Murder! (1930)

Murder! (1930)

[4] In this early Alfred Hitchcock film, an actress (Diana Baring) is found in a fugue state next to a bloody fire poker and a murdered acquaintance. She's sentenced to death for a crime she doesn't remember committing, but a skeptical juror…
The Jackal (1997)

The Jackal (1997)

[4] Bruce Willis and Richard Gere co-star in this wobbly, underwhelming thriller about an imprisoned IRA fighter (Gere) who helps the FBI hunt down a mysterious assassin known as 'The Jackal' (Willis) before he kills a high-profile political target at the behest…
Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960)

Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960)

[7] After their daughter tells them about 'naked games' she played with an old man, two parents (Patrick Allen and Gwen Watford) take the old man to court. But they find themselves the unlikely target of the town's scorn for trying to…
Blackmail (1929)

Blackmail (1929)

[5] Alfred Hitchcock directed Blackmail just as synchronized sound was being added to the movies. It has the distinction of being Britain's first sound feature, although it was also released as a silent version. I opted to watch the silent version since…
The Big Heat (1953)

The Big Heat (1953)

[8] In this disturbing film noir piece from director Fritz Lang (Metropolis, Fury), Glenn Ford plays a police detective who uncovers a crime syndicate involving the police department and the district attorney. After investigating the unlikely suicide of a fellow officer, Ford…
Dick Tracy (1990)

Dick Tracy (1990)

[6] Warren Beatty directs and stars in Disney's big budget adaptation of Chester Gould's 1930s comic strip about a square-jawed detective caught in a constant battle of whack-a-mole with a horde of colorful gangsters. The screenplay by Top Gun's Jim Cash and…
No Country for Old Men (2007)

No Country for Old Men (2007)

[8] Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, and Josh Brolin star in this Southwestern chase movie that doubles as a meditation on man's perpetual but futile attempt to make order out of chaos. Brolin's character, Llewelyn Moss, stumbles upon the bloody aftermath of…
This Gun for Hire (1942)

This Gun for Hire (1942)

[7] Alan Ladd (Shane) made his breakthrough performance in this unusually dark and violent film noir tale co-starring Veronica Lake and Robert Preston. Ladd plays a hit man hunting down a client (The Lodger's Laird Cregar) who double-crossed him. Lake plays a…
The Roaring Twenties (1939)

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

[7] In this quintessential '30s gangster flick, James Cagney stars as a World War I vet who has a hard time finding a job when he returns home to New York City. He resorts to transporting liquor to speak-easies during Prohibition, which…
A Perfect World (1993)

A Perfect World (1993)

[8] Clint Eastwood directs and costars with Kevin Costner in A Perfect World. Costner plays an escaped convict who kidnaps a young boy (T.J. Lowther) as hostage while he tries to flee Texas for Alaska. Eastwood plays the ranger in pursuit, accompanied…