10 Darkest Crime Movies of the ’80s, Ranked
It’s easy to stereotype the 1980s as a sunny, flashy, colorful, vibrant, and synthpop-heavy decade. While that side of the 1980s might’ve happened in some places to some extent, and while media made since the 1980s has certainly depicted it that way, hardships were still part of that time in history, and that was reflected in a handful of very good – yet also very distressing – crime movies made between 1980 and 1989.
These ones go darker than the likes of The Untouchables or even Scarface. The crime movies below are dark for a number of reasons, be they super intense, very pessimistic, unapologetically violent, inevitably tragic, or even some/all of the above. They’re not all easy watches, but they explore crime and its consequences in uncompromising ways, meaning that even if they’re hard to enjoy, it’s less difficult to ultimately respect them.
10
‘Blood Simple’ (1984)
Directed by Joel Coen
Though No Country for Old Men is probably the darkest crime film the Coen Brothers ended up making, Blood Simple gives it a run for its money in the bleak department. It was one hell of a feature debut, focusing on just a handful of characters who all get wrapped up in a scheme gone wrong that leads to numerous deaths and persistent terror for anyone “lucky” enough to survive the movie’s duration.
The world here is a hellish one, largely removed from the sometimes-funny, sometimes-surreal, sometimes-bleak worlds the Coens conjured up for some of their other movies. Blood Simple averts having an entirely tragic ending, but it’s still pretty downbeat, and doesn’t give much relief considering what came before. This is an exceptionally nihilistic crime/noir film, and it still packs an unnervingly mighty punch 40+ years on from release.
9
‘Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer’ (1986)
Directed by John McNaughton
The “Henry” part of the title for this movie might not sound so bad, considering that’s a pretty normal name and all. It’s the Portrait of a Serial Killer part that’s far more ominous. Taken together, you get a look at a guy who might sometimes try and be normal, fitting into the world, but then he’s also a serial killer, and he does what he can to try and continue his killing spree for as long as possible without getting caught.
It’s like a much darker Dexter, and while it can be extremely unpleasant to watch, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer does ultimately impress. It’s not just a crime film, either, considering it also works as a horror movie, and one that has, at certain points in history, received bans from certain countries, too, mostly due to the level of violence found here.
8
‘Cruising’ (1980)
Directed by William Friedkin
William Friedkin scarcely gave a f**k, as a filmmaker, and that attitude led to him making some of the boldest and most groundbreaking American movies of the past 50-ish years. One of those was Cruising, which is a film that still feels surprising to watch today, and trying to comprehend how it came out all the way back at the very start of the 1980s is overwhelming.
Here, the narrative concerns a series of murders targeting people in certain gay bars, which prompts Al Pacino’s character to go undercover and catch the killer. There’s a lot of sweat, a ton of mature content, and an overall sense of unease and tension due to where so much of Cruising is set. It throws you into a particular scene and doesn’t seem to care whether you’ll stay afloat. And, if you do, it’s the sort of movie that’s dark enough that even catching the killer might not feel all that satisfying, or could well come with too high a cost.
7
‘Once Upon a Time in America’ (1984)
Directed by Sergio Leone
On top of being one of the darkest crime films of the 1980s, Once Upon a Time in America is also one of the longest, with the most widely accessible version of the film being almost four hours long. It’s a true epic, and it utilizes that runtime well, showing a group of youths forming a gang, and having that bond continue into adulthood.
But things get complicated as they get older. The crimes intensify, and some people start wanting to take a bigger piece of the action for themselves. Inevitable betrayals lead to regret much later on in life, with Once Upon a Time in America having some of its characters reach old age, so you really do get to see a handful of lives play out in their near entirety. Also, the film is not shy about extreme content and having its main characters be totally unlikable, in turn giving Robert De Niro one of his vilest villains to date (though the fact that these terrible people do also feel human, in some ways, just adds to the unease and impact of the movie overall; De Niro did something similar when portraying Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull).
6
‘The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover’ (1989)
Directed by Peter Greenaway
There’s a lot that can be said about The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; maybe even too much. It’s both one of the grossest and most beautiful movies ever made, and a go-to example for anyone who might be curious about what makes a sicko film a sicko film. The four titular characters get wrapped up in a messy series of outbursts, violent acts, affairs, threats, and eventual revenge… very, very odd revenge.
The whole of The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover is odd, but in such a compelling and ultimately captivating way. Nothing else quite looks, feels, or sounds (thanks, Michael Nyman) like this, and those with strong stomachs and a keenness to see something different as far as gangster movies go ought to check it out. Also, having Michael Gambon and Helen Mirren both giving career-best performances? Well, that’s worth the price of admission on its own.
