Tarantinoesk Derin Seçkiler Tarantinoesque Deep Cuts

McQuarrie's directorial debut after writing The Usual Suspects. A nasty, deliberately unglamorous kidnap-caper; opinion splits hard between 'most underappreciated crime thriller of the post-Tarantino era' and 'a dirty slog' — the botched-professionals texture is exactly this register.

McQuarrie's directorial debut after writing The Usual Suspects. A nasty, deliberately unglamorous kidnap-caper; opinion splits hard between 'most underappreciated crime thriller of the post-Tarantino era' and 'a dirty slog' — the botched-professionals texture is exactly this register.

Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, a doomed ex-crook ensemble and self-consciously quirky argot ('give it a boat'). An interesting near-miss — the Damon Runyon-by-way-of-QT dialogue is the draw.

Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, a doomed ex-crook ensemble and self-consciously quirky argot ('give it a boat'). An interesting near-miss — the Damon Runyon-by-way-of-QT dialogue is the draw.

Christopher Walken kidnapped by rich kids; talky, twisty, better than its reputation.

Christopher Walken kidnapped by rich kids; talky, twisty, better than its reputation.

The Altman-meets-QT LA ensemble (James Spader as an icy hitman). A 'TV-movie version of Pulp Fiction' — a period curiosity with a good Spader.

The Altman-meets-QT LA ensemble (James Spader as an icy hitman). A 'TV-movie version of Pulp Fiction' — a period curiosity with a good Spader.

Sutherland's directorial debut; a drug-deal-gone-wrong road caper. A curiosity, not a discovery.

Sutherland's directorial debut; a drug-deal-gone-wrong road caper. A curiosity, not a discovery.

Written/directed by Tarantino's Pulp Fiction co-writer; a Paris bank-heist junkie freakout. Rated 'head and shoulders above' the other imitators — 'an adjacent film.' Recommended.

Written/directed by Tarantino's Pulp Fiction co-writer; a Paris bank-heist junkie freakout. Rated 'head and shoulders above' the other imitators — 'an adjacent film.' Recommended.

The duds of the imitator wave. Boondock Saints in particular is 'obnoxious and self-congratulatory.' Skip unless as sociology.

The duds of the imitator wave. Boondock Saints in particular is 'obnoxious and self-congratulatory.' Skip unless as sociology.

Adjacent studio product (QT script/story credits, or the canonical Leonard adaptation). Likely already known; noted only as reference poles.

Adjacent studio product (QT script/story credits, or the canonical Leonard adaptation). Likely already known; noted only as reference poles.

Ben Kingsley's Don Logan is one of the great screen psychopaths; a heist film that's really about dread and retirement. Genuinely great, deconstructs the genre the way early Sopranos did.

Ben Kingsley's Don Logan is one of the great screen psychopaths; a heist film that's really about dread and retirement. Genuinely great, deconstructs the genre the way early Sopranos did.

Malcolm McDowell/Paul Bettany; brutal, stylish, cold. Strong.

Malcolm McDowell/Paul Bettany; brutal, stylish, cold. Strong.

A revenge film with lowlife-ensemble texture and shocking tonal shifts. One of the best British films of its decade.

A revenge film with lowlife-ensemble texture and shocking tonal shifts. One of the best British films of its decade.

A crime-family comedy of manners shot like a kitchen-sink drama; Wheatley's debut. Blackly funny and cheap in the best way.

A crime-family comedy of manners shot like a kitchen-sink drama; Wheatley's debut. Blackly funny and cheap in the best way.

Hitman drama that swerves into horror. Not comic, but the sudden-violence rupture is extreme; flagged with that caveat.

Hitman drama that swerves into horror. Not comic, but the sudden-violence rupture is extreme; flagged with that caveat.

Bob Hoskins; the foundational modern British gangster film. Pre-cycle ancestor.

Bob Hoskins; the foundational modern British gangster film. Pre-cycle ancestor.

The 'strong / worth it' tier of the British cycle. London to Brighton (2006, Paul Andrew Williams) is singled out as 'possibly the most meaningful low-budget crime film to come out of Britain in a good while.'

The 'strong / worth it' tier of the British cycle. London to Brighton (2006, Paul Andrew Williams) is singled out as 'possibly the most meaningful low-budget crime film to come out of Britain in a good while.'

