12 Best True Crime Movies Of All Time, Ranked
What is it about the words "based on a true story" that makes us want to grab a bucket of popcorn and watch? It seems audiences have an insatiable appetite for movies that borrow heavily from reality, and nothing gets them salivating more than a true crime story.
However, not all true crime movies are created equal. Some are the worst true crime adaptations ever, little more than junk food for true crime fans. Others are delicacies so exquisite that Hannibal Lecter would eat them with fava beans. Below we will be examining the latter. We will be looking only at narrative films that tell a story (and take some creative license), not documentaries. These movies feature disturbing murders, shocking mob hits, and bank robberies gone horribly wrong. If you've got a hankering for true stories about real criminals, here are the crème de la crème of true crime movies.
Citizen X
"There are no serial killers in the Soviet state," declares a high-ranking Soviet official (Joss Ackland) in the beginning of "Citizen X." To the contrary, Andrei Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn) was a real serial killer, and he managed to kill 52 women and children for more than a decade before he was finally caught. This was in part thanks to the bureaucracy and political posturing of various Community Party members who refused to admit that these kinds of crimes could happen in the Soviet Union. "Citizen X" follows the story of two men (Stephen Rea and Donald Sutherland) trying to bring a killer to justice in a justice system far more concerned with optics.
Despite being a TV movie, "Citizen X" is as well-written and as visually impressive as anything released in theaters. In particular, Donald Sutherland steals every scene as the witty yet jaded Colonel who wants nothing more than to catch the killer but knows they will first need to navigate the politics. Both him and Rea's character have such satisfying character arcs. What's impressive is how the movie makes the procedural minutiae even more interesting than the kills.
Starring: Stephen Rea, Donald Sutherland, Max Von Syndow
Director: Chris Gerolmo
Runtime: 1h 43m
Rating: TV-14
Where to Watch: HBO Max
My Friend Dahmer
"My Friend Dahmer" is a coming-of-age story that just so happens to star a future serial killer. Before Jeffrey Dahmer (Ross Lynch) went on to torture and kill more than a dozen men, he was once an isolated teenager with difficulty making friends. The film (which you may not know was based on a graphic novel by a guy who knew Jeffrey Dahmer in high school) was filmed in Dahmer's actual childhood home.
True crime fans hoping to see bloody violence may be disappointed. There are no murders in this movie, and even Dahmer's mutilation of animals is always offscreen or out-of-focus. The story is disarmingly mundane, and in fact Dahmer's experiences with bullies and his parents divorcing may feel uncannily familiar to audiences. Yet this works brilliantly, because it steers clear of sensationalizing Dahmer, even as it builds increasing dread in audience members who know what he is going to become. By showing all the warning signs, the movie offers a possible explanation for how serial killers are born.
Starring: Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche
Director: Marc Myers
Runtime: 1h 47m
Rating: R
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
The posters for "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" declare, "He's not Freddy, he's not Jason... He's real." And they have it right. Not only is the titular Henry (Michael Rooker) based on real-life serial killer Henry Lee Lucas, but the character we see on the screen is all-too-real. Whether Henry is sermonizing about the best ways to throw the cops off your scent or smashing a TV over the head of a TV salesman, Rooker gives a performance that is chillingly believable.
"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is all the more impressive if you consider that director John McNaughton did all this with a budget of $110,000, and it took years just for him to find a distributor. The movie strips away all the polish and theatrical flair you typically see in movie serial killers, instead exposing the ugliness of a man who takes pleasure in gruesome murders. The film offers no explanation for why Henry is the way he is, just a matter-of-fact depiction of his brutal lifestyle, and that makes it ten times scarier.
Starring: Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles
Director: John McNaughton
Runtime: 1h 23m
Rating: Not Rated
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Tubi, Pluto TV
In Cold Blood
The release of Truman Capote's book "In True Blood" — and its subsequent movie adaptation — was a watershed moment in the history of the true crime genre. This movie may as well have been ripped from the headlines. It tells the story of Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), two real-life men who tried to rob a farmhouse and then — when things went wrong — murdered an entire family. Shot entirely in black-and-white, "In Cold Blood" will most certainly chill your blood. The film is eerily calm, and its characters are disturbing in their casual attitude toward the crime they are about to commit — and yet, in spite of this, you can't help but be invested in their fates.
