13 best crime comedies with guns and crazy adventures

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The works of Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, Edgar Wright and other directors will immerse you in the exciting and bloody world of gangster fights.

1. Seven psychopaths

• UK, USA, 2012.
• Comedy, crime.
• Duration: 110 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

Screenwriter Marty is going through a creative crisis. Once reckless friends involve the hero in kidnapping a dog. It is later revealed that the stolen dog is the pet of a local eccentric gangster.

The second film by the Irish playwright-director Martin McDonagh came out a little weaker than his full-length debut "Bringing Down in Bruges", which we will discuss below. But there is still a lot of black humor and colorful characters here. One striking example is the melancholic Colin Farrell.

2. Layer cake

• UK, 2004.
• Action, thriller, drama, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 105 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The unnamed hero XXXX is involved in the drug supply. When he is about to retire, the boss asks for one last favor: to find the escaped daughter of his old friend and, at the same time, sort out the tangled drug deal. XXXX agrees, but does not yet know that the task threatens him with big trouble.

Initially, the novel by J. J. Connolly, on which the film was shot, was supposed to be filmed by Guy Ritchie. However, the director unexpectedly left the project, and Matthew Vaughn, a close friend of the director and producer of his films, took over the baton.

In fairness, we note that the book's original source was very funny, but Vaughn shot a purely criminal action movie, almost devoid of humor. There are still some funny moments in the film Layer Cake - Funny moments / TheOncomingStorm / YouTube, and they are so good that the picture is quite worthy to be in this collection.

3. Once upon a time in Ireland

• Ireland, 2011.
• Thriller, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

An elderly sergeant Jerry Boyle discovers a corpse near Dublin. For the Irish wilderness, this is a whole event. In addition, it turns out that the victim is connected with the transportation of a solid consignment of cocaine. FBI agent Wendell Everett is sent to investigate the mysterious case. He faces language difficulties and locals unwilling to cooperate, so he asks Boyle for help.

Director and screenwriter John Michael McDonagh is Martin McDonagh's older brother. Moreover, relatives make films on similar topics and prefer the same actors. For example, Brendan Gleeson from Once Upon a Time in Ireland previously played Bunkering in Bruges.

Let's say right away that fans of dynamic and spectacular action movies with shootings are unlikely to like the film. But those who are close to black conversational comedies with a grain of absurdity will definitely fall in love with him.

4. Nice Guys

• USA, UK, 2016.
• Crime, comedy, action.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

Cowardly private detective Holland March and thug Jackson Healy are forced to team up to investigate the death of the adult film star. It is later revealed that this investigation is associated with secrets that go far beyond the porn industry.

Writer and director Shane Black originally conceived of Nicefellas as a TV series, but it didn't work out with the teleformat. Be that as it may, the film still turned out to be very worthy, albeit moderately silly. The audience will find funny jokes, great action and truly charming characters played by a wonderful duet of actors: Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe.

5. Kiss right through

• USA, 2005.
• Thriller, comedy, crime, detective.
• Duration: 103 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Petty fraudster Harry Lockhart, fleeing from the police, gets on screen tests for a new detective film. Unwillingly, he makes such a good impression on the producers that he gets the role and goes to Hollywood. There, the hero and his new acquaintance, private detective Perry van Schrike, find themselves involved in a very dark story.

Another Shane Black film, this time the directorial debut. Prior to that, he had already managed to write scripts for many famous Hollywood films ("Lethal Weapon", "The Long Kiss Goodnight").

"Kiss Through" is hardly suitable for people who find it difficult to watch violence on the screen, but with its wit and charm, it will definitely conquer everyone else. In general, the whole film is better perceived as a kind of teasing the neo-noir genre, then you will get a lot of pleasure. In addition, Robert Downey Jr. starred here.

6. Baby on the drive

• UK, USA, 2017.
• Action, thriller, drama, crime.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The main character, nicknamed the Kid, works for the crime boss Doc. Thanks to his excellent driving skills, the guy helps criminals to hide after robberies. Once love appears in his life, and the Kid decides to leave the game. Only Doc is not ready to just let go of the best driver in town.

At first glance, this film by Edgar Wright is fundamentally different from his previous works, which parodied various genre stereotypes and cliches ("Kind of cool cops", "Zombie named Sean", "Armageddian"). Also, Wright very successfully tried himself as a director of comics ("Scott Pilgrim vs. All"). The plot of "The Kid" resembled a typical Hollywood blockbuster, and this alarmed the fans.

The fans were worried in vain: the directorial style of Edgar Wright in the tape is felt in everything, from witty dialogues to the selection of music. By the way, it was in this film that the director's music-loving nature was most clearly manifested.

