Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Actor: Daniel Ings, Giancarlo Esposito, Joely Richardson, Kaya Scodelario, Theo James, Vinnie Jones
Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Actor: Daniel Ings, Giancarlo Esposito, Joely Richardson, Kaya Scodelario, Theo James, Vinnie Jones
The Dropout is an eight-part series about disgraced biotech entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes, played here to eerie perfection by Amanda Seyfried. The show follows Holmes as she drops out of Stanford and pursues her dream to be rich and famous at any cost—even if it means swindling her way to the billion-dollar finish line.
With the facts of the case publicly available and a plethora of scammer shows already streaming on the internet, it's a small miracle that The Dropout is still able to stand out as a compelling series. This is thanks in large part to Seyfried: she plays Holmes as a shaky, self-conscious, and hyper-ambitious magnate with little to no remorse, and it works. Even though Holmes is pretty much a cautionary household name at this point, The Dropout is still worth watching if only to see Seyfried's thoughtful portrayal.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Amanda Seyfried, Bill Irwin, Dylan Minnette, Elizabeth Marvel, Laurie Metcalf, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Naveen Andrews, Sam Waterston, Stephen Fry, Utkarsh Ambudkar, William H. Macy
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Achiraya Nitibhon, Channarong Khuntee-tao, Chintara Sukapatana, Manatsanun Panlertwongskul, Michael Shaowanasai, Pachara Chirathivat, Paopetch Charoensook, Paradorn Vesurai, Patchai Pakdeesusuk, Phiravich Attachitsataporn, Pramote Seangsorn, Surasee Patham, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Torphong Kul-on, Vacharakiat Boonphakdee
Director: Wattanapong Wongwan
Robert Redford and Brad Pitt make quite the ensemble in this edgy game of espionage. With performances as strong as their jawlines, this action-packed rescue mission will keep you in suspense! Be sure to keep up with all the witty banter and interesting plot twists shifting between flashbacks and present-day scenarios. Keep in mind that this isn't your average spy movie, with a more realistic approach and a character-driven storyline, most of the flash happens cinematically.
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Adrian Pang, Amidou, Andrew Grainger, Balázs Tardy, Benedict Wong, Bill Buell, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Charlotte Rampling, Colin Stinton, Dale Dye, David Hemmings, David K.S. Tse, David Tse, Demetri Goritsas, Eddie Yeoh, Freddie Joe Farnsworth, Garrick Hagon, Hon Ping Tang, Ian Porter, Imre Csuja, In-sook Chappell, James Aubrey, Joerg Stadler, Ken Leung, Kimberly Tufo, Larry Bryggman, Logan Wong, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Matthew Marsh, Michael Paul Chan, Mohamed Quatib, Nabil Massad, Omid Djalili, Pat McGrath, Peter Linka, Robert Redford, Rufus Wright, Shane Rimmer, Stephen Dillane, Stuart Milligan, Ted Maynard, Todd Boyce, Tom Hodgkins, Tony Xu, Vincent Wang, Zsolt Zágoni
Director: Tony Scott
At first glance, Rough Diamonds seems to be a standard Netflix thriller with debts, deaths, and dirty deals. However, this Flemish-Yiddish series happens to also be a compelling family drama, centered around Antwerp’s Haredi Jewish diamond community. The series starts the season strong with the death that puts the family into chaos. It continues the series’ suspense with the return of prodigal son Noah, who, like Godfather’s Michael Corleone, initially disagrees with the family’s orthodox lifestyle, but can’t help but be drawn back to the family business. As the family scrambles to figure out their dead brother’s debt, they squabble with each other in a dynamic reminiscent of Succession, with an added organized crime twist. The resulting mix creates an intriguing thriller series that also happens to be a nuanced portrayal of a rarely portrayed community.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Casper Knopf, Els Dottermans, Gene Bervoets, Ini Massez, Janne Desmet, Jeroen Van der Ven, Julia Akkermans, Kevin Janssens, Marie Vinck, Robbie Cleiren, Sofie Decleir, Soroush Helali, Tine Joustra, Yona Elian
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller
Actor: Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Clarke Peters, David Halliwell, Dawn Archibald, Gary Cady, Hossein Karimbeik, Jack Purvis, Joe Brown, Kate Hardie, Kenny Baker, Maggie O'Neill, Michael Caine, Pauline Melville, Perry Fenwick, Raad Rawi, Richard Strange, Robbie Coltrane, Rod Bedall, Sammi Davis, Zoë Nathenson
