These crime dramas are gripping and intense, but, sadly, very underrated.
10. Out of Sight (1998) What would happen if a career criminal and a U.S. Marshal got stuck in a car trunk together? No? "Out of Sight" explores that very scenario.
George Clooney plays Jack Foley, a bank robber who escapes from prison and kidnaps U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco, played by Jennifer Lopez, in the process. Yeah, not your typical love story. They're separated but can't stop thinking about each other as they navigate a world of crime and law enforcement.
Despite its star-studded cast, the movie only grossed $77 million at the box office, but trust me, it's worth your time.
9. A Simple Plan (1998) Finding a bag of money in a crashed plane would not miraculously solve all your problems. That's the setup for "A Simple Plan," where Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton play brothers who stumble upon $4.4 million in a downed airplane in the woods. They make a pact to keep the money, but let's just say things get complicated real fast.
Trust issues, deception, and a pesky FBI agent starts sniffing around.
8. The Way of the Gun (2000) Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro are a pair of drifters who decide that kidnapping a surrogate mother is their ticket to easy money. Yeah, you heard that right. The woman is carrying a child for a rich couple, and they want a $15 million ransom. But get this: the rich father is involved in some really shady business, and he sends his bodyguards after them.
Guns blaze, alliances shift, and let's just say, everyone's motives are murkier than a mud pit.
7. Collateral (2004) Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a contract killer who hijacks a taxi driven by Max, played by Jamie Foxx. Max has to drive him around Los Angeles as he takes out his targets. Sounds straightforward, right? Wrong! A detective starts closing in, and Max realizes he might be Vincent's final target. Time and options run out as they zigzag through LA's nighttime labyrinth.
6. The Lookout (2007) Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Chris, a once-promising athlete whose life takes a nosedive after a car accident leaves him with a brain injury. Struggling with simple tasks and working as a janitor at a bank, he gets lured into a heist by a group of criminals.
The promise of a better life is tempting, but as you can guess, this is no walk in the park. The heist goes sideways, alliances are questioned, and Chris must navigate this dangerous game with his limited capabilities.
5. Frailty (2001) Bill Paxton (who also directed the film) and Matthew McConaughey star in this mind-bender. Paxton plays the father who's convinced that God has chosen him and his two sons to kill demons disguised as humans. Yeah, talk about a family project! His older son questions his dad's sanity while they carry out a series of murders.
Fast-forward to the future, and one of the sons walks into an FBI office claiming to know who the "God's Hand Killer" is. Brace yourself for that final twist; you won't see the end coming.
4. The Limey (1999) An English ex-con, Wilson, played by Terence Stamp, comes to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter's death. No sooner does he land than he's breaking into homes and beating up people to get information. He's hell-bent on finding a record producer who he believes is responsible.
Sounds like your typical revenge story, right? But the movie employs a fractured timeline that adds layers to the story like an onion, only less tear-inducing.
3. Go (1999) It's Christmas Eve and a group of young people in Los Angeles get tangled in a web of drug deals, car chases, and shootouts. Told from three different perspectives, the film kicks off when Ronna, a supermarket cashier, decides to take over a shift for her coworker and ends up involved in a drug deal that goes horribly wrong.
Each intersecting story introduces new characters who make increasingly bad decisions, and we're here just munching popcorn and thinking, "Could this get any crazier?" Spoiler: It does.
2. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007) In this Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke starrer, two financially strapped brothers decide to rob their parents' jewelry store. Sounds like an easy score, considering it's family. But oh boy, are they wrong. The robbery goes awry, leading to a series of unfortunate events that include blackmail, heroin addiction, and marital betrayal.
1. Ronin (1998) Robert De Niro and Jean Reno are part of a team of mercenaries hired to steal a mysterious briefcase. What's in it? We never find out, but man, does everyone want to get their hands on it. Double-crosses abound, car chases rip through the streets of Paris, and alliances shift like quicksand. De Niro's character, an ex-CIA agent, has to navigate this perilous journey while piecing together who he can trust.
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