Post-Lock-Stock cash-ins widely regarded as flops. Period curiosities only.

Post-Lock-Stock cash-ins widely regarded as flops. Period curiosities only.

The great Leonard adaptations. Leonard himself said everything before Get Shorty 'sucked.'

The great Leonard adaptations. Leonard himself said everything before Get Shorty 'sucked.'

Roy Scheider; the best of the pre-Get Shorty adaptations, tense and mean.

Roy Scheider; the best of the pre-Get Shorty adaptations, tense and mean.

Charles Bronson as a melon farmer vs. the mob. Leonard-scripted; a lean, odd delight.

Charles Bronson as a melon farmer vs. the mob. Leonard-scripted; a lean, odd delight.

'An underrated action vehicle,' Leonard co-wrote it; compromised but interesting.

'An underrated action vehicle,' Leonard co-wrote it; compromised but interesting.

The Westerns — reminders that Leonard started there.

The Westerns — reminders that Leonard started there.

Leonard trashed most of these himself. The 2004 Big Bounce remake is his lowest-rated adaptation (16% RT, 'D' CinemaScore). Touch (1997) is a strange outlier worth a look.

Leonard trashed most of these himself. The 2004 Big Bounce remake is his lowest-rated adaptation (16% RT, 'D' CinemaScore). Touch (1997) is a strange outlier worth a look.

Likely already known; the point of reference is that the Coens are the American twin of this comic-crime tradition, and Fargo/Raising Arizona incompetence-farce is arguably closer to this taste than Tarantino himself.

Likely already known; the point of reference is that the Coens are the American twin of this comic-crime tradition, and Fargo/Raising Arizona incompetence-farce is arguably closer to this taste than Tarantino himself.

THE German Lock, Stock — a Ruhrpott caper about small-time crooks and missing loot. Cult classic at home (7.5 IMDb). First of Thorwarth's 'Unna trilogy' (with Was nicht passt, wird passend gemacht, 2002, and Goldene Zeiten, 2006). Genuinely funny.

THE German Lock, Stock — a Ruhrpott caper about small-time crooks and missing loot. Cult classic at home (7.5 IMDb). First of Thorwarth's 'Unna trilogy' (with Was nicht passt, wird passend gemacht, 2002, and Goldene Zeiten, 2006). Genuinely funny.

The user's own reference point; note Til Schweiger's whole late-90s milieu around it.

The user's own reference point; note Til Schweiger's whole late-90s milieu around it.

Ex-anarchist caper; lighter.

Ex-anarchist caper; lighter.

Le Doulos is literally Tarantino's self-declared favorite screenplay of all time. Essential ancestors of the whole tradition.

Le Doulos is literally Tarantino's self-declared favorite screenplay of all time. Essential ancestors of the whole tradition.

The heist-film DNA.

The heist-film DNA.

Vincent Cassel; the closest France came to the ultraviolent comic-caper wave. Divisive, worth it.

Vincent Cassel; the closest France came to the ultraviolent comic-caper wave. Divisive, worth it.

The serious end of the French polar tradition.

The serious end of the French polar tradition.

Written by Anders Thomas Jensen. 'Snatch done Nordic-style,' Denmark's first black-comedy gangster film — reportedly outperformed Star Wars: Episode I at the Danish box office. THE key Nordic pick. Plus its prequel Old Men in New Cars (2002).

Written by Anders Thomas Jensen. 'Snatch done Nordic-style,' Denmark's first black-comedy gangster film — reportedly outperformed Star Wars: Episode I at the Danish box office. THE key Nordic pick. Plus its prequel Old Men in New Cars (2002).

Small-town noir with deadpan menace. Excellent.

Small-town noir with deadpan menace. Excellent.

Lowlife-ensemble black comedies squarely in this zone.

Lowlife-ensemble black comedies squarely in this zone.

Icelandic; the more procedural end of Nordic crime.

Icelandic; the more procedural end of Nordic crime.

The grim, brilliant counterweight to the comic Nordic capers.

The grim, brilliant counterweight to the comic Nordic capers.

Heavy-metal-and-Satan black comedy; his breakout. Great.

Heavy-metal-and-Satan black comedy; his breakout. Great.

Department-store black comedy with a corpse problem. Strong fit.

