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Best Crime Dramas of 2017 (10+1list)

Best Crime Dramas of 2017

written by Souranath Banerjee

Best Crime Dramas of 2017: Crime rate always been a problem but crime movies a treat to watch! Crime emerged as such an essential plot in almost every film that it eventually created its own separate genre, dramas based entirely on crimes.

Cool Crime Dramas always give us a certain insatiable rush, the bigger the crime the better, the chase and excitement more intense than ever.

And here we have a list of the Best Crime Dramas of 2017. Enjoy!

10. Logan Lucky

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPzvKH8AVf0

Crime-DramasChanning Tatum and Adam Driver – two brothers along with their sister  Riley Keough plans a robbery but they need the help of a convicted safe-cracker (who else than Daniel Craig) to finally get their plan into action.  

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, a surprisingly refreshing crime drama, a heist story with enough comedy to make you laugh at regular intervals.

9. Atomic Blonde

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8USk21Lt0f4

Crime-DramasThe backdrop being the Cold War – deadly and sensuous Charlize Theron, an undercover MI6 agent lands in Berlin to sniff out double-agents and also investigate the murder of a fellow agent.

James McAvoy, John GoodmanToby Jones, Sofia Boutella – a brilliant cast all at their best.

Ace stuntman turned director David Leitch has some of the best action sequences in the film!

8. Shot Caller

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQxjyRr9k2E

Crime-DramasAn accidental crime and then a prison sentence teaches a white-collar business professional new ways of survival. And pretty soon his lessons come handy.

Written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh, this one is a perfect crime drama with brilliant performances including Jon Bernthal, Lake Bell, Emory Cohen.

A much underrated movie definitely worth your time.

7. Brawl in Cell Block 99

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfAExhHTMM

Crime-DramasVince Vaughn is back – not in some romcom but with a tough-guy-role in this cool and violent crime drama.

A drug dealer who goes to prison after a sore deal and realises that he has landed in the midst of a battleground!

Directed by S. Craig Zahler, this action drama has extreme violent scenes that can be disturbing for some people.

6. Good Time

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrR-SbCRgCU

Crime-DramasA heist gone wrong but that’s not the only thing that doesn’t go according to the plan. In order to save his mentally challenged brother a thug has the misadventure of his lifetime in one night span!

Directed by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie, a rollercoaster ride of intense drama and Robert Pattinson breaks away from his Twilight zone and gives a super cool performance.

5. American Made

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEBIJRAkujM

Crime-Dramas‘The gringo that always delivers’

The biography of Barry Seal who was started his career as an ordinary pilot but soon recruited by the CIA and later worked for none other than Pablo Escobar.

Directed by Doug Liman, and Tom Cruise playing the lead this is one of the most crazy twisted crime drama and very much based on real events!

4. The Foreigner

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om9YCk7ufHs

Crime-DramasAn act of politically-motivated terrorism takes away his daughter’s life and now as a father he will do anything to bring justice to the people involved in the act.

Directed by Martin Campbell, a cool crime drama – both emotional and intense.

Surely the best thing that happened for Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan in recent times. 

3. Wind River

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN9PDOoLAfg

Crime-Dramas‘You don’t catch wolves looking where they might be, you look where they’ve been.’

A young Native American woman gets murdered and a veteran tracker decides to help the police track down the guilty. A chilling revenge drama based on actual events.

Brilliant performance by Jeremy Renner along with Elizabeth Olsen and Graham Greene. Written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, probably the best crime thriller of the year!

2. John Wick: Chapter 2

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGk2EfbD_Ps

Crime-DramasKeanu Reeves is back as John Wick, the man whose car and dog you better don’t mess with! 

This is the second instalment of the superb 2014 action thriller John Wick, and this time it’s even more raw, brutal and action packed.

Directed by Chad Stahelski, this is the savage saga of what happens when you put a bounty on John Wick’s head!

1. Baby Driver

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9YZw_X5UzQ

Crime-DramasEvery successful heist ends with a thrilling car chase and Baby, the young getaway driver is there to guarantee your safety!

Super cool performances by Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Jon HammEiza GonzálezLily James and finally Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey stealing the show.

Directed by Edgar Wright, a crime drama intertwined with classy soundtracks – racy and stylish.

and (The ‘+1’ film is not necessarily the best but certainly the most innovative one. A must watch)

+1. Detroit

Film trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5h7Kgo-zeI

Crime-DramasThe brilliantly authentic portrayal of the 1967 Detroit riots – the largest Rase-riots in the history of United States particularly focusing on the Algiers Motel incident where a certain group of cops gone rogue and responded to a complaint with extreme retribution!

All over superb performances, raw and real, acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow‘s latest – a brilliant fact-based crime drama!

Similar Interest: Best Thrillers Of 2016

Similar Interest: Best Hollywood Movies of 2017 so far

Similar Interest: Best of 2017 you may have missed

Poster courtesy: www.impawards.com, www.imdb.com.

Million Dollar Arm (2014)

My Ratings: 3/5

The film Million Dollar Arm is based on a true story. A story dipped in desperate ambition; a story coated with emotions and beliefs; a story that unexpectedly changed the lives of two teenagers from India for good.

After Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire this film is probably the next most successful Indian tale told by the foreigners.

And it seems that Oscar winning music director A.R.Rahman is definitely a common factor whenever Hollywood decides to take the Indian route.

Million Dollar Arm is a biographical sports drama about an American sports agent J.B. Bernstein (played by Jon Hamm in the film).In the verge of getting broke J.B. Bernstein had this brainwave to train young cricketers (bowlers) from India into professional Baseball players (pitchers) for the major baseball league in the US.

What an idea Sirji !

So according to the plan J.B. Bernstein promptly fly to India and organize a talent hunt by the name of ‘Million Dollar arm’. The search goes on for months until they find two teenagers Rinku and Dinesh (both from rural background) who can throw the ball accurately and at the desired speed. So they get selected and go to US for further training.

Eventually their bonding with J.B.Sir (J.B. Bernstein’s name shortened with respect) gets stronger and after initial failures Rinku and Dinesh do get selected to play in the US baseball league. Dreams that they have never even seen comes true.

I liked the intention of the film Million Dollar Arm but the execution could have been better in a few blocks.

For instance the casting of the two young Indian boys could have been much better- ideally someone fresh. In the film Rinku is played by Suraj Sharma (from Life of Pi) and Dinesh by Madhur Mittal (from Slumdog Millionaire) – both of them a tad too sophisticated for a rural Indian teenager (it’s not enough  just to pretend to have a language problem but it’s also about the overall body language).

I think Pitobash has done a much better job. He is so natural and has a great comic timing.

While on the topic of acting Alan Arkin and Lake Bell has to be mentioned. Jon Hamm also did a decent job playing the central character – nothing extraordinary but nothing to complain about as well.

The other thing that comes to my mind is the way India is shown in Hollywood films. The same traffic problem, Indian men being late and lazy at work, Indian food too spicy to handle, Indians moving their heads sideways as a yes …. I mean com’on you foreign directors – bring something fresh on the table.

I felt a few sequences are a bit hurried up. Especially after the initial setback when J.B.Sir tries to mingle with the boys – the bonding between them seemed a bit too sudden. It is like the director Craig Gillespie saying – now it’s time to wrap up the film so hurry up you guys and be good to each other.

On the whole Million Dollar Arm is a decent emotional film though – a one-time watch for sure.

Trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiC8o7i_ZqE