A Glean movie guide
True Crime Masterpieces
From cold cases to the underworld.
Gripping feature films based on the world's most notorious real-life cases.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Zodiac
A meticulous and haunting obsession with an unidentified serial killer that redefined the investigative procedural.
Over the course of a decade, editors of the San Francisco Chronicle entice themselves in the murders of the Zodiac Killer. However, as time runs its course, interest in the case dwindles in the eyes of the professionals. The Killer stops interacting with the public. However, believing he has the answers, an amateur cartoonist from the initial sightings races against time to prevent what he believes is another murder.
- 02
Goodfellas
A kinetic, decades-spanning look at the seductive and violent reality of life inside the Lucchese crime family.
The true story of Henry Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighbourhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family under the guidance of Jimmy Conway.
- 03
Memories of Murder
A masterfully atmospheric thriller following a desperate investigation into South Korea's first serial killings.
A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.
- 04
Spotlight
A quiet, powerful procedural detailing the relentless journalistic pursuit of a systemic institutional cover-up.
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
- 05
Killers of the Flower Moon
A sweeping, somber epic uncovering a chilling conspiracy of greed and murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one—until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.
- 06
Dog Day Afternoon
A high-tension, sweat-soaked bank heist that spirals into a chaotic and heartbreaking media circus.
Based on the true story of would-be Brooklyn bank robbers John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. Sonny and Sal attempt a bank heist which quickly turns sour and escalates into a hostage situation and stand-off with the police. As Sonny's motives for the robbery are slowly revealed and things become more complicated, the heist turns into a media circus.
- 07
Monster
A raw and unflinching portrait of Aileen Wuornos that finds the humanity within a tragic cycle of violence.
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
- 08
The Wolf of Wall Street
A riotous, high-octane descent into the excess and corruption of a real-life financial predator.
A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.
- 09
Judas and the Black Messiah
An intense, heartbreaking look at the FBI's infiltration and betrayal of Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton.
Bill O'Neal infiltrates the Black Panthers on the orders of FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover. As Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton ascends—falling for a fellow revolutionary en route—a battle wages for O’Neal’s soul.
- 10
Foxcatcher
A cold and unsettling psychological drama about the tragic collision of wealth, ego, and obsession.
The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.