7. The Boondock Saints

• USA, Canada, 1999.
• Action, thriller, drama, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 109 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

Two brothers - Irish, Connor and Murphy McManus, set out to clear the streets of Boston from villains. The local mafia is in panic, as the guys are using the most brutal methods. FBI agent Paul Smecker is charged with stopping the brothers' activities. However, the McManuses turn out to be so cute to him that the hero is ready to join them.

The film by Troy Duffy was remembered by the audience not only for its excellent black humor, but also for its gorgeous acting work. The star of The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus, is still quite young here, and the textured Willem Dafoe played, as always, an ambiguous character who nevertheless wants to empathize.

8. Gentlemen

• UK, USA, 2019.
• Crime, comedy, action.
• Duration: 113 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Crime boss Mickey Pearson made his fortune trading marijuana. Now the hero plans to get out of business by selling his developments to an American businessman. But it was not there: a nosy detective comes to Pearson's closest assistant and demands a large sum for incriminating evidence on Mickey.

Guy Ritchie is often called the British Tarantino for his similar style of plotting and his love of gangster themes. At some stage, the director, however, went far from the usual style and took up large commercial projects like the remake of "Aladdin".

In 2019, Richie finally returned to the aesthetics of his early works ("Lock, Stock, Two Barrels" and "Big Jackpot"), and fans of the director's work again had the opportunity to plunge into the criminal world of London.

9. Lay low in Bruges

• UK, USA, 2007.
• Comedy, crime, thriller, drama.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

Two gangsters are hiding in an old Belgian town after an unsuccessful murder. Their boss instructs the senior killer to kill the younger, and when he refuses, he goes to personally deal with this situation.

Martin McDonagh's full-length debut balances perfectly between dark humor and tragedy. In addition, viewers will experience unpredictable plot twists, incredibly beautiful streets of Bruges and a powerful cast: young Colin Farrell, charming red-bearded Brendan Gleeson and demonic Rafe Fiennes.

10. Lock, money, two barrels

• UK, 1998.
• Action, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 107 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

Eddie, who considers himself an excellent card player, encourages his friends to invest in a common cause, the essence of which is to furnish a local mafioso with poker. As a result, the hero not only loses everything, but also remains in debt. To pay off the crime boss, the guys decide to take a daring action: rob their neighbors, the bandits. They, in turn, set themselves the goal of robbing a group of drug dealers who grow marijuana.

Guy Ritchie's first film grew out of the short film "Difficult Business" and its complex structure immediately reminded critics of Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction". The plot lines here are also tied in an unthinkable tangle, and it is difficult to keep track of the events.

11. Big jackpot

• UK, USA, 2000.
• Crime, comedy, action.
• Duration: 104 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

The robber Frankie, nicknamed Four Fingers, must ferry a stolen diamond from England to the United States. Instead, he falls into a whirlwind of unpleasant events, having made an unsuccessful bet on an underground boxing match.

Following the success of Lock, Stock, Two Smoking Barrels, Guy Ritchie got the go-ahead for his next project. This time the director worked in collaboration with Hollywood and famous actors - Benicio del Toro and Brad Pitt.

Pitt, however, doubted whether he should have played a similar role immediately after Fight Club. In the end, the desire to work with Guy Ritchie turned out to be stronger.

12. Pulp Fiction

• USA, 1994.
• Crime, drama.
• Duration: 154 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

A pair of chatty thugs Vincent Vega and Jules Winfield are running errands for their boss Marcellus Wallace. It turns out they are not very good: Vincent accidentally shoots a prisoner in the head right in the car of his companion. In the evening, he will go out to a restaurant with his wife Marcellas.

Meanwhile, boxer Butch breaks an agreement with Wallace by escaping from a match fix. He will have to return to the apartment, where his girlfriend Fabian has forgotten a very valuable gold watch, and this promises trouble for the hero.

Only the second film by Quentin Tarantino instantly became a cult, and the audience willingly stole the picture for quotes. Just what is the dialogue of the protagonists about the differences between French fast food and American. But the main moment of "Pulp Fiction" is, of course, a twist performed by John Travolta and Uma Thurman, in which one can guess the reference to Fellini's 8 1/2 | Dance scene / emilia rolewicz / YouTube to one of the paintings by Federico Fellini.

13. Fargo

• USA, UK, 1996.
• Thriller, drama, comedy, crime.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

Car salesman Jerry Landegaard is in trouble with debt. He hires two bandits to kidnap his wife Jean. For this he promises to give them a new car and a ransom, which he expects to demand from his rich but tight-fisted father-in-law. The performers are not brilliant, so the plan collapses.

One of the best works of the Coen brothers skillfully combines black comedy and extreme cruelty. Fargo has reaped a crop of Oscar nominations and won two awards: Best Actress and Screenplay.

Later, inspired by the film, producer Noah Hawley created a series based on it. The first season does not repeat the plot of the original, although it borrows a lot from it. The further, the less it becomes in common between these two projects.