Best Crime Movies of 1986

The highest-rated crime films from 1986, ranked by MovieMagicScore based on authentic viewer ratings.

Crime 1985 Crime 1987 All Time Crime

Action Comedy Drama Horror Science Fiction Thriller Romance Animation Documentary Fantasy

Stand by Me

1986

After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

7.8

Blue Velvet

1986

The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

7.6

Down by Law

1986

A disc jockey, a pimp and an Italian tourist escape from jail in New Orleans.

7.3

A Better Tomorrow

1986

A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

7.4

Manhunter

1986

FBI Agent Will Graham, who retired after catching Hannibal Lecter, returns to duty to engage in a risky cat-and-mouse game with Lecter to capture a new killer.

7.0

Terrorizers

1986

An uncompromising look into urban life from the eyes of a voyeuristic photographer, a rebellious teenager, and a married couple teetering on the edge of adultery.

7.4

Mauvais Sang

1986

Two aging crooks are given two weeks to repay a debt to a woman named The American. They recruit their recently deceased partner's son to help them break into a laboratory and steal the vaccine against STBO, a sexually transmitted disease that is sweeping the country. It's spread by having sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are teenagers who make love out of curiosity rather than commitment.

7.1

Mona Lisa

1986

George is a small-time crook just out of prison who discovers his tough-guy image is out of date. Reduced to working as a minder/driver for high class call girl Simone, he has to agree when she asks him to find a young colleague from her King's Cross days. That's when George's troubles just start.

6.9

The Professor

1986

An imprisoned murderer carries out a violent bid for control of Naples' underworld crime syndicate.

7.1

#10

At Close Range

1986

Brad Whitewood Jr. lives in rural Pennsylvania and has few prospects. Against his mother's wishes, he seeks out his estranged father, the head of a gang of thieves in a nearby town. Though his new girlfriend supports his criminal ambitions, Brad Jr. soon learns that his father is a dangerous man. Inspired by the real events that led to the end of the Johnston Gang, who operated in the northeastern United States in the 1970s.

6.8

#11

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

1986

Arriving in Chicago, Henry moves in with ex-con acquaintance Otis and starts schooling him in the ways of the serial killer.

6.7

#12

Something Wild

1986

A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-con husband shows up.

6.6

#13

Ménage

1986

Tenue De Soirée (1986) is a dark comedy by Bertrand Blier starring Gérard Depardieu, Michel Blanc, and Miou-Miou. Antoine and Monique, a poor couple living in a caravan, meet Bob, a charismatic burglar who leads them into a series of thefts and a troubled relationship. Bob expresses a desire for Antoine, disrupting the trio's romantic and power relationships. The film provocatively addresses themes of sexuality, cross-dressing, and power relations. A critical and popular success, it earned Michel Blanc the Best Actor Award at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.

6.6

#14

River's Edge

1986

A group of high-school friends must come to terms with the fact that one of them, Samson, killed another, Jamie. Faced with the brutality of death, each must decide whether to turn their friend in to the police, or to help him escape the consequences of his dreadful deed.

6.5

#15

Il commissario Lo Gatto

1986

Police commissioner Lo Gatto is in charge of the local Italian police station within Vatican State. During an investigation, following the murder of a Vatican priest, he decides to question the Pope! For this reason Lo Gatto is sent to a Sicilian remote island Favignana. There is very little for the commissioner to do on the quiet island, so Lo Gatto decides to investigate the vanishing of a tourist which quickly becomes a very complicated affair.

6.2

#16

The Big Easy

1986

Remy McSwain is a New Orleans police lieutenant who investigates the murder of a local mobster. His investigation leads him to suspect that fellow members of the police force may be involved.

6.2

#17

No Retreat, No Surrender

1986

The mob is trying to strongarm local martial arts schools, forcing young Jason Stillwell and his family to move after his father is injured defending their dojo. With his father now rejecting violence, Jason is forced to train on his own to protect himself and his best friend from the members of a rival karate school.

6.3

#18

Tough Guys

1986

Harry Doyle and Archie Lang are two old-time train robbers, who held up a train in 1956 and have been incarcerated for thirty years. After serving their time, they are released from jail and have to adjust to a new life of freedom. and soon realize that they still have the pizzazz when, picking up their prison checks at a bank, they foil a robbery attempt.

6.0

#19

Murphy's Law

1986

A tough police detective escapes from custody after being framed and arrested for the murder of his ex-wife, and must now find the real killer and prove his innocence.

6.0

#20

52 Pick-Up

1986

Harry Mitchell is a successful Los Angeles manufacturer whose wife is running for city council. His life is turned upside down when three blackmailers confront him with a videotape of him with his young mistress and demand $100,000. Fearing that the story will hurt his wife's political campaign if he goes to the police, Harry pretends that he will pay the men, but does not follow through.

5.9

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Best Crime Movies of 1986

This ranking features the top crime movies released in 1986, sorted by MovieMagicScore viewer ratings. Looking for more? Browse all genres from 1986 or see the best crime movies of all time.