The 90s was a great time for fashion, music, and movies. Many consider it to be the single greatest decade for film, with one genre sticking out amongst the rest. With a long series of great movies in the genre being released in the decade,the country was thirsty for action-packed thrillers and Hollywood delivered with all-time classics. Crime thrillers quickly took over both the box office and critics' hearts, and many pop culture icons such asKeanu Reeves,Julia Roberts,Denzel Washington, andSandra Bullockwere born while old pros likeTommy Lee JonesandHarrison Fordsurfed the genre wave that to this day remains their bread and butter.
HBO Maxis a gold mine of movie options, whether it be today’s biggest hits or beloved cult classics. Priding itself on curating a vast array of filmography that will suit anyone’s fancy, it currently contains a fantastic library of 90s thrillers. The streaming service clearly understands that the kooky decade, with all its questionable hairdos, is still thriving, and offers cheesy, box office crowd-pleasers filled with chunky cellphones and massive explosions set in slow-motion while also serving up the decade’s slow-burning thrillers that have stood the test of time. Good or bad, they’re all a must-see for anyone who loves the wacky, distinctive decade. Here are the best 90s crime thrillers streaming on HBO Max right now. Take your pick.
Related:The Best Drama Movies on HBO Max Right Now
Double Jeopardy (1999)
Run Time:105 minutes
Genre: Crime/ Thriller
Director: Bruce Beresford
Cast: Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Annabeth Gish
Ashley Juddstars as a woman on a mission inDouble Jeopardy, the pulse-pounding thriller about a brutal murder and the ensuing cover-up. Judd plays convicted murderer Libby Parsons, and after being framed for the murder of her husband Nick (Bruce Greenwood), she spends several years in prison dreaming of getting out and exacting her revenge on those who put her there. Also determined to rescue her son, when Libby is released on parole and lives under the supervision of parole officer Travis Lehman (Tommy Lee Jones), she escapes and sets out for vengeance. Lehman follows in hot pursuit, and what follows is an action filled, crowd pleaser that became a high-grossing 90s classic. Judd carries the film on her more than capable strong shoulders and gives an iconic performance in the process as she trains, plots, and pounces.
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Run Time:129 minutes
Genre:Crime/ Drama
Director:Ridley Scott
Cast:Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Brad Pitt, Christopher McDonald, Harvey Keitel
Thelma & Louiseis a groundbreaking film about two women who refuse to play by the rules. Directed byRidley Scottand starringGeena Davisas Thelma andSusan Sarandonas Louise, they live lives of quiet desperation in a town where nothing ever happens, that is until they leave to go fishing for the weekend. Along the way they find themselves on the run from law enforcement and the FBI after their involved in a crime, and both women must decide how badly they want to fight for their freedom. As they flee the cops and embrace their outlaw lifestyle with no apologies,Thelma & Louisepaints a fiery portrait of empowerment. Davis and Sarandon give career best performances as two friends slowly coming into their own as wild, whiskey drinking criminals, and the film served asBrad Pitt’s breakout rolethanks to his performance as a hunky cowboy who comes along for the ride.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Run Time:99 minutes
Genre:Crime
Director:Quentin Tarantino
Cast:Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Edward Bunker, Lawrence Tierney, Randy Brooks, Quentin Tarantino, Kirk Baltz
Quentin Tarantinoviolently burst onto the scene with his feature film debut,Reservoir Dogs. Shot on a low budget with a wide array of well-respected actors, includingHarvey KeitelandSteve Buscemi, Tarantino made waves withReservoir Dogsthanks to his killer taste in music and unsettling scenes doused in blood. The film follows a group of criminals before and after working a job, and the job goes terrible wrong. As all eight men split up and question why the job went bad, they question one another, torture one another, and run from the law.Reservoir Dogswas an independent film that few saw during its initial release at the box office, and it’s gone on to become one of thebiggest cult films of all time. Keep an eye out for a young Tarantino showing off his acting chops in the film as Mr. Brown.
The Grifters (1990)
Run Time:110 minutes
Director:Stephen Frears
Cast:Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Patt Hingle
The Griftersis a slick, steamy neo-noir corrupt with conmen and women all looking for a piece of something more. That something more involves lots of stealing. Taking place in early 90s Los Angeles makes for a thrilling environment in dingy bars where cheap tricks are performed courtesy of conman Roy Dillon, a small-time criminal portrayed byJohn Cusack.Annette Beningchannels a devilishMarilyn Monroeas his girlfriend Myra, and while Roy thinks he’s the greatest player around he’s getting played by her. To make matters more complicated, his renowned con artist mother Lilly comes to town on business, played by a platinum blondeAnjelica Huston. Lily works for the ruthless mob bookie Bobo Justus (Patt Hingle), and as she visits her son all three swindlers make a mess of things under the city’s dull lights.
The Player (1992)
Run Time: 122 minutes
Genre: Crime/ Dark Comedy
Director: Robert Altman
Cast: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Gallagher, Dean Stockwell, Richard E. Grant, Michael Tolkin
If you’re a pop culture fanatic, thenThe Playeris the one for you. Set in tinsel town and rich with references to classic films and current stars,Tim Robbinsplays Griffin Mills, a hot shot Vice President at a big production company who receives a slew of death threats in the mail at work. When Griffin discovers it’s an angry screenwriter who he forgot to call back after receiving his pitch a few months back, he seeks him out to make amends, but ends up murdering him in a deadly scuffle. He then begins going out with the screenwriter’s girlfriend as cops hound him, headed byWhoopi Goldbergas the suspicious Detective Avery.
