Crime Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Crime

Two well-dressed individuals, a woman in a patterned jacket and a man in a suit, seated at a restaurant table with tableware and drinks.
Review

A Most Violent Year

by Adam Woodward

Oscar Isaac delivers the goods as the pacifist hero in this strange and slightly unsatisfying period crime drama.

4
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Four people walking on a city street at night, with neon signs and storefronts visible in the background.
Review

Guys and Dolls (1955)

by Adam Woodward

Jean Simmons outshines Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando in this witty, all-singing all-dancing MGM classic.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Man in navy coat holds small black dog on street.
Review

The Drop

by Adam Woodward

The late James Gandolfini shows Tom Hardy how it’s done in this gritty gutter thriller.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
A mature Black man in a dark shirt pointing a handgun in a dimly lit room.
Review

The Equalizer

by Adam Lee Davies

A 10-step guide on how best to create the perfect revenge-based B‑movie…

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A man in a hat and coat standing in front of a brick wall.
Review

M (1931)

by David Jenkins

This tale of a wily German child murderer from legendary director Fritz Lang is still one of the all-time greats.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A man in a black jacket holding a gun in a red-lit room.
Review

The Guest

by David Jenkins

Dan Stevens is a strange visitor who ends up being a dull visitor in Adam Wingard’s underwhelming genre mash-up.

4
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
A dramatic black-and-white portrait of a woman with dark hair, piercing green eyes, and red lipstick pointing a gun at the camera.
Review

Sin City 2: A Dame to Kill For

by David Ehrlich

It’s unasked for sequel time (again), as Robert Rodriguez flogs the dead CG horse that is the Sin City franchise.

1
Anticipation
1
Enjoyment
1
In Retrospect
A man rides a motorcycle piled high with crates of tomatoes in front of a fiery explosion in the background.
Review

A Touch of Sin

by D'Arcy Doran

Violence as a way of life in Jia Zhangke’s searing state-of-the-nation address.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
A man in a white T-shirt holding a rifle, standing in front of a wooden structure.
Review

Out of the Furnace

by Matt Thrift

A magnetic Christian Bale adds much-needed gravitas to this otherwise conventional blue-collar revenge saga.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Man in suit giving speech at podium
Review

The Wolf of Wall Street

by Calum Marsh

A late-career dirty bomb from Martin Scorsese in this licentious and hilarious essay on greed and excess.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect