10 Most Disturbing Crime Movies, Ranked

Crime dramas are one of the most important genres in the history of film, as it is impossible to look back at the history of the medium without thinking about all-time classics like The Godfather, The Maltese Falcon, On The Waterfront, or Taxi Driver. Crime films have often been at the foray of pushing the film industry forward in terms of incorporating explicit content on screen; even when Hollywood dealt with more serious censorship issues, crime films were able to hint at darker themes that many studios would traditionally shy away from.

Today, crime films are where many of the most exciting filmmakers are working to make exciting and potentially divisive, even though the genre has been dominated by many prestige television shows like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The Wire. Here are the ten most disturbing crime films, ranked.

Editor’s note: The following contains discussion of unsettling, graphic and violent content. Please be advised.

10 ‘Oldboy’ (2003)

Directed by Park Chan-wook

Oldboy has one of the most upsetting plot twists of all-time, but that’s not the only reason why Park Chan-wook’s captivating 2003 thriller is one of the most disturbing films ever made. Oldboy is a film that questions the value of revenge, as it suggests that any acts of vengeance are bound to result in even more violence and catastrophe.

Oldboy became renowned for its brutal fight scenes, including the infamous “hallway sequence” which has inspired many other “one shot” moments in popular projects, most notably in the first season of the Marvel Netflix series Daredevil. The depiction of torture, sexual assault, mental health dosorders, and drug abuse make Oldboy a completely unique reinvention of the crime thriller genre that is very hard to watch more than once, even for those that can stomach disturbing content on a regular basis.

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9 ‘American History X’ (1998)

Directed by Tony Kaye

American History X is unlike any other drama film because it seeks to unpack the origins of the country’s racial discrimination issues. Edward Norton gives one of the best performances of his career as a former neo-Nazi skinhead who goes through a significant change when he is imprisoned, and begins seeking out a path of redemption.

American History X includes extremely upsetting depictions of hate crimes, sexual assault, and police brutality, all of which sadly feel just as relevant today as they were when the film was first released in 1998. What’s most upsetting is that American History X does not sanitize its narrative in the hope of giving an easy solution to an issue this complex; the shocking moment of violence that ends the film indicates that the cycle of hatred and bloodlust cannot easily be stopped, even if redemption is possible.

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8 ‘We Need To Talk About Kevin’ (2011)

Directed by Lynne Ramsay

We Need To Talk About Kevin evokes modern fears about the epidemic of school shootings by delving into the mind of a disturbed teenager (Ezra Miller) and his complex relationship with his mother (Tilda Swinton). The brilliance of We Need To Talk About Kevin is that it does not treat the outburst of violence as a major plot twist; the audience is well aware of what’s coming, and is forced to sit with the uncomfortable ending that the film is hinting at.

We Need To Talk About Kevin brings to life every parent’s nightmare about raising a monster, and shows the shame, guilt, and anxiety that are specific to the maternal experience. Director Lynne Ramsay has a history of making very visceral crime movies, but We Need To Talk About Kevin is certainly the most disturbing film that she had made thus far in her career.

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7 ‘Bad Lieutenant’ (1997)

Directed by Abel Ferrara

Bad Lieutenant was a subversion of the typical “heroic cop” narrative that had been perpetrated by many crime films, as Harvey Keitel gave a transfixing performance as a corrupt law enforcement officer who is assigned to track down the criminals responsible for assaulting a Catholic nun. Bad Lieutenant is among the rare NC-17 rated films that actually made a sizable dent at the box office, as generally the restrictive rating limits the commercial potential.

Bad Lieutenant depicts harrowing moments of violence, drug abuse, and sexual assault that are disturbing because of how realistically Abel Ferrara directs the film’s analysis of police and criminal culture. While the film touches on potent themes of sin and forgiveness, it is also the type of project that is meant to provoke extreme reactions out of its audience because of how bleak its worldview is.

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6 ‘Bad Education’ (2004)

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Bad Education is one of the many masterpieces of Pedro Almodóvar’s career, but one of the few instances in which the beloved Spanish writer/director used his aptitude for sprawling ensemble stories for a crime drama. Bad Education is a film that viewers may need to take multiple viewing to fully comprehend, as it incorporates several plot twists and fluctuating character identities; that being said, Bad Education is also a harrowing examination of sexual abuse that may be difficult to watch more than once.