Director: Neil Jordan
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Adam Driver, Alex Ross, Alex ter Avest, Ann Mahoney, Autumn Dial, Boden Johnston, Brandon Ray Olive, Brian Allen, Brian Gleeson, C.C. Taylor, Caleb Emery, Carl Edwards, Channing Tatum, Charles Halford, Daniel Craig, Daniel Jones, Darrell Waltrip, David Denman, Deneen Tyler, Dwight Yoakam, Edward Gelhaus, Farrah Mackenzie, Hank Quillen, Helen Abell, Helen LeRoy, Hilary Swank, Ito Aghayere, Jack Quaid, Jay Pearson, Jeff Gordon, Jerri Tubbs, Jesco White, Jim O'Heir, Jimmy Kustes, Joey Logano, Jon Eyez, Joshua Hoover, Karen Wheeling Reynolds, Katherine Waterston, Katie Holmes, Keith Hudson, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, LA Winters, Lauren Revard, LeAnn Rimes, Lesa Wilson, Macon Blair, Matthew Brady, Matthew Cardarople, Michael Tourek, Mike Joy, Neva Howell, PJ McDonnell, Randy Havens, Rebecca Koon, Reid Carolin, Riley Keough, Robert Fortner, Ron Clinton Smith, Ryan Blaney, Scott Parks, Sebastian Stan, Seth MacFarlane, Shaun Michael Lynch, Stephanie Langston, Steven Soderbergh, Sutton Johnston, Suzanne Jordan Roush, Terence Rosemore, Timothy J. Richardson, Tom Archdeacon, William Mark McCullough
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Crass, violent, and deeply unserious, this adult animated series gets around its rough edges by acknowledging its title character’s reputation. Often seen only in the context of her twisted romance with a much more recognizable villain, Harley Quinn tends to be viewed as merely victim or vixen. But this show has her break free and claim her own story, taking shots not just at her emotionally abusive ex, the Joker, but at the entire DC Comics brand and at any other moving target it can find. The result is a series that has the tendency to feel scattershot, but whose anarchic energy still leads to the catharsis of untethering oneself from an unhealthy addiction and learning to be rebuild.
And though the show’s writing and animation can get too stiff or stilted (especially in later seasons), much of it still works thanks to its bonkers sense of humor, as well as an excellent voice cast. Kaley Cuoco is exactly as brash and expressive as Harley needs to be, and supporting turns from an extensive range of actors (including Lake Bell, whose Poison Ivy eventually becomes Harley’s most important relationship) ensure that every corner of this world has something hilarious to offer.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Beah Richards, Eric Hull, George Catalano, Grace Zabriskie, Gus Van Sant, Heather Graham, James Le Gros, James Remar, Kelly Lynch, Matt Dillon, Max Perlich, Michael Parker, Ray Monge, Ted D'Arms, William S. Burroughs
Director: Gus Van Sant
A classic text of English literature classes is handsomely brought to life in this screen translation of the still-radical play An Inspector Calls. The Birlings, a wealthy industrialist family thriving in 1912 England, have a cozy family celebration shattered by the arrival of a police inspector investigating the suicide of a young working-class woman. But that’s not the only bubble that’s burst: as Inspector Goole (David Thewlis) interviews the family — gradually revealing the part each played in forcing the woman to such a desperate state — he holds a mirror up to the casual cruelty and entitlement with which the Birlings move through the world. Part of what makes JB Priestley’s original play so enduring is how these characters are used as a wider metaphor for their social classes, and that translates with delicate but undeniable force here. A damning indictment of individualism and blind privilege on original publication in 1945, this is a story that retains the same relevance and power today.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, TV Movie
Actor: Chloe Pirrie, Chrissie Chow, David Thewlis, Donnie Yen, Eric Tsang, Finn Cole, Flora Nicholson, Hans Zhang, Herman Yau, Karena Ng, Ken Stott, Kyle Soller, Lam Ka-tung, Liu Yan, Louis Koo, Lucy Chappell, Miranda Richardson, Raymond Wong, Sophie Rundle, Teresa Mo, Wanda Opalinska
Director: Aisling Walsh, Herman Yau, Raymond Wong
The performance of a pot-bellied Joaquin Phoenix is nothing short of perfection. He brilliantly portrays a hitman down on his luck who happens to rescue a kidnapped teenage girl. It’s a tight movie, running a short 89 minutes. It makes a point that sticks. Pure entertainment, pure acting, and amazing directing by Lynne Ramsay (who also directed We Need to Talk About Kevin).