Department-store black comedy with a corpse problem. Strong fit.

Single-location siege black comedy — Assault on Precinct 13 meets Buñuel. Uneven but distinctive.

Single-location siege black comedy — Assault on Precinct 13 meets Buñuel. Uneven but distinctive.

The grittier side of Spanish crime cinema.

The grittier side of Spanish crime cinema.

Lee Byung-hun; gorgeous, melancholy hitman noir. Genuinely great.

Lee Byung-hun; gorgeous, melancholy hitman noir. Genuinely great.

Insane genre-blender (torture / sci-fi / black comedy). A cult masterpiece; truly obscure to Western casual viewers.

Insane genre-blender (torture / sci-fi / black comedy). A cult masterpiece; truly obscure to Western casual viewers.

Kill Boksoon is the most accessible — an assassin-single-mother action-comedy, 'a female John Wick with more humor.'

Kill Boksoon is the most accessible — an assassin-single-mother action-comedy, 'a female John Wick with more humor.'

Ishii is the deep cut — Party 7 is a talky single-location caper; The Taste of Tea is a surreal family piece.

Ishii is the deep cut — Party 7 is a talky single-location caper; The Taste of Tea is a surreal family piece.

The sprawling, uneven master. The Happiness of the Katakuris is a zombie-musical-crime-comedy.

The sprawling, uneven master. The Happiness of the Katakuris is a zombie-musical-crime-comedy.

The stylized ancestors QT loves.

The stylized ancestors QT loves.

The twin peaks of Milkyway Image; laconic, funny, balletically violent bodyguard/hitman ensembles. Both essential.

The twin peaks of Milkyway Image; laconic, funny, balletically violent bodyguard/hitman ensembles. Both essential.

Sparrow is a pickpocket caper, To's lightest and most Demy-esque.

Sparrow is a pickpocket caper, To's lightest and most Demy-esque.

The film Reservoir Dogs famously lifted from. Required viewing specifically for this taste.

The film Reservoir Dogs famously lifted from. Required viewing specifically for this taste.

A neo-noir heist-betrayal caper openly homaging Tarantino, Vijay Anand and James Hadley Chase. The best pure-caper Indian pick; underseen even in India.

A neo-noir heist-betrayal caper openly homaging Tarantino, Vijay Anand and James Hadley Chase. The best pure-caper Indian pick; underseen even in India.

Twin brothers, Mumbai underworld, climactic all-parties-in-one-room gunplay. Per Shekhar Kapur, you 'cannot work out why you are laughing amidst the ugliness of violence.'

Twin brothers, Mumbai underworld, climactic all-parties-in-one-room gunplay. Per Shekhar Kapur, you 'cannot work out why you are laughing amidst the ugliness of violence.'

A blind-pianist black-comedy thriller; genuinely brilliant, more Hitchcock than QT but the tonal control is exemplary.

A blind-pianist black-comedy thriller; genuinely brilliant, more Hitchcock than QT but the tonal control is exemplary.

Kaante is a scene-for-scene Reservoir Dogs Bollywood remake — a curiosity. Gangs of Wasseypur is the sprawling epic end.

Kaante is a scene-for-scene Reservoir Dogs Bollywood remake — a curiosity. Gangs of Wasseypur is the sprawling epic end.

Six-story anthology of escalating revenge and farce. One of the great crowd-pleasers of the register; a must.

Six-story anthology of escalating revenge and farce. One of the great crowd-pleasers of the register; a must.

A perfect con-artist caper. Essential.

A perfect con-artist caper. Essential.

In Cinema Speculation, QT recalls first seeing it 'on a double feature with Enter the Dragon, it blew my fucking mind'; he named his mid-90s Miramax distribution label Rolling Thunder Pictures after it.

In Cinema Speculation, QT recalls first seeing it 'on a double feature with Enter the Dragon, it blew my fucking mind'; he named his mid-90s Miramax distribution label Rolling Thunder Pictures after it.

Source of the 'pliers and a blowtorch' line; Walter Matthau outsmarting the mob, tonally close to Jackie Brown.

Source of the 'pliers and a blowtorch' line; Walter Matthau outsmarting the mob, tonally close to Jackie Brown.

The noir/heist DNA, alongside Le Doulos and City on Fire.

