Sometimes love is the most dangerous game of all.

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Rachel Ward, James Woods, Alex Karras, Richard Widmark, Jane Greer, Dorian Harewood

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"That idiot football player you were going to get - well, he has got me by the balls." – Ben Caxton

Why watch this? This is one the sexiest films - your eyeballs will fog up.

Plot Summary: An aging football player, Terry Brogan, is hired to find the runaway girlfriend of an old acquaintance, Jake Wise, a shady nightclub owner. When Terry finds her, he and the woman, Jessie, fall passionately in love, complicating his assignment. Their newfound love entangles them in a web of intrigue, including corruption and danger.

New Visions, Columbia-Delphi Prod.;
Columbia Pictures

You get tough. You get tender. You get close to each other. Maybe you even get close to the truth.

Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Darrell Zwerling, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Let me explain something to you, Walsh. This business requires a certain amount of finesse" – Jake Gittes

Why watch this? Nicholson and Dunaway excel in this homage to noir film.

Plot Summary: In 1937 Los Angeles, a private investigator, Jake Gittes who specializes in divorce cases, is hired to expose an adulterer. His investigation into the affair of a prominent water engineer uncovers a web of deception, corruption, and ultimately, murder. He finds himself entangled in a vast conspiracy involving the city's water supply and the powerful figures manipulating it for their own gain.

Long Road Prod., Robert Evans Co.;
Paramount Pictures

The crime that shocked a nation.

Starring: Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, John Forsythe, Paul Stewart, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Jeff Corey, John Gallaudet, James Flavin, Charles McGraw, Will Geer, John McLiam

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"There's two kinds of laws, honey. One for the rich and one for the poor." - Dick

Why watch this? A senseless crime. How can this happen to innocent people?

Plot Summary: The story traces the paths of two ex-convicts, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, who hatch a plan to rob a rural Kansas family. After a botched attempt, the drifters go on the run while law enforcement works to track them down. The true-crime narrative explores the complex motivations of the killers and the chilling investigation that follows.

Pax Enterprises; Columbia Pictures

He moves without sound. Kills without emotion. Disappears without trace.

Starring: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello, Michael Badalucco, Ellen Greene, Peter Appel, Adam Busch

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"The closer you get to being a pro, the closer you can get to the client. The knife, for example, is the last thing you learn." - Léon

Why watch this? The story is so honest and unique, and Natalie Portman - she's amazing!

Plot Summary: Léon is a solitary professional hitman living in New York City. His life takes an unexpected turn when he reluctantly takes in Mathilda, a twelve-year-old girl whose family was tragically murdered by a corrupt DEA agent and this thugs. A unique and unconventional bond forms between the two as Mathilda learns Léon's trade, fueling her desire to seek revenge for her family's deaths.

Gaumont, Les Films du Dauphin;
Gaumont Buena Vista Int'l

Everything is suspect... everyone is for sale... and nothing is what it seems.

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"If we're going to figure this out, we need to work together." - Ed Exley

Why watch this? This neo-noir crime film is as gritty as sandpaper.

Plot Summary: In 1950s Los Angeles, three LAPD detectives, each with their own contrasting methods and motivations, find their paths intertwined while investigating a brutal mass murder at an all-night coffee shop. As they delve deeper into the seemingly open-and-shut case, they uncover a shadowy world of police corruption, Hollywood glamour, and organized crime. Ultimately, the officers are forced to confront their own moral compasses and navigate the labyrinthine underbelly of the city to uncover the truth.

Regency Ent., The Wolper Org.;
Warner Bros.

What would you do if you were accused of a murder, you had not committed... yet?

Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow, Neal McDonough, Peter Stormare

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Don't trust anyone. Just find the Minority Report." – Dr. Iris Henimen

Why watch this? This futuristic thriller is one of Spielberg's many masterpieces.

Plot Summary: In a future where a specialized police unit called PreCrime stops murderers before they can act, Chief John Anderton believes the system is flawless. However, one day he receives a prediction that he himself will commit a murder, leading him to question the system's infallibility. Now a fugitive from the very unit he led, Anderton must try to prove his innocence and uncover a possible conspiracy that could be behind his predicted crime.
 

Dad's Preview: Early on, Tom Cruise was just too cocky for me. This film made me an true fan. Set in a future, utopian Earth, the plot centers on a crime agency that arrests people for future crimes. The dreams of three telepathic triplets (kept in medically-induced comas), called "Pre-Cogs", are recorded and analyzed to predict future murders. The plot is uber-creative and Spielberg makes is exciting. Cruise's character is flawed and complex. It's engaging, fast-paced and full of surprises.