The original trailer for the film emphasized just how much the actors resembled the real people, and looking at them side-by-side, it's easy to agree with that assessment. As well, seven of the jurors in the courtroom scenes were played by the actual jurors who sat in on the real trial of Smith and Hickock. What's more, director Richard Brooks insisted on filming in the same gas stations where the killers stopped and the same farmhouse where the Clutter family was murdered. If that's not commitment to realism, then we don't know what is.
Starring: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe
Director: Richard Brooks
Runtime: 2h 14m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Who says murder is the only crime worth making true crime movies about? "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is a clever dramedy about the art of forgery. The film tells the unbelievable true story of washed-up writer Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) who decides to start forging letters by famous authors and selling them like they're the real thing. Lee quickly gets swept up in the thrill of writing fake letters (which people love more than anything she's ever written under her own name), even as she digs herself deeper and deeper in trouble.
"Can You Ever Forgive Me?" shows us exactly how Lee Israel ran an at-home forgery scheme, collecting vintage typewriters and tipping her TV on its side to use it as a makeshift lightbox for tracing signatures. The film gives Melissa McCarthy an opportunity to show her serious acting chops without ever losing her comedic timing. Meanwhile, it's impossible not to love Richard E. Grant's character, whose droll British charm is endearing even when he's trying to steal from Lee. "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" celebrates writing fake letters from dead authors as an unappreciated art form.
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant, Dolly Wells
Director: Marielle Heller
Runtime: 1h 46m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV
Goodfellas
"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." Thus begins Martin Scorsese's mobster epic, which will leave you simultaneously enamored and appalled by the gangster lifestyle. But for Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), all the classy parties and the piled-high bodies are just another day in the life. Henry was a real member of the mafia who went into witness protection, and the film draws heavily from interviews with him. "Goodfellas" exposes all the inner workings of the mob, from the Lufthansa heist to where all the bodies are buried. Through Henry's eyes, we see how intoxicating it feels to be "one of the guys" until the consequences start to catch up with him.
Scorsese rounded up a great cast, especially Robert De Niro as the ruthless Jimmy Conway and Joe Pesci as the unhinged Tommy DeVito. And we'd be remiss not to mention the movie's snappy editing and atmospheric cinematography. "Goodfellas" is one of the best crime movies of all time, and you won't be able to tear your eyes away.
Starring: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci
Director: Martin Scorsese
Runtime: 2h 26m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Paramount+
Bonnie and Clyde
No list of true crime movies would be complete without "Bonnie and Clyde," a revolutionary movie that shook up the crime genre and all of Hollywood. Never before had a movie about criminals reveled so gleefully in the thrill of robbing banks and being on the run.
As we all know, "Bonnie and Clyde" draws from the story of the two famous Depression-Era fugitives Bonnie (Faye Dunway) and Clyde (Warren Beatty), though it takes some creative liberties for the sake of entertainment. The movie may be set in the 1930s, but it's very much about the spirit of the 1960s. The playful banter between the two lovers shows their humanity even as it elevates their status as folk heroes. The film culminates in one of the most controversial movie endings of all time. "Bonnie and Clyde" dares to acknowledge that yes, crime can be sexy, even though (as shown by the now-iconic scene where the couple is riddled with bullets) it still doesn't pay.
Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunway, Michael J. Pollard
Director: Arthur Penn
Runtime: 1h 51m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV
Monster
"Monster" gives us insight into the true story of Aileen Wuornos. Aileen (Charlize Theron), who has been turning tricks to make ends meet since she was a teenager, finds new hope when she begins a whirlwind romance with a girl named Shelby (Christina Ricci). However, events take a tragic turn when Aileen begins killing her clients — first in self-defense, but then because she can't stop herself.
Director Patty Jenkins went to great lengths to achieve authenticity. She watched footage of interviews with the real-life killer and exchanged letters with Wuornos while she was in prison. She even shot some scenes on-location in real places Wuornos visited, like The Last Resort bar. Meanwhile, Charlize Theron is a wonder to behold. She perfectly embodies Aileen's mixture of innocence and world-weariness.
Few true crime movies better show what drives desperate people to crime in the first place. It's heartbreaking to watch Aileen vow to clean up her act and get a job only to be rejected again and again because her only real work experience is sex work. Ironically, "Monster" shows that Wuornos was not a monster at all, just a person.
