HBO Max is a wonderful repository of movies that span almost the entire history of cinema. While the collection is far from exhaustive, it’s deeper than most streaming services. When you’re looking through all the available movies, it can be easy to get overwhelmed.
That’s even true if you’re looking inside a specific genre like crime movies. That’s why we’ve done some of the hard work for you, recommending three very different, fascinating crime movies that are available to watch on the streaming service now.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
The 1970s were famously a great time for American movies, and Dog Day Afternoon was one of the best examples. The film tells the true story of Sonny Wortzik, an amateur bank robber who holds up a bank in Brooklyn. As the cops learn more about Sonny and why he needs the money, we get a complex portrait of a man on the fringes of society who is trying to do what he has to to survive.
Al Pacino delivers one of his greatest performances at the center of this film. Dog Day Afternoon has a remarkable degree of both momentum and humanity all the way to its bitter, tragic end.
You can watch Dog Day Afternoon on HBO Max.
High and Low (1963)
Spike Lee’s Highest to Lowest is adapting, at least in part, this 1963 classic from master Akira Kurosawa. The film follows a wealthy Japanese businessman who finds himself the target of kidnappers who have taken his son. When he discovers that his driver’s son was actually taken by mistake, he is faced with a complex dilemma about whether he should still pay the ransom.
High and Low is a brilliant examination of the way class works across time and societies, as well as a riveting thriller that takes place almost entirely in one beautiful, elaborately built room.
You can watch High and Low on HBO Max.
The Wizard of Lies (2017)
The story of Bernie Madoff is sensational and strange, but as The Wizard of Lies reminds us, it’s also fundamentally American. Starring Robert De Niro as the titular wizard, the story follows Madoff as he manages to build a massive Ponzi scheme the likes of which had never been seen before.
As he tells lie after lie, stealing people’s money without any regard for them, it begins to feel like this world is one where no one faces consequences. Financial crimes might not seem as exciting as those perpetrated in the other movies, but in The Wizard of Lies, they’re thrilling in their own right.
You can watch The Wizard of Lies on HBO Max.
