From hard-hitting investigations to action thrillers, detective procedurals, and everything in between, crime movies are one of our favorite genres, simply because they can be so many things. Some of the best movies ever made fall into this category, and we can’t help but love these twisty stories. They’re even better when they’re free to watch. We narrowed down our favorites to the best crime movies on Tubi.
What are the best crime movies on Tubi?
The streaming platform has a lot, and it’s a great place to find some older titles, like Rush (1991) and one of our favorites on this list, In the Heat of the Night (1967). Just a note: a few of these films deal with difficult subject matter or include graphic violence.
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
In the Heat of the Night was a landmark film in cinematic history. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film stars Sidney Poitier as Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs, who is arrested under suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger), the prejudiced police chief in a small town in Mississippi. After Tibbs proves his and another man’s innocence, Tibbs sets out to track down the real killer, despite the danger he faces as a Black man in the south. Though the film certainly reflects the 1960s filmmaking style, it’s just as resonant today as it was when it premiered. The film was nominated for seven Oscars and was a critical success, as was its controversy stemming from “the slap heard round the world”.
Spotlight (2015)
Spotlight tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s 2001 investigation into sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, mainly focusing on the allegations against a priest named John Geoghan. The investigation revealed widespread sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and institutional efforts to silence the victims. Directed by Tom McCarthy and co-written by McCarthy and Josh Singer, the film stars Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams as journalists committed to exposing the truth, no matter how powerful the systems involved. Spotlight is a fantastic example of detailed storytelling and restraint, executed with great care (both for the subjects and audience) for an extremely difficult subject. Spotlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture and is still a benchmark for real-world crime and investigative films.
Nightcrawler (2014)
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen Jake Gyllenhaal in a crime thriller. Setting our wishes for another aside, Nightcrawler is a great one to look back on (along with Prisoners and Nocturnal Animals). Gyllenhaal plays Lou Bloom, a seemingly normal guy making ends meet, who stumbles upon news station cameramen filming a car wreck. He soon learns that the cameramen are freelancers who monitor police radios to reach the scene as events unfold. The early bird, you know. He ends up working for a news station, and before long, Lou finds more ways to capture violent footage because, well, violence sells. Soon, we find out this “normal” guy is actually pretty twisted. This is as clean a satirical thriller as there ever was, with every element of character-driven suspense cinema — from Network to Drive to Taxi Driver.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Just a notice: this is perhaps the most graphically violent film on our list. That said, it’s a fantastic movie, but even the most thick-skinned viewers may flinch. Directed by David Fincher and based on the novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo stars Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig as two complex characters, a hacker and an investigative journalist, each with their own dark past. They team up to uncover the truth behind the decades-old disappearance of a 16-year-old girl.
Dead Man Walking (1995)
For a different take on the genre, this is a heart-wrenching drama based on Sister Helen Prejean’s real-life experiences. Directed by Tim Robbins, the film stars Susan Sarandon as Prejean and Sean Penn as Matthew Poncelet, a man on death row for murder. When Prejean agrees to become Poncelet’s spiritual advisor, she finds herself on a deeply complicated journey that explores guilt and grace, as well as the justice system and the death penalty in the face of faith. Please don’t be like this writer and somehow miss this film for years. It brilliantly confronts its subject matter with unflinching honesty. The performances are absolutely unforgettable, particularly Sarandon’s Oscar-winning turn.
How we picked the best crime movies on Tubi
While Tubi offers many options to sort through, we narrowed our choices to films that have received both critical and audience acclaim. We also wanted to mention a few titles that may have been forgotten over the years, like In the Heat of the Night and Dead Man Walking. If you’re looking for another standout contender, Memories of Murder (2003) is absolutely fantastic and well worth a watch. (It’s also made its way onto some of our more recent guides, but you can watch it on Tubi for free.)