DreamWorks Pics, Amblin Entertainment,
Blue Tulip Prod.; 20th Century Fox

The girl is 12. The guy is a taxi driver. What happens to both of them will shock you.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Albert Brooks, Leonard Harris, Peter Boyle, Harry Northup, Victor Argo

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man..." – Travis Bickle

Why watch this? If you ever wondered what a big city does to some people, this gritty film is for you.

Plot Summary: Travis Bickle is a lonely Vietnam War veteran suffering from insomnia. He works as a night-shift taxi driver in New York City, becoming increasingly disgusted by the city's crime and perceived moral decay. He develops an misguided obsession with a political campaign worker and later an underage prostitute, who he feels a need save from the streets.

Bill/Phillips Prod., Italo-Judeo Prod.;
Columbia Pictures

Four perfect killers. One perfect crime. Now all they have to fear is each other.

Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Edward Bunker, Quentin Tarantino, David Steen

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"Yeah, that's easy for your to say, you're Mr. White. You have a cool-sounding name. Alright look, if it's no big deal to be Mr. Pink, do you wanna trade?" – Mr. Pink, on finding out that this code name , in fact, "Mr. Pink"

Why watch this? It's low-life shenanigans dressed up in Tuxedos by Tartantino.

Plot Summary: A group of criminals is brought together by a mob boss for a diamond heist which quickly goes wrong, leading the survivors to suspect one of them is an undercover police informant. As they gather at a warehouse rendezvous point, the escalating tension and distrust among the colorful cast of characters unravel the events that led to the job's disastrous outcome. The film culminates in a tense, violent standoff where loyalty is tested and allegiances shift rapidly.

Live Ent., Dog Eat Dog Prod.; Miramax Films

Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.

Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R. Lee Ermey, John C. McGinley, Kevin Spacey, Richard Roundtree, Daniel Zacapa

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"People will barely be able to comprehend it, but they won't be able to deny it." – John Doe

Why watch this? This is one intense, gory, emotional crime film.

Plot Summary: The film follows a retiring detective, William Somerset, and his newly transferred partner, David Mills, as they investigate a series of brutal murders. They discover the killer's motives are rooted in the seven deadly sins, with each victim representing one of the vices. As the detectives delve deeper into the twisted mind of the killer, the investigation takes an increasingly dark and disturbing turn.

Arnold Koopelson Prod.; New Line Cinema

Sometimes good people do evil things.

Starring: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe, Jack Walsh, Chelcie Ross, Gary Cole

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"I remember my father telling me what he thought that it took for a man to be happy. Simple things, really. A wife he loves, a decent job, friends and neighbors who like and respect him. And for a while there, without hardly even realizing it, I had all that. I was a happy man." – Hank Mitchell

Why watch this? It's hard to keep a secret... especially one involving three people and lots of free money.

Plot Summary: In rural Minnesota, brothers Hank and Jacob, along with their friend Lou, discover a crashed plane with a dead pilot and $4.4 million in cash. Hank, initially reluctant, agrees with the others to hide the money and wait six months before splitting it, reasoning that if no one comes looking for it, they'll be safe. However, this simple plan quickly unravels as mistrust, greed, and mounting pressures lead to lies, deceit, and violence.
 

Dad's Preview: This is a perfect film about the consequences of one really dumb decision. Two brothers stumble upon a bag of money in a remote plane wreck. Who can't use a bag of money, right? However, the most important thing: you can't tell anyone... which, of course, proves impossible in less than a day. The cold, relentless winter setting fits the atmosphere as friends, even brothers, become people no longer trustworthy. This film is like watching a car wreck in slow-motion. You know where it is going, and nothing can stop it.

Mutual Film Co., Savoy Pics, British Broadcasting
Corp., Tele-München; UGC-PH, Toho-Towa, Marubeni,
Newmarket Capital Gp.; Paramount Pictures

Lies. Betrayal. Sacrifice. How far will you take it?

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Anthony Anderson, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"You sit there with a mass murderer. A mass murderer. Your heart rate is jacked, and your hand... steady. That's one thing I figured out about myself in prison. My hand does not shake... ever." - Billy Costigan

Why watch this? Four reasons: Scorsese, DiCaprio, Damon and Nicholson.

Plot Summary: In Boston, an undercover police officer infiltrates a ruthless Irish mob crew, while simultaneously, a mole planted by that same mob boss infiltrates the Massachusetts State Police department. Both men rise within their respective organizations, living under immense pressure as they work to identify the "rat" in their midst without having their own cover blown. The tension escalates into a dangerous game of cat and mouse where each must outmaneuver the other to survive in a world filled with corruption and betrayal.
 

Dad's Preview: What a dream match-up: The director, Martin Scorsese, who made mob movies a household name, and the best upcoming Hollywood talent in decades. This film is a mixture of vintage gangster plot lines, sexy young talent, and Jack F'ing Nicholson, who deliciously portrays a Boston crime lord, based on actual mob boss Whitey Bolger. This film wonderfully delivers - it checks all the boxes: Complicated, conflicted characters - check. Awkward love triangle - check. Bloody shootouts - check. It's hard to find anything not to like. It took home four Oscars including Best Picture and Director. We will glance back to this one and say, "Why didn't this amazing cast and crew make more films like this?"

Plan B Ent., Initial Ent. Group, Vertigo Ent.,
Media Asia Films; Warner Bros. Pictures

Five Criminals. One Line Up. No Coincidence.

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Stephen Baldwin, Benicio del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite, Suzy Amis, Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Hedaya

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆ - near perfect

"After that, my guess is that you'll never hear from him again. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that... he's gone." - Roger "Verbal" Kint

Why watch this? The ending twist elevates this above-average heist film.

Plot Summary: Five criminals are arrested and thrown into jail. There, they hatch a revenge operation against the police, then get wrapped up into doing another job. When this drug pick-up goes awry, the gang starts to piece together a common enemy they have all betrayed. His name is Keyser Söze, a murderous mob legend, who many don't even believe exists. However, the five crooks are requested to a meeting with an associate of Mr. Söze's called Mr. Kobayashi. This kicks things into high-gear.

PolyGram Filmed Ent., Bad Hat Harry Films,
Blue Parrot Prod., Spelling Films Int'l;
Gramercy Pictures

Laugh... or I'll blow your lips off!

Starring: Steve Martin, Rachel Ward, George Gaynes, Reni Santoni, Carl Reiner and special appearances by Alan Ladd, Barbara Stanwyck, Lana Turner, Burt Lancaster, Cary Grant, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart to name a few noir stars.

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 100 #93 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

"Carlotta was the kind of town where they spell trouble T-R-U-B-I-L, and if you try to correct them, they kill you." - Det. Rigby Reardon

Why watch this? This Steve Martin comedy stands alone for its incredible creativity.

Plot Summary: Hardboiled private eye Rigby Reardon is hired by a beautiful woman to investigate the suspicious death of her scientist father, who was killed over a secret cheese recipe. While navigating 1940s Los Angeles, Reardon uncovers a sinister plot involving lists of friends and enemies, encountering various suspicious characters along the way.

Aspen Film Society; Universal Pictures

When "Popeye" cuts loose, anything goes!

Starring: Gene Hackman, Fernando Rey, Roy Scheider, Tony Lo Bianco, Marcel Bozzuffi, Bill Hickman, Ann Rebbot, Harold Gary

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"All right, Popeye's here! Get your hands on your heads, get off the bar, and get on the wall!" - Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle

Why watch this? It remains a pinnacle film in its crime action genre.

Plot Summary: New York City narcotics detectives, Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo are investigating a major heroin smuggling operation spanning from Marseille, France, to New York. Their relentless pursuit of French drug kingpin Alain Charnier, known as "Frog One," leads them through tense stakeouts, dangerous surveillance, and iconic car chases through the streets of New York.

Philip D'Antoni Prod., Schine-Moore Prod.;
20th Century Fox

The strangest damned gang you ever heard of. They're young. They're in love. They rob banks.

Starring: Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parsons, Denver Pyle, Dub Taylor, Gene Wilder

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"This here's Miss Bonnie Parker. I'm Clyde Barrow. We rob banks." - Clyde Barrow

Why watch this? To many Southwestern poor folks, the Barrow gangsters were heroes. Texas lawmen saw it differently.

Plot Summary: During the Great Depression, a bored waitress named Bonnie Parker meets ex-con Clyde Barrow and they begin a crime spree across America. As they rob banks and evade law enforcement, their exploits become more violent. The film follows their love story and growing notoriety as they become infamous criminals.

Warner Bros. Pics; Warner Bros.-Seven Arts

A chilling, bold, mesmerizing, futuristic detective thriller.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, M. Emmett Walsh, Daryl Hannah, William Sanderson, Brion James

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I need ya, Deck. This is a bad one, the worst yet. I need the old blade runner, I need your magic." - Bryant

Why watch this? It's haunting, brooding and dark... and a mesmerizing sci-fi classic.

Plot Summary: In a dystopian future Los Angeles, a burnt-out detective (aka: a "blade runner"), Rick Deckard, is tasked with hunting down and "retiring" a group of advanced androids called replicants, who have escaped from off-world colonies. These replicants seek to find their creator and extend their limited life-spans, while the blade runner wrestles with the complex morality of his job and his growing connection to a beautiful replicant who believes she is human.

The Ladd Co., Shaw Brothers; Warner Bros.

John Sayles invites you to return to the scene of the crime.

Starring: Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey, Ron Canada, Elizabeth Peña, Joe Morton

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"I remember Charlie Wade came to my father's hardware store once... The man winked at me. I peed my pants." – Ben Wetzel

Why watch this? This Texas mystery centers on a cold-case murder and secret relationships.

Plot Summary: Sheriff Sam Deeds is notified to investigate the discovery of skeletal remains in a Texas border town. The bones belong to a notoriously corrupt sheriff who mysteriously disappeared decades earlier. As Sam delves into the past, he uncovers long-buried secrets involving his own legendary father, the town's former sheriff, Buddy Deeds.

Castle Rock Ent., Columbia Pics, Rio Dulce;
Sony Pictures Classics

Detective Harry Callahan. He doesn't break murder cases. He smashes them.

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon, John Larch, Woodrow Parfrey

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya... punk?" – Harry Callahan

Why watch this? ... for Eastwood's performance - a stoic man-of-action with an engaging charisma.

Plot Summary: Inspector "Dirty" Harry Callahan is a no-nonsense San Francisco cop with unorthodox methods. He's assigned to track down a deranged serial killer nicknamed "Scorpio" who is holding the city ransom with a series of murders. Callahan must navigate bureaucratic obstacles and legal limitations to bring the psychopathic killer to justice, even if it means bending the rules.

The Malpaso Company; Warner Bros.

A big city cop. A small country boy. They have nothing in common ...but a murder.

Starring: Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Lukas Haas, Jan Rubeš, Danny Glover, Josef Sommer, Alexander Godunov, Brent Jennings, Patti LuPone

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"No, no hospital... gunshot wound, they have to file a report. And if they file a report, they find me. And if they find me, they find the boy." – John Book

Why watch this? It is a brilliant film juxtaposing the peaceful Amish culture against urban violence.

Plot Summary: When a young Amish boy witnesses a murder in Philadelphia, a detective goes undercover in the boy's rural Amish community to protect him from the killers. The detective must navigate the unfamiliar world of the Amish while trying to identify and avoid the dangerous individuals responsible for the crime. The film explores the stark contrast between the detective's violent world and the peaceful, traditional Amish lifestyle.

Edward S. Feldman Prod.; Paramount Pics

Some memories are best forgotten

Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

"We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different." – Leonard Shelby

Why watch this? Creative film storytelling 101. Its unorthodoxy is its strength.

Plot Summary: Leonard Shelby is a former insurance investigator who suffers from a rare form of short-term memory loss. Following an assault that resulted in his wife's murder, he can remember events from his past but cannot form new memories. Leonard uses a system of Polaroids, notes, and tattoos to track information as he relentlessly seeks to avenge his wife's death.

Summit Entertainment, Team Todd;
Newmarket

There Are No Clean Getaways

Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Beth Grant

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ - perfect

DML Top 50 #16 - Dad's Full (Spoiler) Review and Deep Dive of No Country For Old Men

"If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?" - Anton Chigurh

Why watch this? This tour de force examines the dangers surrounding the Mexican drug world.

Plot Summary: While hunting in the West Texas desert, Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon the aftermath of a drug deal gone wrong and finds a briefcase containing millions of dollars, which he takes. His decision sets in motion a violent chase with a ruthless and enigmatic killer, Anton Chigurh, pursuing Moss and the money across the landscape. Meanwhile, a jaded, tired Sheriff Ed Tom Bell investigates the mounting casualties, grappling with the escalating violence and the unsettling nature of the criminals involved.

Paramount Vantage, Scott Rudin Prod.,
Mike Zoss Prod.; Miramax Films
 

Genres Action-Crime, Action-Thriller, Crime-Cops, Crime-Crooks, Crime-Drama, Crime-Thriller, Crime-Thriller-NeoNoir, Mystery-Thriller; Neo-Western, Western-Drama