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Alessandro Nivola, Alex Manette, Christian Reeve, Claire Hsu, Cristina Dohmen, Dante Pereira-Olson, Edward Latham, Ekaterina Samsonov, Frank Pando, Jalina Mercado, Jason Babinsky, Joaquin Phoenix, John Doman, Jonathan Wilde, Judith Roberts, Kate Easton, Larry Canady, Leigh Dunham, Lucy Lan Luo, Madison Arnold, Novella Nelson, Oleg Ossayenko, Ronan Summers, Rose De Vera, Ryan Martin Brown, Scott Price, Sophie Piedras, Vinicius Damasceno
Director: Lynne Ramsay
In Under the Banner of Heaven, Andrew Garfield plays Detective Jeb Pyre, a devout Mormon whose faith is shaken when he takes up a violent case that involves his church. When he discovers the gruesome death of a fellow worshipper and her 15-month-old child, he is driven mad by the choices he needs to make about his faith, his family, and the threat of fundamentalism these two pillars present. Terrifying and compelling, Under the Banner of Heaven is not for the weak-hearted, but it is recommended to anyone up for a good, challenging watch.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Garfield, Billy Howle, Chloe Pirrie, Christopher Heyerdahl, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Denise Gough, Gil Birmingham, Rory Culkin, Sam Worthington, Sandra Seacat, Seth Numrich, Wyatt Russell
It’s hard not to roll your eyes at what looks like yet another white-centered story set in a foreign land. But Tokyo Vice, thankfully, is hardly that. Co-produced by crime drama auteur Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, Miami Vice), the HBO series is a stylishly thrilling and comprehensive look at the yakuza crime ring running Tokyo from the underground.
Ansel Elgort’s Jake, an investigative journalist, may be our way in, but it’s the rest of the characters who grip our interest. They’re gangster tropes fleshed out with rich and complicated backstories. Ken Watanabe’s Katagiri is a hardboiled detective—so effectively cool and scary—who you’d like to believe is good, but also has his own secrets lurking in the shadows. Rachel Keller’s Samantha is a sultry hostess who, unlike in mob films past, actually has character, motivation, and specific problems she figures out on her own. Sato (Sho Kasamatsu) and Emi (Rinko Kikuchi), Jake’s yakuza friend and newspaper editor respectively, are also given stories that genuinely intrigue and compel on their own.
Lit by Tokyo’s neon glow and set to Mann’s signature fast pace, this is a series not to be missed by action-crime fans.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Ansel Elgort, Ella Rumpf, Hideaki Ito, Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, Rinko Kikuchi, Show Kasamatsu
After much anticipation, The Worst of Evil has finally been released, starting off the season with a rumble between gangs underneath Gangnam. Through neon-lit streets, grimy green-tinged windows, and dimly-lit corridors, the series brings its viewers back to the 90s criminal underworld, though with modernized choreography and fairly realistic CGI blood. This set is the arena where undercover cop Park Joon-mo has to fight, in order to gain the trust of crime boss Jung Gi-cheul. As each fight gains some goodwill from each other, and as Park’s wife enters the fray, the series promises dangerous stakes, dramatic betrayals, and thrilling fight scenes. It’s a fresh take on the undercover cop, infiltrating the gritty underworld through sheer persistence, with an added emotional twist.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama
Actor: BIBI, Geum Gwang-san, Im Sung-jae, Jeong Man-sik, Ji Chang-wook, Kyul Hwi, Lim Se-mi, Wi Ha-jun, Yoon Kyung-ho
Director: Han Dong-wook, Park Geun-buem
Surprisingly heartwarming and enjoyable, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent turns its over-the-top premise into a tribute to the one and only Nicolas Cage. Playing an unfulfilled and broke version of himself, Cage’s next gig is an appearance at eccentric billionaire Javi Gutierrez’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. They strike up an instant bond over their love of film. However, the CIA suspects Gutierrez’s involvement in a political kidnapping, forcing Cage to investigate his friend. The film brilliantly employs those 90s-esque action tropes that Cage’s movies are known for - the car chases, the sunglasses, and the eccentric characters. Cage himself fully commits to the premise, but Pedro Pascal adeptly matches his energy with his easy-going charm. Their moments together and their shared love for cinema makes this a great watch.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama
Actor: Alessandra Mastronardi, Björn Freiberg, Caroline Boulton, Cesare Taurasi, David Gordon Green, Demi Moore, Eli Jane, Enrique Martínez, Ike Barinholtz, Jacob Scipio, Jaime Ordóñez, Joanna Bobin, Katrin Vankova, Kristian Flores, Kristian Ventura, Lily Mo Sheen, Manuel Tallafé, Mario Perez, Neil Patrick Harris, Nicholas Wittman, Nicolas Cage, Paco León, Pedro Pascal, Rebecca Finch, Ricard Balada, Sharon Horgan, Tiffany Haddish
Director: Tom Gormican