Good, cheap and recent crime dramas?
May 16, 2010 2:42 PM Subscribe
What are some successful* low-budget** American crime dramas and-or action films from the last five/six years?
* Success is in the eye of the beholder. I'd prefer movies that showed a substantial profit and were reasonably good movies (in your or many critic's opinions), but I'd settle for one or the other. I'm not interested in anything that succeeds only on a camp level.
** A variable term for sure, but let's say anything under 30 million, but the lower the budget, the better.
Two examples of the type of films I'm talking about would be Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Winter's Bone.
* Success is in the eye of the beholder. I'd prefer movies that showed a substantial profit and were reasonably good movies (in your or many critic's opinions), but I'd settle for one or the other. I'm not interested in anything that succeeds only on a camp level.
** A variable term for sure, but let's say anything under 30 million, but the lower the budget, the better.
Two examples of the type of films I'm talking about would be Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Winter's Bone.
Best answer: Brick.
Brothers Bloom, although I don't think most of the action takes place in America.
Shotgun Stories.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:49 PM on May 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Brothers Bloom, although I don't think most of the action takes place in America.
Shotgun Stories.
posted by Sticherbeast at 2:49 PM on May 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's more "sci-fi" than "action", but does Primer count?
posted by Johnny Assay at 3:06 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by Johnny Assay at 3:06 PM on May 16, 2010
Brick is the first thing that comes to mind.
If you're willing to look beyond the US, Layer Cake (UK) and Gomorra (Italy) are both good, esp. the latter.
Though a TV series, The Wire has really shattered the bar for American crime drama in a visual medium.
posted by The Michael The at 3:07 PM on May 16, 2010
If you're willing to look beyond the US, Layer Cake (UK) and Gomorra (Italy) are both good, esp. the latter.
Though a TV series, The Wire has really shattered the bar for American crime drama in a visual medium.
posted by The Michael The at 3:07 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: The Lookout bombed financially (sixteen million for the budget, less than six million for the gross) but was a solid crime flick, subtle, graceful, likely to last. Spartan was a reasonably successful outing for David Mamet.
posted by cgc373 at 3:08 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by cgc373 at 3:08 PM on May 16, 2010
Response by poster: Without going into too much detail, this list is for more than merely my viewing pleasure, so I do need to stick to American-made movies. (Not that The Wire and Gomorra aren't great).
Brick and Shotgun Stories (which I haven't seen) are great examples. Please keep 'em coming.
posted by Bookhouse at 3:16 PM on May 16, 2010
Brick and Shotgun Stories (which I haven't seen) are great examples. Please keep 'em coming.
posted by Bookhouse at 3:16 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: Better Luck Tomorrow- 2002 but otherwise meets your criteria. $250,000 filming budget, grossed $4m. And it's great.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 3:24 PM on May 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ethnomethodologist at 3:24 PM on May 16, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Lucky Number Slevin fits just under your budget requirement at ~27m.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was excellent. Of particular note, all of the title cards throughout the movie are Raymond Chandler book titles (or chapter titles from his books, or another classic crime drama author, I don't remember clearly).
In Bruges is obviously not an American film, but well worth watching.
posted by carsonb at 3:48 PM on May 16, 2010
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was excellent. Of particular note, all of the title cards throughout the movie are Raymond Chandler book titles (or chapter titles from his books, or another classic crime drama author, I don't remember clearly).
In Bruges is obviously not an American film, but well worth watching.
posted by carsonb at 3:48 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: Not an action movie, but would The Informant count? It's about crime and its investigation.
Cronenberg is a Canadian director, but A History of Violence could count here. $32m budget.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. $15m budget.
Smokin' Aces apparently had a budget of only $17m, which sort of astounds me. I actually quite liked that movie - very good B-movie. Did well enough to garner a (direct-to-DVD) sequel.
posted by Sticherbeast at 3:51 PM on May 16, 2010
Cronenberg is a Canadian director, but A History of Violence could count here. $32m budget.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. $15m budget.
Smokin' Aces apparently had a budget of only $17m, which sort of astounds me. I actually quite liked that movie - very good B-movie. Did well enough to garner a (direct-to-DVD) sequel.
posted by Sticherbeast at 3:51 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: A History of Violence is just over your budget at ~32m, but was a great update of the mob crime classic Out of the Past.
posted by carsonb at 3:52 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by carsonb at 3:52 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: (last one)
Confidence sort of bombed, and it's out of your 5-6 year range by a year or two, but it was pretty enjoyable with the double-crossing, twisting and turning.
posted by carsonb at 3:55 PM on May 16, 2010
Confidence sort of bombed, and it's out of your 5-6 year range by a year or two, but it was pretty enjoyable with the double-crossing, twisting and turning.
posted by carsonb at 3:55 PM on May 16, 2010
Bad Lieutenant
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 4:01 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 4:01 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: It's a little older (2002), but it's great. Narc. Compelling opening scene, although it was better in the theater :-)
posted by Gorgik at 4:45 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by Gorgik at 4:45 PM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: Gone Baby Gone comes immediately to mind: American (the city of Boston being an essential element of the story), $15 mil. budget, $35 mil. box office take, and almost universally critically lauded.
posted by joechip at 5:11 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by joechip at 5:11 PM on May 16, 2010
Bad Santa! YESSSS! It counts! Owning Mahowny (PSH again), The Ice Harvest... kind of sucked but it's a fun watch.
Not gonna pretend I didn't just look here, though. I assume you saw The Way of the Gun? I happen to really like that one. Older, and kind of sputtering in Tarantino's wake, perhaps. But absolutely charming.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:28 PM on May 16, 2010
Not gonna pretend I didn't just look here, though. I assume you saw The Way of the Gun? I happen to really like that one. Older, and kind of sputtering in Tarantino's wake, perhaps. But absolutely charming.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:28 PM on May 16, 2010
Oh, somehow I decided to force crime comedies into your crime drama. I don't have a sense of humor. Those films really disturb me. Yeah, that's it. The violence. Thurman Merman cuts his hand wide open.
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:31 PM on May 16, 2010
posted by Ambrosia Voyeur at 10:31 PM on May 16, 2010
I'm nthing Better Luck Tomorrow. Just a fantastic film. Justin Lin's career after that vaguely makes me sad-- it's Lee Tamahori Syndrome.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:14 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 12:14 AM on May 17, 2010
Best answer: I'd definitely recommend Brick and The Lookout (and anything else with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in it). Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is great too. I'm not sure whether it comes entirely under the banner of crime but what about The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada?
Crank cost $12m and is a surprising interesting and off-the-wall action film. the same goes double for the sequel.
Oh, and I'm excited to hear they've filmed Winter's Bone, it is a great book.
Martin
posted by ninebelow at 5:31 AM on May 17, 2010
Crank cost $12m and is a surprising interesting and off-the-wall action film. the same goes double for the sequel.
Oh, and I'm excited to hear they've filmed Winter's Bone, it is a great book.
Martin
posted by ninebelow at 5:31 AM on May 17, 2010
Best answer: Frozen River was really good. $500,000 budget and ended up making a few million.
posted by otio at 11:52 AM on May 17, 2010
posted by otio at 11:52 AM on May 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Bookhouse at 2:43 PM on May 16, 2010