The noir/heist DNA, alongside Le Doulos and City on Fire.

The gold standard of contemporary motormouth-crime. Essential.

The gold standard of contemporary motormouth-crime. Essential.

Buddy-PI 70s comedy; Black's dialogue is the closest living thing to this register. Essential.

Buddy-PI 70s comedy; Black's dialogue is the closest living thing to this register. Essential.

Competence-inverted thrillers; genuinely great.

Competence-inverted thrillers; genuinely great.

Adapted from Joe R. Lansdale; superb, underseen.

Adapted from Joe R. Lansdale; superb, underseen.

El Royale is the 'entertainingly incoherent' QT-imitator throwback.

El Royale is the 'entertainingly incoherent' QT-imitator throwback.

Bullet Train is adapted from Kotaro Isaka (see Books section). The maximalist end; Boy Kills World and Guns Akimbo are louder, dumber cousins.

Bullet Train is adapted from Kotaro Isaka (see Books section). The maximalist end; Boy Kills World and Guns Akimbo are louder, dumber cousins.

The definitive Elmore Leonard screen adaptation — Raylan Givens, Leonard's dialogue rhythms intact. Start here.

The definitive Elmore Leonard screen adaptation — Raylan Givens, Leonard's dialogue rhythms intact. Start here.

The Coen incompetence-farce register at feature quality.

The Coen incompetence-farce register at feature quality.

Hitman-tries-to-quit black comedy; superb.

Hitman-tries-to-quit black comedy; superb.

Loosely adapted from Leonard, genuinely good, darker than the film.

Loosely adapted from Leonard, genuinely good, darker than the film.

An offbeat spy-tragicomedy of escalating incompetence; a cult gem, cancelled too soon. Strong fit.

An offbeat spy-tragicomedy of escalating incompetence; a cult gem, cancelled too soon. Strong fit.

Con-man-assumes-an-identity caper; Giovanni Ribisi and Margo Martindale. Fun.

Con-man-assumes-an-identity caper; Giovanni Ribisi and Margo Martindale. Fun.

Two beloved cancelled-too-soon shows — Terriers a PI dramedy, Lodge 49 a whimsical SoCal deadbeat-mystery.

Two beloved cancelled-too-soon shows — Terriers a PI dramedy, Lodge 49 a whimsical SoCal deadbeat-mystery.

Tokyo-cop-in-London yakuza drama; visually daring, emotionally rich. Excellent, one season only.

Tokyo-cop-in-London yakuza drama; visually daring, emotionally rich. Excellent, one season only.

International crime TV. Hap and Leonard (2016–18) is adapted from Joe R. Lansdale — a great fit and underseen.

International crime TV. Hap and Leonard (2016–18) is adapted from Joe R. Lansdale — a great fit and underseen.

The profane Ankara-cop series adapted from Emrah Serbes's novels; the closest thing to a Turkish Justified. In Turkish.

The profane Ankara-cop series adapted from Emrah Serbes's novels; the closest thing to a Turkish Justified. In Turkish.

Get Shorty is the ideal entry (Hollywood-meets-Miami). Out of Sight for his mature style. Rum Punch was filmed as Jackie Brown.

Get Shorty is the ideal entry (Hollywood-meets-Miami). Out of Sight for his mature style. Rum Punch was filmed as Jackie Brown.

The essential crime run. LaBrava (1983) won the Edgar; Glitz (1985) was his first bestseller.

The essential crime run. LaBrava (1983) won the Edgar; Glitz (1985) was his first bestseller.

City Primeval — subtitled 'High Noon in Detroit' — is a lean showdown novel and the basis for Justified: City Primeval.

City Primeval — subtitled 'High Noon in Detroit' — is a lean showdown novel and the basis for Justified: City Primeval.

The Westerns — don't skip these; reminders that Leonard started there.

The Westerns — don't skip these; reminders that Leonard started there.

THE foundational text. Leonard's own blurb: 'The best crime novel ever written — makes The Maltese Falcon read like Nancy Drew.' Ninety percent dialogue, Boston lowlifes. Cogan's Trade was filmed as Killing Them Softly. Most of Higgins's 30+ books are out of print — hunt them.

THE foundational text. Leonard's own blurb: 'The best crime novel ever written — makes The Maltese Falcon read like Nancy Drew.' Ninety percent dialogue, Boston lowlifes. Cogan's Trade was filmed as Killing Them Softly. Most of Higgins's 30+ books are out of print — hunt them.

Deadpan Miami cop noir; blackly hilarious. Also Cockfighter and The Burnt Orange Heresy. Essential.

Deadpan Miami cop noir; blackly hilarious. Also Cockfighter and The Burnt Orange Heresy. Essential.

As Westlake: pure incompetent-caper joy (Dortmunder). As Stark: cold, lean, professional-criminal perfection (Parker). Both essential; the two poles of this taste in one author.

As Westlake: pure incompetent-caper joy (Dortmunder). As Stark: cold, lean, professional-criminal perfection (Parker). Both essential; the two poles of this taste in one author.

Pitch-black.

Pitch-black.

True Grit is the famous one, but Norwood and The Dog of the South (the comic ones) are motormouth Americana — the better fit.

True Grit is the famous one, but Norwood and The Dog of the South (the comic ones) are motormouth Americana — the better fit.

Underrated.

Underrated.

The comic Bernie Rhodenbarr burglar books; the icy Keller hitman stories.

The comic Bernie Rhodenbarr burglar books; the icy Keller hitman stories.

Florida-man comic crime.

Florida-man comic crime.

Florida-man comic crime, the other pole.

Florida-man comic crime, the other pole.

Coined 'country noir.' Winter's Bone is the famous one, but these are the deeper cuts.

Coined 'country noir.' Winter's Bone is the famous one, but these are the deeper cuts.

East Texas buddy crime, funny and violent.

East Texas buddy crime, funny and violent.

Brutal.

Brutal.

The current standard-bearer of this whole tradition, genuinely great.

The current standard-bearer of this whole tradition, genuinely great.

Listed alongside Cosby and Woodrell in the Southern/rural-noir contemporary crowd; no further annotation given in source.

Listed alongside Cosby and Woodrell in the Southern/rural-noir contemporary crowd; no further annotation given in source.

Listed alongside Cosby and Woodrell in the Southern/rural-noir contemporary crowd; no further annotation given in source.

Listed alongside Cosby and Woodrell in the Southern/rural-noir contemporary crowd; no further annotation given in source.

Further Southern/rural noir names in this vein.

Further Southern/rural noir names in this vein.

The modern neo-pulp crowd. Abbott is flagged as the best prose stylist here; Money Shot is a Hard Case Crime standout.

The modern neo-pulp crowd. Abbott is flagged as the best prose stylist here; Money Shot is a Hard Case Crime standout.

Jack's Return Home is the novel filmed as Get Carter. GBH is a bleak masterpiece. Foundational British noir.

Jack's Return Home is the novel filmed as Get Carter. GBH is a bleak masterpiece. Foundational British noir.

60s Soho gangland; superb.

60s Soho gangland; superb.

I Was Dora Suarez is genuinely disturbing.

I Was Dora Suarez is genuinely disturbing.

Dense, brutal.

Dense, brutal.

The Layer Cake author; the sequel is worth it.

The Layer Cake author; the sequel is worth it.

Irish; spare, funny, savage.

Irish; spare, funny, savage.

Scottish comic crime.

Scottish comic crime.

McKinty's Sean Duffy series is singled out as excellent.

McKinty's Sean Duffy series is singled out as excellent.

FLAGGED AS ESSENTIAL. 'Hailed as the man who kicked the French crime novel out of the apolitical torpor into which it had fallen'; short, jazzy, ultraviolent Situationist neo-polars. If you read one non-Anglophone crime writer from this whole list, make it Manchette.

FLAGGED AS ESSENTIAL. 'Hailed as the man who kicked the French crime novel out of the apolitical torpor into which it had fallen'; short, jazzy, ultraviolent Situationist neo-polars. If you read one non-Anglophone crime writer from this whole list, make it Manchette.

Mediterranean noir.

Mediterranean noir.

Brutal Italian.

Brutal Italian.

The warm, funny end of Italian crime fiction.

The warm, funny end of Italian crime fiction.

Comic ensemble-assassin capers; exactly this register, now in English.

Comic ensemble-assassin capers; exactly this register, now in English.

Colder, literary end of Japanese crime fiction.

