Crime / Mystery

Released in 1940, Foreign Correspondent marks a fascinating moment in Alfred Hitchcock’s career, situated between his early British work and his later Hollywood masterpieces. As his first purely American film (though it was still made under British filmmaking conventions), Foreign Correspondent reflects the director’s evolving cinematic style, blending thrilling suspense with sharp political commentary.

The story centres on Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman), a Columbia graduate student and passionate long-distance runner who is unknowingly drawn into a deadly international conspiracy. His brother Doc Levy (Roy Scheider), a covert government agent, is murdered, and Babe soon finds himself pursued by sinister figures tied to the Nazi past.

When Beverly Hills Cop was released in 1984, it didn’t just cement Eddie Murphy as a major Hollywood star—it helped redefine what an action-comedy could be. Equal parts crime thriller and laugh-out-loud comedy, the film captured the zeitgeist of the 1980s, blending gritty urban realism with the sun-soaked gloss of Beverly Hills, all anchored by Murphy’s dynamic, high-voltage performance.

Silver Streak (1976) is a delightful blend of comedy, action, romance, and mystery—an ambitious cinematic cocktail that helped establish the buddy-action formula that would flourish in the 1980s. Directed by Arthur Hiller and written by Colin Higgins (Harold and Maude, Foul Play), this film stands as a mid-’70s crowd-pleaser that combines Hitchcockian intrigue with slapstick humour and sly social commentary.

The Thin Man is one of the most influential genre hybrids in cinematic history — a brilliant fusion of screwball comedy, hard-boiled detective fiction, and sophisticated romance.

Brannigan is a fascinating cultural artifact—an attempt to repackage the quintessential American cowboy hero, John Wayne, into the mould of a modern urban cop thriller set in 1970s London. Directed by Douglas Hickox and produced in the wake of Dirty Harry and The French Connection, the film represents both a genre experiment and a late-career pivot for its iconic star.

When RoboCop was released in 1987, it was marketed as a straightforward action movie about a robot policeman in a dystopian future. What audiences got instead was a brutal, hyper-stylized, and scathingly satirical masterpiece that remains one of the most intellectually subversive and culturally resonant science fiction films ever made.

Released in 1987, Lethal Weapon didn’t just energize the buddy cop genre—it redefined it. Directed by Richard Donner and written by Shane Black, the film fuses intense action, razor-sharp banter, and surprising emotional depth, all anchored by the now-iconic chemistry between Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. It walks a deft line between gritty cop drama and stylized action spectacle, with undertones of noir, post-Vietnam disillusionment, and dark comedy.

Murder by Death is a genre-savvy spoof that brings together caricatures of the world’s most famous fictional detectives — thinly veiled versions of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Sam Spade, and Charlie Chan, among others — and places them in a haunted mansion for a mysterious dinner party. The film was penned by the legendary playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, known for his sharp wit and theatrical flair.

After a decade away from the role, The Return of the Pink Panther marked the triumphant comeback of Peter Sellers as the bumbling, absurdly self-confident Inspector Jacques Clouseau. It was also a revival for the franchise itself, which had faltered slightly after the 1964 hit A Shot in the Dark and the Sellers-less 1968 film Inspector Clouseau.

Death Wish is a gritty and provocative film that became one of the most controversial movies of the 1970s. Directed by Michael Winner and starring Charles Bronson in his career-defining role, the film explores the psychological and moral transformation of a peaceful man into a lethal vigilante in response to personal tragedy and the unchecked crime in his city.

Set entirely within and around the labyrinthine subway system of 1970s New York City, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a high-concept heist thriller that delivers both pulse-pounding suspense and a wry, streetwise sense of humour.

Magnum Force is the second instalment in the Dirty Harry film series and represents a significant tonal and thematic pivot from its controversial predecessor. While Dirty Harry (1971) presented a no-nonsense cop who bends the rules to catch criminals, Magnum Force questions the cost of crossing the line — by pitting Harry Callahan against a group of vigilante cops who go even further than he does.

Serpico is the gripping true story of Frank Serpico, a New York City police officer who exposed widespread corruption within the NYPD in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Directed by Sidney Lumet, a master of urban realism and moral inquiry, and anchored by a career-defining performance from Al Pacino, Serpico is more than a police procedural—it is a character study of a man who refuses to compromise in a system that punishes integrity.

Terrence Malick’s Badlands is one of the most assured and influential debuts in American film history. A quiet, poetic, and unsettling crime drama, the film loosely adapts the 1958 killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, a real-life pair of teenage lovers who went on a rampage across the American Midwest.

The Getaway is a sleek, violent, and deeply cynical crime thriller that helped redefine the modern action film. Directed by Sam Peckinpah—known for his slow-motion shootouts and unflinching portrayals of brutality—and led by a laconic, magnetic Steve McQueen, The Getaway blends pulp fiction with existential cool.

Raising Arizona, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a madcap, irreverent, and deeply original crime-comedy that helped define the Coen Brothers’ reputation for blending quirky humour, visual inventiveness, and offbeat Americana.

Few films have managed to capture the spirit of both the old-school Hollywood caper and the gritty charm of Depression-era America quite like The Sting.

Three Days of the Condor is a taut, cerebral thriller that expertly captures the disillusionment and paranoia of post-Watergate America.

A Shot in the Dark is the second film in the Pink Panther series, but unlike its predecessor, it puts Inspector Jacques Clouseau at the centre of the action.