5
‘Pixote’ (1980)
Directed by Héctor Babenco
Hitting the same beats as Christiane F. in terms of both putting young people through horrific ordeals (though Christiane F. is less directly crime-focused), Pixote is one of the most underrated and troubling movies of its era. Like that aforementioned German film, Pixote is about youths stuck in a difficult cycle within an uncaring world, but the setting here is Brazil, and petty crime is what most of the characters engage in.
It’s a film about how even trying to survive in a difficult area without much by way of support can be an exercise in futility. Very little ends well for anyone in Pixote, and as a viewer, you just have to sit there and watch things fall apart for just over two hours. It’s a hugely difficult watch, and the sort one’s unlikely to want to revisit, but its power as a harrowing crime drama can’t be overstated.
4
‘Violent Cop’ (1989)
Directed by Takeshi Kitano
In Violent Cop, there is a violent cop, and he is, in fact, so violent that he makes the yakuza he’s supposed to be tracking down look kind of peaceful in comparison. It’s an exploration of police violence and a “fighting violence with violence” kind of thing in the same vein as RoboCop, as far as satire goes, but RoboCop also feels considerably happier when compared to this, and Violent Cop does not have sci-fi elements, either.
This is one of the most down-and-dirty films about the police taking on criminals ever made, and you could also call it something that makes Dirty Harry look Squeaky-Clean Larry. Violent Cop is not going to be for everyone, considering how brutal, blunt, and understated it all is, but it achieves what it sets out to do with flying colors, and feels distinct, even among the very offbeat and unpredictable other movies that make up Takeshi Kitano’s filmography.
- Release Date
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August 12, 1989
- Runtime
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103 minutes
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Maiko Kawakami
Akari Ryosuke
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Takeshi Kitano
Azuma Ryosuke
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3
‘To Live and Die in L.A.’ (1985)
Directed by William Friedkin
It might not be possible to work in as much grit into a two-ish hour movie as To Live and Die in L.A. does. This is another crime movie about criminals at large, and aggressive members of the police stopping at nothing to get them, but it’s all so dirty, sweaty, heat-drenched, spontaneous, and even dangerous at times… well, at least in certain sequences.
There’s a car chase here that’s an all-time great action set piece, and similarly surprising are the very bloody shootouts, both in terms of who gets shot and how much they bleed. To Live and Die in L.A. is entertaining, but also depressing, with a very negative worldview that’s at the forefront the whole time, even when you might be having fun with some of the style and action scenes offered alongside the cynicism. Without a doubt, Friedkin topped the level of grime, misery, and chaos found in Cruising when he made To Live and Die in L.A.
To Live and Die in L.A.
- Release Date
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November 1, 1985
- Runtime
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116 minutes
2
‘A Short Film About Killing’ (1988)
Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
First of all, A Short Film About Killing isn’t really a short film. Like, it’s a short feature film, but if a short film is defined as something that’s under 45 minutes, then this one isn’t. It actually runs for 85 minutes and utilizes that time well, expanding Dekalog: Five (which was less than an hour long) from Krzysztof Kieślowski’s series Dekalog, which comprised 10 episodes.
Dekalog Five and, by extension, A Short Film About Killing, might well have been the most brutal and harrowing of the lot, with a simple premise that sees a motiveless murder play out in grisly detail, then followed by the aftermath and what happens to such a criminal, once caught. Everything about this arthouse movie’s bleak: the lead-up to the murder, the murder, and then what happens post-murder. It’s so miserable. But it’s also so understated and has this eerily real feel to it, making it a highly impressive film, even if it’s a bit difficult to recommend.
1
‘Angst’ (1983)
Directed by Gerald Kargl
Another film where the title kind of gives you a decent warning, Angst is brutal and unapologetically stressful, essentially from start to finish. Like with A Short Film About Killing, the central character here is driven to kill, and then much of the movie just shows him executing his terrible crime. Here, though, he goes after multiple people at once, and it all takes so much agonizingly longer.
Angst is so impressive on a filmmaking front, and as something that just sustains an unholy amount of tension for so long, but it’s also heinous and shocking and probably not watchable by the standards of most people. Anyone who can sit through it will be shaken to their core by it. As a depiction of a crime, and a movie that never wants to look away or make things easy, Angst is a strong contender for the title of “Darkest Crime Movie of the 1980s.” Well-done. Now, please get away from me, Angst. Seriously. Stop looking at me funny. Would you – is that a knife? Put the knife down, Angst. Come on. Stop stepping toward me. Put the knife down. You’re number one, Angst. What more could you wa — AAAGHGGHHHHH!
- Release Date
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January 1, 1983
- Runtime
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75 Minutes
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Robert Hunger-Bühler
Psychopath (voice)
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Silvia Rabenreither
Daughter
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