When done right, crime and legal films can be award magnets. They are common Oscar contenders. Here are the crime and legal movies that have won the Academy Award for Best Picture over the years (click the pictures to check out the ones you haven’t yet seen):
No Country for Old Men – 2007 Based on the novel, a man finds two million dollars after a drug deal gone bad and flees a hit man trying to recover the money, with the sheriff close behind. The Departed – 2006 An Irish Mob boss plants an informant in the Massachusetts State Police while the police send an undercover officer to infiltrate the Mob. Both sides discover the other’s scheme, and each try to learn the other’s identity before his own cover is blown. Crash – 2005 A story of racial and social tension, several characters' stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles, including a black LAPD detective estranged from his mother, his criminal younger brother and gang associate, the white District Attorney and his irritated and pampered wife, a white racist police officer who disgusts his more idealistic younger partner, and an African American Hollywood director and his wife who must deal with the racist officer. Chicago – 2002 A musical crime movie about two women convicted of murder trying to save themselves from their death sentences. The Silence of the Lambs – 1991 (My personal favorite and only the third movie in history to win in all five major Oscar categories – best picture, director, actor, actress, and screenplay.) Based on the novel, an FBI trainee gains the trust of a brilliant institutionalized serial killer to help the FBI catch another active serial killer. Kramer vs. Kramer – 1979 Based on the novel, the film depicts a couple’s divorce and its impact on everyone around them. The Godfather Part II – 1974 This film depicts the rise to power of Vito Corleone and chronicles the Corleon family’s story after the events in The Godfather (see below). The Sting – 1973 A crime comedy following two professional conmen who try to scam a mob boss. The Godfather – 1972 Based on the novel, this film tells the story of the Corleone crime family. The French Connection – 1971 The film tells the story of two real NYPD detectives and revolves around the smuggling of narcotics between France and New York. Oliver! – 1968 A musical that in part follows the adventures of a band of pick-pockets. In the Heat of the Night – 1967 Based on a novel of the same name, this is the story of a black Philadelphia police detective (Sydney Poitier) who becomes involved in a murder investigation in a racist small town in Mississippi. West Side Story – 1961 A musical gang film based on the Broadway musical of the same name. On the Waterfront – 1954 A Mob film about union violence and corruption among longshoremen. With Marlon Brando. All the King’s Men – 1949 The rise and fall of a self-taught lawyer who became a corrupt politician and eventually discovers he can’t buy his way out of everything. Casablanca - 1942 Set in World War II, Casablanca was the portal for Europeans fleeing the Germans and trying to get to the United States. Many famous quotes come from this film, including, "Round up the usual suspects." Rebecca – 1940 Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film. An intense psychological thriller starring Laurence Olivier. Mutiny on the Bounty – 1935 Based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel, the film is a fictional chronicle of the real-life mutiny against Captain Bligh. |                                     |
I have to admit I haven't seen all of these. Which are your favorites?
If you're a writer of filmmaker, get your free eBook revealing the Top 7 Mistakes Made by Writers of Crime, Mystery and Legal Drama.
If you're a writer of filmmaker, get your free eBook revealing the Top 7 Mistakes Made by Writers of Crime, Mystery and Legal Drama.
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