Pulling back the red curtains on all that glitters,The Playeris adark satire on the entertainment businessand is ruthless in its critiques. The movie has so many cameos of actors playing themselves it’s hard to count, includingCher,Julia Roberts,Bruce Willis,Susan Sarandon, Angelica Huston, John Cusack, and a hilariousBurt Reynolds. Coming from legendary directorRobert Altmanwho knows all the tricks of the trade,Hollywood becomes a debunked myth and exposes a playground for greedy men, some of whom will even kill to get what they want. Everyone cares about power, and no one cares about the movies.
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Run Time:97 minutes
Genre: Thriller
Director:Joseph Ruben
Cast:Julia Roberts, Patrick Bergen, Kevin Anderson, Elizabeth Lawrence
Sleeping with the Enemyis an over-the-top, messy thriller that shows its age, but it’s nonetheless a staple in 90s crime thriller lists courtesy of its star, Julia Roberts. Roberts plays Laura,the young, abused wife to her violent and crazed husband, Martin (Patrick Bergen). When he and his friend take her out on a sailboat during a particularly choppy day, Laura fakes her death by jumping into the water and runs away to small town Iowa where she starts a new life with a new identity. Believing his wife to be dead, Martin discovers she’s still alive and sets out on a mission to find her. Though it suffered from critics,Sleeping with the Enemywas a box office smash and foreshadowed the success Roberts would embark on as one of Hollywood’s biggest and most bankable stars.
Speed (1994)
Run Time:116 minutes
Genre:Action Thriller
Director:Jan de Bont
Cast:Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Daniels, Dennis Hopper, Joe Morton
Keanu Reevesand Sandra Bullockjoin forces inSpeed,the 1994 blockbuster that won two Academy Awards and became career defining performances for each actor. Reeves plays LAPD officer Jack Traven, and he races to beat the clock when a sadistic bomber (Dennis Hopper) places a bomb on a public city bus that will go off if the driver hits 50 mph or lower. Once Jack locates the bus, a misunderstood argument causes the driver to become injured and passenger Annie Porter (Bullock)is forced to take over and drive. As Jack and Annie race down LA streets and highways in attempts to keep everyone on the bus alive, the LAPD works to uncover the bomber’s identity while hitting several roadblocks along the way.Speedwill have you on the edge of your seat and holding your breath the entire time, and many consider it to be one of thebest films of the 90s.
Love and a .45 (1994)
Run Time:102 minutes
Genre:Crime/ Romance
Director:C.M. Talkington
Cast:Gil Bellows, Renée Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Jeffrey Combs, Jace Alexander, Michael Bowen, Jack Nance, Ann Wedgeworth, Peter Fonda, Wiley Wiggins
Love and a .45is a dark, quirky lovers-on-the-run tale starringGil BellowsandRenée Zellwegeras Watty Watts and Starlene Cheatham, two Texan fugitives fleeing the law and nasty criminals. The 90s was rich with on-the-run smashes likeTrue Romance,Thelma & Louise,andNatural Born Killers, and many films followed in the subgenre’s bloody path.Love and a .45is an often forgotten independent film full of lively character actors that should have been a hit, and thanks to HBO Max it’s now reaching a broader audience. Gritty and unglamorous, the movie emulates Tarantino with its gory violence, catchy character names, and dreamy montages set to indie music. The film marked one ofZellweger’s first leading roles, and Cochrane eats up his role as a crazed criminal chasing down the couple in a disturbing fashion.Peter Fonda,Wiley Wiggins, andJack Nancehave memorable cameos throughout as various strange Texan natives who help Watty and Star along their doomed, love-fueled trip across the Lone Star state.
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Genre:Crime/ Neo-Noir
Director:Carl Franklin
Cast:Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Beals, Tom Sizemore, Maury Chaykin, Albert Hall, Beau Starr, Lisa Nicole Carson, Terry Kinney
Devil In a Blue Dressis a steamy neo-noir mystery thriller doused in late night stake outs and dishonest men. Based upon the 1990 novel under the same name written byWalter Mosley, DenzelWashingtonstars as the unemployed Easy Rawlins, and thanks to an unpaid mortgage he’s willing to do anything to ensure he keeps his house in 1940s Los Angeles. to make some fast money he agrees to find the elusive Daphne Money (Jennifer Beals), a well-known socialite who abruptly disappears while dating the man running for mayor. Easy falls down a dark rabbit hole and quickly uncovers a vast conspiracy full of corrupt politicians and cops as he searches for Daphne across the city.Don Cheadlesteals every scene he’s in as a hot-headed crook from Easy’s past who comes to L.A. to aid him in his search, and it helped put him on the map as an upcoming Hollywood star.
The Crying Game (1992)
Run Time:111 Minutes
Genre:Thriller
Director:Neil Jordan
Cast: Stephen Rea, Miranda Richardson, Jaye Davidson, Forest Whitaker, Jim Broaddbent
The Crying Gamebegins when British soldier Jody (Forest Whitaker) is kidnapped by members of the Irish Republican Army and held captive in exchange for another IRA member to be released. While being held captive, Jody befriends volunteer IRA member Fergus (Stephen Rea) and the two become unlikely friends. Jody begs Fergus to find his girlfriend Dil and take care of her, and once Fergus flees the IRA he finds himself falling in love with Dil despite his better judgement while being hunted by IRA members. A suspenseful mash-up of action and romance infused with themes of morality,The Crying Gamewas critically acclaimed. Receiving a total of six Oscar nominations, directorNeil Jordanwon the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and it went on to become a defining British film.
