Whether you’re looking for a collection of award-winning dramas, great British films and TV shows, or some of A24’s best movies, Plex is a free streaming service that isn’t going to let you down with its library of content. And what better way to celebrate what could be considered the streaming steal of the century than by checking out the platform’s vast library of crime TV shows and movies.
In honor of our partnership with Plex, where all of the following movies and TV shows are streaming for free throughout the month of June, we’ve put together a list of some of the best crime-oriented titles available, ranging from lighthearted affairs like CHiPS to more sinister stories told on The Fall, and so much more. Let’s go through them now…
CHiPS (1977 - 1983)
There are few crime dramas from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s more iconic than CHiPS, the long-running NBC series centering on two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers. The series, which was on the air from 1977 to 1983 (as well as a 1998 made-for-TV movie), followed Francis “Ponch” Poncherello (Erik Estrada) and Jonathan “Jon” Baker (Larry Wilcox) as they handled various crimes and other incidents in and around Los Angeles, while also trying to stay out of trouble themselves.
The Fall (2013 - 2016)
A couple of years before he became a household name with his lead role in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, Jamie Dornan played another character with a dark secret on the crime thriller series The Fall. Over the course of three seasons, Dornan’s serial killer character named Paul Spector played a cat-and-mouse game with Gillian Anderson’s Stella Gibson as the tenacious detective attempted to bring the sadistic murderer to justice before he could claim even more victims.
Lawless (2012)
John Hillcoat’s 2012 crime drama, Lawless, tells the story of the Bondurant brothers – Forrest (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke), and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) – as the trio of bootleggers go to war with corrupt U.S. Marshal Charley Rakes (Guy Pearce) in Prohibition-era Virginia. What follows is a bloody, violent, and seemingly never-ending war with the crazed lawman who will stop at nothing to get back at the bootleggers who challenged his authority.
Lawless also features Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, and Gary Oldman in incredible and incredibly-written roles that add another dimension to this Great Depression crime story.
The Killing (2007 - 2012)
The Killing was a Danish crime drama that ran for three seasons between 2007 and 2012. Each of the show’s seasons focused on a central murder case investigated by Detective Inspector Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) and her team, with each episode devoted to a single 24-hour period of the investigation.
Though the series was a police procedural in nature, The Killing also spent a considerable amount of time focusing on different characters and situations outside of each season’s core murder investigation. This aspect, combined with the incredible cast who brought the central and supporting characters to life, created a must-watch TV drama.
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
If you’re into crime movies that start off with a seemingly simple concept and only get more complicated (and rewarding) as they go on, then Paul McGuigan’s 2006 neo-noir crime thriller, Lucky Number Slevin, is the way to go. After being dragged into the middle of a bitter crime war between two former allies – The Boss (Morgan Freeman) and The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) – Slevin Kelevra (Josh Hartnett) is forced to find a way out that won’t lead to him sleeping with the fishes.
This tense and immensely funny crime story, which features one of the best endings of the 21st Century, also features an incredible cast that includes Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, and Stanley Tucci in unforgettable roles.
Stream Lucky Number Slevin on Plex.
Death On The Nile (1978)
Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile has been adapted numerous times over the years, but John Guillermin’s 1978 version of the classic murder mystery remains at the top of the bunch. The classic whodunit follows Hercule Poirot (Peter Ustinov) as he attempts to solve the murder of the wealthy Linnet Ridgeway, who was killed on an extravagant riverboat during an Egyptian tour.
As is the case with other Agatha Christie movies, Death on the Nile boasts an amazing cast that includes the likes of Mia Farrow, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, and Angela Lansbury. Combine this with a story where multiple suspects become victims, and you have the recipe for an all-time great murder mystery.
Stream Death on the Nile on Plex.
21 Jump Street (1987 - 1991)
Decades before it was turned into a pair of successful buddy action movies, 21 Jump Street started out as a police procedural about a group of young cops working undercover at various high schools (and sometimes colleges) to solve a myriad of crimes, but more times than not, the focus was on drug trafficking. Johnny Depp, Holly Robinson, and Peter DeLuise were front and center throughout the series (though Depp departed prior to the fifth and final season), during which they tackled all kinds of issues outside of the various crimes.
Stream 21 Jump Street on Plex.
Walking Tall (1973)
Released in 1973, Walking Tall tells the story of Buford Pusser (Joe Don Baker) a wrestler-turned-lawman who became a real-life folk hero after he became sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee and waged war against the community’s criminal element. Not to be confused with the 2004 Dwayne Johson movie of the same name (though they are inspired by the same person), this cult classic follows Pusser as he, armed with a massive stick, seeks revenge against the men who killed his wife and left him for dead.
If you’re looking for an old-school movie about a vigilante who stops at nothing to get revenge against those who have ruined his life and turned his town into a criminal’s paradise, then Walking Tall is the flick for you.
Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, the final movie directed by Sidney Lumet before his death four years later, follows brothers Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank Hanson (Ethan Hawke) as they rob a jewelry store owned by their parents. When the scheme blows up in their faces, the two brothers find themselves being hunted by their dad, who has no idea he’s chasing his two sons.
The movie is told with a non-linear narrative structure that results in some of the most consequential scenes being told multiple times through different perspectives. This unique plot, combined with the direction by the filmmaker responsible for 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network, means you have an all-time great crime drama waiting to be watched.
Stream Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead on Plex.
Bronson (2008)
A couple of years before he became a massive star with movies like Inception, Warrior, and The Dark Knight Rises, Tom Hardy starred in Bronson, Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2008 biographical action thriller about Michael Peterson, Britain’s most violent criminal.
But this isn’t your standard biographical drama. No, the movie kind of plays like a one-man show where Peterson, who later went by the name Charles Bronson, talks about the life path that took him to prison as well as his exploits behind bars. These long monologues feature Hardy giving some of his best work, and serve as a sign of things to come for the incredibly talented actor.
Dragnet (1951 - 1959)
One of the most consequential shows – not just crime procedurals – of TV’s early days, Dragnet spent hundreds of episodes exploring various crimes in and around the Los Angeles area. With its iconic introduction (which is probably stuck in your head now), assortment of crimes, and outstanding delivery by Jack Webb as Joe Friday, there are plenty of reasons to give the show a spin.
Plex currently offers the first run of the series, which was a lot more toned down compared to the 1967 revival, a show that was far more over-the-top and sensationalized in its approach to the genre.
Blue Ruin (2013)
In 2013, Jeremy Saulnier released one of the most gripping crime dramas in recent memory with Blue Ruin. In the movie, Macon Blair plays Dwight Evans, a vagrant who sets out on a path of revenge after discovering that the man who murdered his parents will soon be released from prison. But pulling off this feat won’t be as simple as Dwight originally guessed.
What follows is a tense and oftentimes depressing exploration of grief, justice, and revenge, and the toll each of those take on those on both sides of the gun. If you have gone this long without checking out Blue Ruin, now’s your golden opportunity.
This is just a small sampling of the great crime movies and TV shows that are available to stream for free on Plex, as there are countless titles from yesterday and today on the robust platform.
