From the mind-benders that left us questioning reality to the heart-wrenchers that tugged at our moral compasses, these are the 25 crime dramas from the 2010s that truly deserved more buzz. So, forget what you think you know about crime dramas; it's time to uncover the hidden brilliance of the decade!
25. "The Next Three Days" (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 50%
A college professor becomes obsessed with the idea of breaking his wife out of prison after she is convicted of a murder she claims she didn't commit.
24. "Out of the Furnace" (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
When a man's brother mysteriously disappears after returning from Iraq, he takes justice into his own hands, propelling him into the dark heart of the Rust Belt.
23. "Triple 9" (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 55%
A group of corrupt cops and criminals plan a major heist, setting up a rookie police officer to die as a diversion, but their plan starts to unravel.
22. "Shot Caller" (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%
A successful businessman transformed into a hardened criminal inside prison, orchestrates a major crime with a rival gang on the outside as part of a strategic move to secure his family's safety.
21. "The Invisible Guest" (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 70%
A successful businessman wakes up next to his dead lover in a locked hotel room and races against time to uncover the true perpetrator and his own involvement.
20. "Destroyer" (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
A guilt-ridden detective reconnects with people from an undercover assignment in her distant past to make peace with her demons.
19. "Killing Them Softly" (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
In the wake of a mob-protected poker game robbery, a professional enforcer is hired to restore order, navigating a seedy criminal underworld reflective of the 2008 economic crisis.
18. "Tom at the Farm" (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
A young man attends his lover's funeral in rural Quebec, only to find himself entangled in a web of deception, manipulation, and hidden agendas within the grieving family.
17. "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
A motorcycle stunt rider turns to bank robberies to provide for his lover and newborn child, a decision that reverberates across generations and intertwines with a policeman's journey.
16. "Prisoners" (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
The kidnapping of two young girls leads to a desperate father taking matters into his own hands, while a detective tries to unravel the mystery amidst moral ambiguity.
15. "The Ghost Writer" (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
A ghostwriter hired to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.
14. "The Lincoln Lawyer" (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
A slick, charismatic lawyer operates out of the back of his Lincoln and finds himself in a moral quandary when he realizes his client is guilty of more than just the case at hand.
13. "Cold in July" (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
A small-town man's life spirals into violence and mystery after he kills a burglar, uncovering a deeper conspiracy involving corrupt police and a vengeful father.
12. "Wind River" (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A wildlife tracker and an FBI agent uncover a harrowing murder mystery on the remote Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
11. "Miss Bala" (2011)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A young woman's dream of winning a beauty contest turns into a nightmare when she becomes involved with a drug cartel after witnessing a murder.
10. "You Were Never Really Here" (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
A traumatized mercenary who rescues girls from human trafficking embarks on a brutal quest for vengeance when a job spins out of control.
9. "The Drop" (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
A Brooklyn bartender finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry in a neighborhood bar used as a money-laundering front by the Chechen mafia.
8. "A Most Violent Year" (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
In 1981 New York, an immigrant fights to protect his family and business amidst rampant violence, corruption, and moral decay.
7. "Green Room" (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
A punk rock band, trapped in a secluded venue after witnessing a violent crime, faces a life-or-death struggle against a group of neo-Nazi skinheads.
6. "Good Time" (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, a street hustler embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York's underworld to get his brother out.
5. "Sicario" (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted in a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the U.S.-Mexico border, facing harsh realities and moral dilemmas.
4. "Nightcrawler" (2014)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
An ambitious sociopath enters the world of L.A. crime journalism, blurring ethical lines and manipulating crime scenes to capture sensational footage.
3. "Blue Ruin" (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
A mysterious vagrant returns to his childhood home to exact revenge against those who ruined his life, leading to a bloody and unintended chain of events.
2. "Hell or High Water" (2016)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Two brothers resort to a series of calculated bank robberies to save their family ranch in Texas, pursued by a relentless and aging Texas Ranger.
1. "The Guilty" (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
A demoted police officer assigned to emergency dispatch duty scrambles to save a distressed caller during a harrowing day of revelations – and personal reckonings.