Underrated Crime Movies You’ve Probably Missed
Every crime film here scores at least 7.0 but has been rated by a fraction of the audience the blockbusters get. These are the ones that never got a marketing budget — The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo, O.J.: Made in America and High and Low among them. Statistically, you have not seen most of this page, and that is the point.
20 titles · average score 8.1 ·
The top 5 picks
- 1
The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo (2020)
★ 8.9 · 244 ratingsAfter the death of her daughter at the hand of her boyfriend, Marisela Escobedo began to fight for justice not only against the murderer but also against the corrupt Mexican judicial system.
- 2
O.J.: Made in America (2016)
★ 8.4 · 264 ratingsA chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
- 3
High and Low (1963)
★ 8.4 · 1,175 ratingsA Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.
- 4
Le Trou (1960)
★ 8.2 · 589 ratingsFour prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer. Over the course of…
- 5
A Brighter Summer Day (1991)
★ 8.2 · 399 ratingsA boy experiences first love, friendships and injustices growing up in 1960s Taiwan.
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How this list is ranked
Nothing on this page is hand-picked to hit a word count. We pull films matching this list's criteria from TMDB, require a real audience behind each score, and rank by that score — 20 titles averaging 8.1. The page rebuilds daily, so new releases appear here as soon as enough people have rated them.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an underrated crime movie?
On this page: a score of 7.0 or higher from between 150 and 1,200 people. That combination finds films audiences loved but not many found — The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo is the current leader at 8.9.
Are these movies actually any good?
Every one is rated above 7.0 by the people who saw it. They are obscure because of distribution and marketing, not quality — which is exactly why lists like this are worth scrolling.
Is this list updated?
Yes — it rebuilds every day from TMDB, so newly released movies appear as soon as enough people have rated them. You do not need an account to browse it, and there is no paywall on anything at MovieAI.