Ben Affleck picked up the camera again for “Animals,” his new Netflix crime thriller about an L.A. mayoral candidate whose life with his wife (Kerry Washington) is turned upside down by the kidnapping of their young son. The film sees Affleck return to the same crime genre he previously explored in 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone,” 2010’s “The Town” and 2016’s “Live By Night.” Unfortunately, none of those films are streaming right now on Netflix.
With that in mind, here are the seven best crime thrillers on Netflix that you can watch after “Animals.”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (2011)
2011’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is David Fincher’s most underrated film. Unfairly criticized in 2011 for failing to reach the same heights as 2010’s “The Social Network,” Fincher’s English-language take on Stieg Larsson’s snow-covered, frostbitten serial killer novel is one of the most propulsive, entertaining and chilling crime films of the 2010s.
Anchored by complimentary, against-type performances from Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara as a disgraced journalist and a morally unscrupulous hacker, respectively, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” charts its leads’ investigation into the decades-old disappearance of a teenage girl with patience and style. Fincher directs it all with a kind of effortless mastery, and the film’s oft-referenced third-act torture sequence features one of the most hauntingly effective creative swings of his entire career.
“The Irishman” (2019)
2019’s “The Irishman” is one of the growing number of late-career masterpieces that Martin Scorsese has delivered over the last 13 years. Based on Charles Brandt’s 2004 book “I Heard You Paint Houses,” Scorsese’s elegiac return to the gangster genre works as a regret-filled culmination of his decades-spanning exploration of American greed, arrogance and self-importance.
Few American filmmakers have been as preoccupied with the nature of sin as Scorsese has, and in none of his other films has the cumulatively corrosive effect of sin been laid as plainly bare as it is in “The Irishman.” Featuring a trio of ferocious, unforgettable performances from Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci, Scorsese’s 2019 epic holds a special place in his increasingly impressive filmography.
“Nightcrawler” (2014)
Dan Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler” hit like a sledgehammer when it was released in 2014 and it has, unfortunately, only aged well over the last 12 years. Written and directed by Gilroy, “Nightcrawler” follows an unhinged, ambitious freelance videographer (Jake Gyllenhaal) who spends his nights documenting violent, terror-inducing events and then sells them for increasingly expensive sums to a local television news station.
A black-hearted satire made in the shadow of similar, American classics like “Network,” “Nightcrawler” turns a prototypical story of American Dream-chasing into a razor-toothed condemnation of sensationalist newscasting and our contemporary cultural obsession with doomscrolling. Gyllenhaal’s unflinching central performance still ranks 12 years later as the best he has ever given onscreen.
“Wind River” (2017)
2017’s “Wind River” is an icy, mournful crime thriller from writer-director Taylor Sheridan. Set on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, the film follows a Fish and Wildlife Service tracker (Jeremy Renner) who teams up with an unprepared FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) to investigate the murder of a young indigenous woman (Kelsey Asbille).
One of Sheridan’s most lyrical and brutal works, “Wind River” still ranks among the prolific television creator’s finest achievements. Explosive, violent, blunt-edged and yet quietly, emotionally stirring, “Wind River” is the rare neo-noir crime thriller that manages to leave a lasting, thoughtful impression.
“Reptile” (2023)
One of the most underrated crime thrillers of the last five years, “Reptile” is a paranoia-soaked neo-noir exploration of corruption. Directed by longtime music video director Grant Singer, the film follows a veteran police detective (Benicio del Toro) as his investigation into the violent murder of a local real estate agent leads him to uncover more layers of local corruption within his seemingly peaceful suburban community than he ever saw coming.
Elevated by del Toro’s understated, quietly magnetic lead turn, “Reptile” spirals its way deeper and deeper into its central mystery until the only thing left for its hero to do is try to claw his way out of it. The result is a contemporary crime thriller that holds your attention for 136-minutes and rewards you for the attention you’ve paid it.
“Woman of the Hour” (2024)
Anna Kendrick announced herself as a promising filmmaker with a strong voice with her criminally underseen 2024 directorial debut, “Woman of the Hour.” Inspired by a true story, the film follows a struggling actress (Kendrick) in 1970s Los Angeles who participates in an episode of “The Dating Game” and matches with an unnerving man (Daniel Zovatto) who turns out to be an active serial killer.
Superficially entertaining and yet coursing with layered, complex ideas about the violence of the male gaze and the daunting importance of seeing others clearly, “Woman of the Hour” is a gripping and intelligently constructed thriller. Like a few other films on this list, it turns out to be more difficult to shake than you may expect.
“Rebel Ridge” (2024)
Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier took a six-year break after his wintery 2018 thriller “Hold the Dark.” When his follow-up, “Rebel Ridge,” arrived in 2024, it proved to be worth the wait. Written, produced, directed and edited by Saulnier, the film follows a former Marine (“Lanterns” star Aaron Pierre) as the funds he acquired to post bail for his cousin are unjustly seized via civil forfeiture by a local, corrupt small-town police force.
That sets off an increasingly violent chain of events, which Saulnier gradually escalates with masterful control and patience. In doing so, the filmmaker cemented himself as adept at crafting cinematic pressure cookers — slow burn films that make words like “gripping” and “riveting” feel insufficient. “Rebel Ridge” is his biggest hit to date, and for good reason.
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