The two play off each other so well, and the film is a beautiful - yet bloody (it's Tarantino after all) - masterpiece also starring Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames and Bruce Willis.

#6

GoodFellas

The combination of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta, plus under the direction of Martin Scorsese and adapted by a novel by Nicholas Pileggi, it's no doubt "GoodFellas" lands on the list.  The story of Henry Hill (Liotta) rising and falling among the ranks of the mob from the mid 50s to the early 80s is a visual, intellectual and all-around spectacle to behold.  The film was nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director), and Pesci won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.  It's an unflinching look at the mob life and all the ups and downs that go along with it.

#5

Chinatown

Part mystery and part psychological drama, "Chinatown" is a heavily layered crime drama starring Jack Nicholson as a private eye hired to investigate a seemingly simple case of infidelity, but is thrown into a much deeper mystery.  Roman Polanski's film noir style is in full effect, and the film is so highly regarded it earned eleven Academy Award nominations, has one of the most famous lines in cinematic history ("Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown"), and is included in the National Film Registry.

#4

The Departed

Martin Scorsese returns to this list with one of his most recent masterpieces, based off the Japanese film "Infernal Affairs."  A Boston cop goes undercover to collect information on a local gang boss, while they have a mole on the inside at the police force.  It's an incredibly tense pas de deux where you don't know where true loyalties lie, or who will pay the price.  Featuring a who's who cast including Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Vera Farmiga and Mark Wahlberg, the film earned four Oscar wins, including Best Picture and Best Director  - making it Scorsese's first Oscar win.

#3

Scarface

Al Pacino gives a career-defining performance as Tony Montana, a man who rises among the ranks of the drug trade in Miami and eventually becoming the biggest drug lord in the state.  He's living in the lap of luxury, but his own paranoia and the police threaten the empire he created.  Directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone, "Scarface" more than stands the test of time and features one of the most quoted lines in cinema - "say hello to my little friend!"

#2

The Godfather

Hailed by many as one of the best films ever made, Francis Ford Coppola's classic "The Godfather" is the tale of the Corleone family, who was a notorious Italian mob family who held an iron grip over the city.  It includes several tremendous performances by the likes of Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton, as well as delivers a tremendous story written by Mario Puzo and gifts us with several classic lines.

#1

The Godfather: Part II

In the rare case where the sequel is better than the original, "The Godfather: Part II" is the epitome of crime drama.  Winner of six Academy Awards (including Best Picture - the first time a sequel earned that honor), the film features Al Pacino as the new Don, and the struggles he faces sitting on the Corleone throne.  It also serves as a prequel, focusing on a young Vito (played by Robert De Niro) as he travels to America and cements the family name in New York City.  It's a pitch-perfect crime film focusing on the Corleone mobster family, and is a must-see for any crime buff.