Starring: Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern
Director: Patty Jenkins
Runtime: 1h 49m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Plex
The Irishman
"The Irishman" is the second Martin Scorsese film to appear on this list, showing just how much this legendary director is fond of true crime. In this film, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) "paints houses" for the mob — meaning that he decorates walls with the blood of anyone on the boss's hit list, if you catch our drift. Adapted from the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt, which in turn came from the confessions of a former mob hitman, "The Irishman" is a true crime movie that comes straight from the source.
Rather than showing the gritty glamour of mob life like he did in "Goodfellas," Scorsese instead decides to tell a slow-burning tale of politics, rivalries, and betrayal that spans decades. De Niro's transformation from a hitman all-too-good at his job to an old man tormented by guilt is fascinating. As well, the movie boasts outstanding performances from Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Ray Romano. The murders here may not be as frequent or as bloody as some of the other movies on this list, but whenever Frank does carry out a hit, it hits hard.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci
Director: Martin Scorsese
Runtime: 3h 29m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Netflix
Memories of Murder
If you thought only Americans were obsessed with true crime, you should watch this Korean true crime masterpiece. When a woman's mutilated body is found in a ditch on a patch of farmland, an incompetent local cop (Song Kang-ho) joins forces with a jaded city detective (Kim Sang-kyung) in the hunt for an elusive serial killer who seems to only strike when a certain song is playing on the radio. The story is based on a series of murders in Hwaseong that went unsolved for more than 30 years.
"Memories of Murder" contains moments of pitch-black comedy, such as when Detective Park picks out a suspect from a lineup by the frilly underwear poking above his waistband. Yet there's something undeniably tragic about this story of a sadistic killer who seems to be uncatchable and unknowable. The ending is hauntingly ambiguous, and — just like many murder cases in real life — leaves you with more questions than answers. For this reason, it's one of the best-ever movies about serial killers.
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha
Director: Bong Joon-Ho
Runtime: 2h 9m
Rating: Not Rated
Where to Watch: Tubi
Dog Day Afternoon
True crime is stranger than fiction. Some real-life crimes are so bizarre, so moving, and so one-of-a-kind that they practically demand for their story to be told on the big screen. "Dog Day Afternoon" is inspired by one such crime. In this film, a desperate man named Sonny (Al Pacino) tries to rob a bank in hopes to give his transgender partner (Chris Sarandon) money for gender-affirming surgery. However, Sonny is woefully unprepared to pull off a bank robbery, and soon things escalate into a hostage situation that draws the whole police department and a crowd of onlookers. (Believe it or not, that's actually what happened when John Wojtowicz tried to rob a bank in 1972.)
"Dog Day Afternoon" takes the time to explore all the mundane details of pulling off a hostage exchange. What happens if one of the hostages has an asthma attack? What happens when they need to use the bathroom? What starts out as a delightfully absurd scenario quickly becomes all-too-real as everyone (except poor Sonny) begins to realize there is no way this will end well. Thanks to its empathetic storytelling and unrelenting tension, "Dog Day Afternoon" will sink its hooks into you and never let go. It's a film so compelling that even Wojtowicz himself insisted on seeing it from prison.
Starring: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen
Director: Sidney Lumet
Runtime: 2h 10m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Apple TV
Zodiac
Perhaps it's fitting that the best true crime movie of all time is about a crime that remains unsolved to this day. In the movie "Zodiac," just like in real life, the killer is never caught. Instead, the characters chase lead after lead, and each time they think they've figured it out, a new twist casts doubt on their theories. Director David Fincher shows an astonishing attention to detail here, even meticulously re-creating sprays of blood exactly as they would have happened in the real murders. Many consider it to be one of the most realistic serial killer movies ever (even though there are a few things "Zodiac" doesn't tell you about the real story).
"Zodiac" tells the story of Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), a cartoonist who worked for the San Francisco Chronicle whenever the Zodiac Killer sent newspapers his famous letters. Graysmith later became obsessed with the serial killer. The film shows us some of Graysmith's unofficial investigations, including consulting with a police inspector and trying to memorize police records so he could write them down later. So in a sense, it's a movie about an amateur true crime enthusiast, and fans might see a bit of themselves in the main character.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr.
Director: David Fincher
Runtime: 2h 37m
Rating: R
Where to Watch: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV