Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Crime (77)
May 17, 2026A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Kim Jee-woon's 2005 Korean crime drama. Lee Byung-hun as a hotel enforcer one mistake from death. Compressed, controlled, lethal.
May 17, 2026A Shock to the System (1990)
Egleson's 1990 dark comedy. Michael Caine as an executive who discovers he can kill his way to the top and nobody will notice. The cleanest 90s satire of corporate culture.
May 16, 2026American Gangster (2007)
Ridley Scott's 2007 Frank Lucas biopic. Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe in parallel protagonist tracks. Vietnam-Harlem heroin connection.
May 14, 2026American Gangster (2007) — Review
Ridley Scott crime film with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Frank Lucas's actual Harlem heroin operations during the Vietnam War. 9/10.
May 18, 2026American Made (2017)
2017 Doug Liman crime biopic with Tom Cruise as TWA pilot Barry Seal, drug runner and CIA asset in the 1980s.
May 16, 2026Black Mass (2015)
Scott Cooper's 2015 Whitey Bulger biopic. Johnny Depp's strongest dramatic performance since the 1990s. FBI corruption as central subject.
May 17, 2026Blood Simple (1984)
Coen brothers' 1984 debut. A Texas neo-noir small-cast murder spiral. The film that announced the Coens' mature voice on the first try.
May 17, 2026Breathless (1960)
Godard's 1960 French New Wave debut. Belmondo and Seberg in Paris. The jump cuts that broke continuity editing for the rest of cinema.
May 18, 2026Cash Out (2024)
2024 Ives action with Travolta as a master thief in a botched bank heist. Direct-to-streaming late-career programmer.
May 14, 2026Casino (1995) — Review
Scorsese's Las Vegas mob masterpiece. De Niro, Pesci, Sharon Stone Oscar-nominated. Three hours that don't feel long. Foundational crime cinema. 10+/10.
May 19, 2026Chicago (2002)
Rob Marshall's 2002 jazz-age murder musical. Zellweger, Zeta-Jones, Gere. Won six Academy Awards including Best Picture.
May 17, 2026Chinatown (1974)
Polanski's 1974 Los Angeles neo-noir. Nicholson, Dunaway, Huston. Robert Towne screenplay. The water-rights conspiracy that defined New Hollywood pessimism.
May 16, 2026Code of Silence (1985)
Andrew Davis's 1985 Chicago cop thriller. Among the stronger Chuck Norris theatrical efforts. Early Andrew Davis work before The Fugitive.
May 16, 2026Dirty Harry Pentalogy (1971-1988)
Clint Eastwood's five Dirty Harry films, 1971-1988. The original and Magnum Force are essential. Foundational American police thriller cinema.
May 19, 2026Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Sidney Lumet's 1975 Brooklyn bank heist. Pacino, John Cazale. Real 1972 incident. Attica, Wyoming, sweltering New York summer.
May 19, 2026Donnie Brasco (1997)
Mike Newell's 1997 undercover FBI drama. Depp as agent infiltrating Mafia, Pacino as the made man who befriends him. Forget about it.
May 17, 2026Double Indemnity (1944)
Wilder's 1944 insurance-fraud noir. MacMurray, Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson. Chandler co-wrote with Wilder. The template every later noir borrowed from.
May 15, 2026Fargo (1996) — Review
Fargo is one of the best American films of the 1990s and one of the most distinctive achievements in the Coen Brothers filmography. The film was released in March 1996. It grossed approximately sixty million dollars worldwide on a production budget of approximately seven million dollars. The film...
May 15, 2026Fargo (FX Series, 2014-present) — Review
Fargo is one of the best television series of the past fifteen years and one of the most creatively ambitious anthology productions in American television history. Noah Hawley created the series for FX. The first season aired in 2014. Five seasons have aired across the past decade with additional...
May 16, 2026Four Brothers (2005)
John Singleton's 2005 Detroit revenge film. Wahlberg, Tyrese, André Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund as adopted brothers. Update of Sons of Katie Elder.
May 18, 2026Get Carter (1971)
1971 Mike Hodges crime film with Michael Caine as a London gangster avenging his brother in Newcastle. Cold and merciless.
May 18, 2026Get Shorty (1995)
1995 Barry Sonnenfeld crime comedy adapting Elmore Leonard. Travolta as Miami loan shark who becomes a Hollywood producer.
May 18, 2026Gigli (2003)
2003 Martin Brest crime comedy with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Career-damaging flop during Bennifer tabloid frenzy.
May 18, 2026Gotti (2018)
2018 Kevin Connolly biopic with Travolta as Gambino crime family boss John Gotti. Notorious zero-percent Rotten Tomatoes score.
May 16, 2026Havoc (2025)
Gareth Evans's 2025 Tom Hardy Netflix action thriller. Raid director applies established choreography approach to American institutional material.
May 17, 2026High and Low (1963)
Kurosawa's 1963 kidnapping procedural. Mifune as the shoe executive. First hour in one room, then the film cracks open. Adapted from an Ed McBain novel.
May 19, 2026I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
Mervyn LeRoy's 1932 chain gang drama. Paul Muni. Changed Georgia state laws. The ending fade-to-darkness shot.
May 15, 2026In Bruges (2008)
In Bruges is Martin McDonagh's first feature and one of the great films of its decade. Colin Farrell plays Ray, an Irish hitman who has just botched his...
May 17, 2026Infernal Affairs (2002)
Lau and Mak's 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller. Two moles on opposite sides. The film Scorsese remade as The Departed. Often called the better version.
May 18, 2026Kill the Irishman (2011)
2011 Jonathan Hensleigh crime biopic with Ray Stevenson as 1970s Cleveland mob enforcer Danny Greene. Christopher Walken supports.
May 18, 2026King of New York (1990)
1990 Abel Ferrara crime film with Christopher Walken as drug lord Frank White redistributing wealth in 1980s New York.
May 16, 2026L.A. Confidential (1997)
Curtis Hanson's 1997 neo-noir on 1950s LAPD corruption. Three lead cops with actual arcs. The rare adult crime film that respects its audience.
May 17, 2026Last Man Standing (1996)
Hill's 1996 Walter Hill remake of Yojimbo. Bruce Willis as the drifter who plays two Prohibition-era gangs against each other. Texas dust, Christopher Walken.
May 14, 2026Layer Cake (2004) — Review
Matthew Vaughn's directorial debut. Daniel Craig's career-defining performance that secured him the James Bond role. London cocaine distribution. 8/10.
May 19, 2026Le Trou (1960)
Jacques Becker's 1960 French prison drama. Five inmates plan escape from La Sante. Real-time digging sequences. Becker's final film.
May 17, 2026Little Caesar (1931)
LeRoy's 1931 pre-Code gangster film. Edward G. Robinson as Rico. The film that established the rise-and-fall gangster template. Scarface 1932 came right after.
May 14, 2026Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) — Review
Guy Ritchie's directorial debut. Launched Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones. Multi-thread East London crime comedy. 8/10.
May 16, 2026Lord of War (2005)
Andrew Niccol's 2005 Nicolas Cage international arms trade drama. Among the most accomplished commercial cinema examinations of the industry.
May 17, 2026M (1931)
Fritz Lang's 1931 German film. Peter Lorre as a child murderer hunted by both police and the criminal underworld. The first proper serial killer film.
May 19, 2026Mean Streets (1973)
Scorsese's 1973 breakthrough. Harvey Keitel and De Niro as Little Italy hustlers. Catholic guilt, street violence, jukebox soundtrack.
May 17, 2026Memories of Murder (2003)
Bong Joon-ho's 2003 procedural. Korean cops hunt a serial killer in the 1980s. Based on the real Hwaseong murders. Pairs with Zodiac.
May 19, 2026O.J.: Made in America (2016)
Ezra Edelman's 2016 seven-hour ESPN doc. O.J. Simpson trial through race-and-celebrity prism. Won Oscar despite TV format.
May 19, 2026Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Sergio Leone's 1984 final film. De Niro, James Woods. New York Jewish gangsters across five decades. Three hours forty-five minutes uncut.
May 16, 2026Out for Justice (1991)
John Flynn's 1991 Brooklyn cop thriller. Among the stronger Steven Seagal theatrical efforts. William Forsythe antagonist elevates the work.
May 15, 2026Pain and Gain (2013)
Pain and Gain is Michael Bay's most personal commercial film. Seen it twice. The 7 rating is honest evaluation. Michael Bay directing. Mark Wahlberg as Daniel Lugo. Dwayne Johnson as Paul Doyle. Anthony Mackie as Adrian Doorbal. Tony Shalhoub as Victor Kershaw. Ed Harris as Ed Du Bois. Rebel Wilson...
May 16, 2026Parker (2013)
Taylor Hackford's 2013 Jason Statham Donald Westlake adaptation. First major adaptation to use the Parker name. Acceptable but not substantial.
May 16, 2026Payback (1999)
Brian Helgeland's 1999 Mel Gibson crime thriller. Two versions: studio theatrical and 2006 director's cut. Westlake Parker adaptation under Porter name.
May 17, 2026Pulp Fiction (1994)
Tarantino's 1994 anthology crime film. Three interlocking stories. Palme d'Or. The film that made indie a commercial proposition. Still works.
May 17, 2026Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Tarantino's 1992 debut. A heist film with no heist. Seven men in suits in a warehouse. The screenplay that launched American indie of the 1990s.
May 19, 2026Rififi (1955)
Jules Dassin's 1955 French heist. Thirty-two-minute silent jewelry heist sequence. Template for every heist procedural since.
May 18, 2026Savages (2012)
2012 Oliver Stone crime drama with Travolta, Benicio del Toro, Salma Hayek. California marijuana growers versus Mexican cartel.
May 16, 2026Scarface (1932)
Howard Hawks's 1932 pre-Code Chicago gangster classic. Paul Muni as the Capone-adjacent Tony Camonte. Foundational gangster cinema.
May 17, 2026Seven Psychopaths (2012)
McDonagh's 2012 Hollywood meta-comedy. Farrell, Rockwell, Walken, Harrelson. A screenwriter cannot finish his screenplay. McDonagh's second feature.
May 19, 2026Sexy Beast (2000)
Jonathan Glazer's 2000 British crime debut. Ben Kingsley terrifying as Don Logan. Ray Winstone retired in Spain. Coercion drama.
May 16, 2026Street Kings (2008)
David Ayer's 2008 LAPD corruption thriller. Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, James Ellroy on the screenplay. Genre material at higher register.
May 19, 2026Sugar & Spice (2001)
Francine McDougall's 2001 American crime comedy about a high school cheerleading squad that robs banks to support their leader's pregnancy. Marley Shelton and Mena Suvari star in the cult-classic cheerleader heist comedy.
May 19, 2026The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
John Huston's 1950 jewel heist noir. Sterling Hayden, Sam Jaffe, brief Marilyn Monroe. The original ensemble heist film.
May 14, 2026The Bank Job (2008) — Review
Roger Donaldson's heist film based on the 1971 Lloyds Bank Baker Street robbery. Jason Statham outside his action register. Princess Margaret D-Notice. 8/10.
May 16, 2026The Corruptor (1999)
James Foley's 1999 NYC Chinatown thriller. Chow Yun-fat in mainstream American production with Mark Wahlberg. Cultural engagement above typical genre.
May 17, 2026The Dark Knight (2008)
Nolan's 2008 Batman sequel. Bale, Ledger, Eckhart. Ledger's posthumous Oscar. The film that proved comic book films could be major cinema.
May 16, 2026The Departed (2006)
Scorsese's 2006 Boston crime thriller. Two moles, one in the mob, one in the police. DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson. Finally got Scorsese his Oscar.
May 18, 2026The Forger (2014)
2014 Philip Martin crime drama with Nicolas Cage as an art forger who breaks out of prison for his terminally ill son.
May 13, 2026The Getaway (1972) and The Getaway (1994) — Review
Two adaptations of Jim Thompson's novel. 1972 Peckinpah with Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw foundational. 1994 Donaldson with Baldwin and Basinger. 8.5/10.
Mar 20, 2026The Godfather — Review
The Godfather is the best film ever made from a craft perspective. Not the most entertaining, not the most beloved, not the most influential — though it is all three. The best constructed. The most…
May 17, 2026The Godfather Part II (1974)
Coppola's 1974 sequel-and-prequel. De Niro as young Vito, Pacino as Michael. The film that proved sequels could exceed originals.
May 19, 2026The Killers (1946)
Robert Siodmak's 1946 Hemingway adaptation. Burt Lancaster debut. Ava Gardner. The murder happens in the first ten minutes.
May 19, 2026The Killing (1956)
Kubrick's 1956 racetrack robbery. Sterling Hayden. Non-linear structure that became Tarantino's vocabulary. Lionel White novel.
May 19, 2026The Long Goodbye (1973)
Robert Altman's 1973 Chandler revisionism. Elliott Gould as Marlowe out of place in 1970s LA. Cat opening. Hooray for Hollywood.
May 17, 2026The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Huston's 1941 directorial debut. Bogart as Sam Spade. The film that established American film noir as a coherent style.
May 19, 2026The Public Enemy (1931)
William Wellman's 1931 pre-code gangster classic. James Cagney as Tom Powers. Grapefruit in the face. Foundation of the genre.
May 19, 2026The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Errol Morris' 1988 wrongful conviction doc. Randall Adams case in Texas. Reenactments. The film that freed an innocent man.
May 14, 2026The Town (2010) — Review
Ben Affleck's Charlestown Boston heist film. Jeremy Renner Oscar-nominated. Substantive cultural specificity and procedural authenticity. 8/10.
May 19, 2026The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De Palma's 1987 Eliot Ness biopic. Costner, Connery, De Niro as Capone. Mamet screenplay. Connery's Oscar.
May 16, 2026Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
Otto Preminger's 1950 film noir with Dana Andrews. Detective accidentally kills suspect then frames innocent man. Among the great noir achievements.
May 19, 2026White Heat (1949)
Raoul Walsh's 1949 noir gangster. Cagney as psychopathic mama's boy Cody Jarrett. Made it Ma, top of the world. Genre climax.
May 14, 2026Wrath of Man (2021) — Review
Guy Ritchie's late-career crime action masterpiece. Jason Statham's career-defining controlled-rage performance. Multi-perspective revenge narrative. 10+/10.
May 16, 2026Zodiac (2007)
David Fincher's 2007 procedural on the SF Zodiac killer investigation. Three protagonists, no killer caught. Obsession as the actual subject.