Safe in Hell (1931)

Safe in Hell (1931)

[6] Director William Wellman (Wings, Battleground) opens Safe in Hell with the title in flames, and I interpret that to mean, "Buckle up for melodrama." Dorothy Mackaill stars as a woman who hits hard times in New Orleans while her…
The Watcher (2000)

The Watcher (2000)

[2] James Spader and Keanu Reeves star in this tired, busily boring, and wretchedly made thriller about a serial killer who likes to play games with the FBI agent on his trail. I can't fault Spader for doing his best…
Matchstick Men (2003)

Matchstick Men (2003)

[8] Nicolas Cage stars as a neurotic con artist whose life is turned upside down when his teenaged daughter (Alison Lohman) enters his life and distracts him while he's pulling off a big heist with his protégé (Sam Rockwell). While…
Bronson (2008)

Bronson (2008)

[7] Tom Hardy stars as Michael Peterson, one of Britain's most notorious prisoners, in this film from director Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives). The film starts in 1974 with Peterson's attempt to rob a post office with a…
Nightmare Honeymoon (1974)

Nightmare Honeymoon (1974)

[6] Dack Rambo and Rebecca Dianna Smith star as a young couple who playfully escape their wedding party and retreat to a hotel in the Louisiana bayou where they accidentally witness a murder and become the killers' next targets. After…
McQ (1974)

McQ (1974)

[5] John Wayne gave up the lead in 1971's Dirty Harry and came to regret it. McQ is his attempt to get in on the vigilante cop craze, playing a cop who starts out investigating the murder of a friend…
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)

Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)

[4] A group of Asian-American high schoolers get bored of being diligent students and begin dabbling in criminal activity. Before long, they're in over their heads and regretting everything. You don't get to know any of the characters very well,…
Out of the Furnace (2013)

Out of the Furnace (2013)

[7] In this revenge drama from writer/director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Black Mass), Christian Bale seeks vigilante justice after Woody Harrelson murders his brother over gambling debt. Casey Affleck plays the brother, a young man suffering from post-traumatic stress after…
Sexy Beast (2000)

Sexy Beast (2000)

[7] Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, and Ian McShane star in this stylish and darkly comic story about a retired safecracker (Winstone) whose former mentor (Kingsley) shows up demanding that they team up for one more hit. Kingsley steals the show…
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

[6] Melissa McCarthy shifts gears with a dramatic turn in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the true story of celebrity biographer Lee Israel, who after decades of success writing best-selling books about the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Estee Lauder, and…