5 best crime thriller movies to watch after 'Crime 101'

Chris Hemsworth in "Crime 101" now streaming on Prime Video
(Image credit: Dean Rogers / Amazon)

Bart Layton's "Crime 101" came to Prime Video on April 1, and it looks to be quite the hit with viewers at home. Ever since it landed on Amazon's streaming service, this satisfying crime thriller has (at the time of writing) remained at the top of Prime Video's charts, proving plenty of viewers have an appetite for this kind of compelling crime story.

With that in mind, I figured now would also be the perfect time to put together a list of movies with a similar vibe, just in case you've already watched "Crime 101" and are looking for more movies to add to your watchlist.

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What to watch after 'Crime 101'

'Drive' (2011)

Drive - Movie Trailer (2011) HD - YouTube Drive - Movie Trailer (2011) HD - YouTube
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Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" is an undeniably slick, cool (and occasionally violent) thriller, and I think it'd make a great companion to "Crime 101," too. Frankly, it's worth experiencing for the soundtrack alone.

Here, we meet the Driver (Ryan Gosling), a Hollywood stuntman who earns some extra cash working as a getaway driver. He's got a soft spot for his neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan), and her young son, Benicio. When her husband is released from prison, he enlists the Driver's work in a lucrative heist... but when that job goes wrong, Gosling's lead puts himself in harm's way to keep Irene and her son safe.

Watch "Drive" on Netflix now

'Heat' (1995)

Heat (1995) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube Heat (1995) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers - YouTube
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If you love crime thrillers, and you've somehow not managed to watch "Heat," you need to change that, pronto. Michael Mann's LA-set cat-and-mouse crime movie is often cited as one of the greatest movies in the genre, and it deserves that label; "Heat" is just that good.

The film introduces us to master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro), a criminal plotting his final big heist, and Lieutenant Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), an officer trying to juggle tracking down McCauley and the chaos of his personal life. "Heat" is a near-three-hour-long saga boasting phenomenal action, including one of the best heist sequences ever, and stars two big-screen icons doing great work as the two men on opposite sides of the law.

Buy/rent "Heat" on Prime Video now

'The Rip' (2026)

The Rip | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube The Rip | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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If you're in the mood for another recent release, then Joe Carnahan's Netflix original movie could be worth checking out, too. In our "The Rip" review, Alix Blackburn called it "a gritty, high-tension crime thriller" with "masterful "pressure-cooker" suspense and unexpected twists."

Billed by the streaming giant as a "heart-pounding crime thriller," this January 2026 release sees a team of Miami cops (including partners Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) stumbling upon more than $20 million hidden away in a rundown stash house. They're required by law to count the money before they leave the scene, but owing to the scale of the seizure, everything's called into question, and trust between the team begins to fray.

Watch "The Rip" on Netflix now

'The Town' (2010)

The Town - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube The Town - Official Trailer [HD] - YouTube
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Chris Hemsworth's jewel thief spends "Crime 101" working on a final score that should set him up with enough to get out of the game, and that's exactly what "The Town's" Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) wants to do, too.

In this well-received, compelling crime thriller (which Affleck co-wrote and directed), the Boston-based Bank robber and his crew are planning one last job: robbing Fenway Park. The problem? He starts to develop feelings for Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall), a bank employee who gets caught up in one of his crew's previous hits.

Watch "The Town" on HBO Max now

'Widows' (2018)

Widows | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - YouTube Widows | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX - YouTube
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I'll never pass up an opportunity to recommend "Widows," as almost a decade later, I still think Steve McQueen's 2018 heist thriller is one of the best modern crime movies I've seen. It is dramatic, thrilling, has a phenomenal cast, and was co-written by McQueen and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)... what more could you want?

IThe series is based upon a 1980s British TV series of the same name, and revolves around four Chicago women — Veronica Rawlings (Viola Davis), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and Belle (Cynthia Erivo) — who attempt to steal millions of dollars from a local politician's home so they can pay back the money stolen by their husbands before they were killed in a robbery that went south.

Buy/rent "Widows" on Prime Video now


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Martin Shore
Staff Writer, Streaming

Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

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