Bad Education is a harrowing look at the lingering effects of childhood trauma that has real empathy for the victims of abuse, thanks in no small part to the brilliant performance by Gael García Bernal. The similarities that Almodovar draws with more traditionally crowd pleasing coming-of-age narratives only makes the subtext of Bad Education more disturbing.

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5 ‘The House That Jack Built’ (2018)

Directed by Lars Von Trier

The House That Jack Built is proof that Lars Von Trier is the most uncompromising filmmaker of his generation, as none of the controversy surrounding his work on Nymphomaniac or Breaking The Waves dissuade him from making his most disturbing thriller yet.The House That Jack Built is a look into the mind of a truly disturbed serial killer, played in a haunting performance by Matt Dillon, who had once been a generational heartthrob with his work in The Outsiders and Drugstore Cowboy.

The House That Jack Built is unafraid to get darkly comic when detailing its violent sequences, forcing the audience to question how far they are willing to go. Nothing about the experience of watching The House That Jack Built is intended to be pleasant, but the idea that Von Trier was able to laugh at some of the most extreme acts of savagery somehow makes it even more disturbing.

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4 ‘Wild at Heart’ (1990)

Directed by David Lynch

Wild at Heart is perhaps the darkest film of David Lynch’s career, as even a narratives as oppressive and disturbing as Blue Velvet or Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me leave the door open for some amount of hope. Comparatively, Wild at Heart is a disturbing venture into the dark side of the “American dream” that retrofits the iconography of Elvis Presley music and The Wizard of Oz into a dark road trip adventure about two lovers having to elude the forces that seek to drive them apart.

Wild at Heart is quite shocking in its depiction of evil, as Willem Dafoe plays one of the most evil characters that have appeared in any of Lynch’s films. Although aspects of the film are quite gritty, the surrealist influence turns the somewhat straightforward set up into what feels like waking up from a nightmare.

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3 ‘Se7en’ (1995)

Directed by David Fincher

Se7en kicked off a wave of serial killer films in the 1990s, but managed to get far deeper into the psychology of disturbed villains than many of its imitators. David Fincher created a series of graphic murders, each of which are more disturbing than the next; the iconic ending featuring the excruciating death of Gwyneth Paltrow’s character has been seared in the memories of every moviegoer that was taken by surprise when they first witnessed it. However, some of the most disturbing moments in Se7en are those that Fincher leaves open to interpretation.

Se7en is particularly disturbing because Fincher’s world view is so cynical, as evidenced by the haunting final line from Morgan Freeman. Fincher would return to the serial killer genre with Zodiac and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but Se7en remains the most visceral project that he has ever worked on about the subject.

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2 ‘Man Bites Dog’ (1992)

Directed by Rémy Belvaux

Man Bites Dog was a radical reinvention of the mockumentary genre that follows a group of fictional filmmakers that track the activities of a serial killer. While most mockumentaries tend to be more comedic in the vein of This Is Spinal Team or Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Man Bites Dog explores the concept to its logical extremes as the film crew begins aiding and abetting the serial killer that they are intending to cover.

Man Bites Dog has a lot to say about how willful ignorance is an issue in media, and its use of realistic crime scene photography only makes the central conceit more disturbing. Man Bites Dog isn’t just a collection of disturbing moments of murder and assault, but a condemnation of audiences that seek out these types of stories and don’t think about the events that inspired them.

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1 ‘Funny Games’ (1997)

Directed by Michael Haneke

Funny Games is a masterwork from director Michael Haneke that plays with the cinematic medium to create an ambiguous story that breaks the fourth wall. Unlike traditional slasher films like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or A Nightmare On Elm Street, Funny Games presents serial killer characters who look and feel like normal people up until the point that their dastardly evil plans are revealed.

Funny Games is disturbing because it uses the home invasion genre to destroy the concept of safety, giving the victims no room to feel safe in any capacity. Although the film can certainly be perceived to be a satire of the indifference of the wealthy class that is never held accountable for their privilege, there’s never a moment when the rampant abuse and torture that the characters are forced to go through is not upsetting to watch.

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