Colder, literary end of Japanese crime fiction.

Pitch-black.

Pitch-black.

The whimsical-picaresque cousin, alongside Arto Paasilinna's The Year of the Hare.

The whimsical-picaresque cousin, alongside Arto Paasilinna's The Year of the Hare.

Nesbø's lighter work; Villalobos and Melchor for the literary-violent Mexican end.

Nesbø's lighter work; Villalobos and Melchor for the literary-violent Mexican end.

The single best on-register Turkish pick: fast, funny, pulpy noir-comedy with con-artistry and hairpin turns — marketed as running 'at 300 km/h.' Not translated to English; read in Turkish.

The single best on-register Turkish pick: fast, funny, pulpy noir-comedy with con-artistry and hairpin turns — marketed as running 'at 300 km/h.' Not translated to English; read in Turkish.

Narrated by a Nietzsche-reading five-year-old detective; wickedly funny philosophical noir-comedy. Not in English.

Narrated by a Nietzsche-reading five-year-old detective; wickedly funny philosophical noir-comedy. Not in English.

The Behzat Ç. novels — profane, blackly funny Ankara squad-room noir; spawned the TV series. Not in English (Serbes's only English book, The King of Taksim Square, is not a crime novel).

The Behzat Ç. novels — profane, blackly funny Ankara squad-room noir; spawned the TV series. Not in English (Serbes's only English book, The King of Taksim Square, is not a crime novel).

The Hop-Çiki-Yaya / 'Turkish Delight' series (tr. Kenneth Dakan). A transvestite nightclub-hostess amateur sleuth; camp, comic, risqué Istanbul capers, available in English — good to hand to friends.

The Hop-Çiki-Yaya / 'Turkish Delight' series (tr. Kenneth Dakan). A transvestite nightclub-hostess amateur sleuth; camp, comic, risqué Istanbul capers, available in English — good to hand to friends.

Transgressive 'underground' fiction — human trafficking, extreme violence, philosophy. Genuinely great; grim rather than farcical. Best English entry: More.

Transgressive 'underground' fiction — human trafficking, extreme violence, philosophy. Genuinely great; grim rather than farcical. Best English entry: More.

Vivid Dolapdere underworld; tragicomic, filmed in 1997. Turkish/German only.

Vivid Dolapdere underworld; tragicomic, filmed in 1997. Turkish/German only.

A Chandleresque Istanbul private eye; pure hardboiled, light on comedy. Turkish/Spanish/German only.

A Chandleresque Istanbul private eye; pure hardboiled, light on comedy. Turkish/Spanish/German only.

Pulp revival and city-noir-anthology small presses. Akashic's Istanbul Noir volume is directly relevant.

Pulp revival and city-noir-anthology small presses. Akashic's Istanbul Noir volume is directly relevant.

His own criticism, decodes his 70s influences (Rolling Thunder, Charley Varrick et al.) directly. Essential.

His own criticism, decodes his 70s influences (Rolling Thunder, Charley Varrick et al.) directly. Essential.

The most prominent independent crime comic of the last twenty years; standalone arcs (heist, revenge, man-on-the-run) around the Lawless family. Now a Prime Video series. Start with the first volume, 'Coward.'

The most prominent independent crime comic of the last twenty years; standalone arcs (heist, revenge, man-on-the-run) around the Lawless family. Now a Prime Video series. Start with the first volume, 'Coward.'

Ethan Reckless, a 70s/80s LA fixer; a love letter to pulp thrillers. Five+ volumes. Patton Oswalt: 'pushed every crime fiction button for me…Bliss.'

Ethan Reckless, a 70s/80s LA fixer; a love letter to pulp thrillers. Five+ volumes. Patton Oswalt: 'pushed every crime fiction button for me…Bliss.'

Brubaker/Phillips is the most reliable duo in the medium for this taste. The Fade Out is 1940s Hollywood noir.

Brubaker/Phillips is the most reliable duo in the medium for this taste. The Fade Out is 1940s Hollywood noir.

Noir conspiracy; motormouth dialogue and sudden violence. Great.

Noir conspiracy; motormouth dialogue and sudden violence. Great.

Interlocking lowlife-ensemble crime vignettes; genuinely underrated.

Interlocking lowlife-ensemble crime vignettes; genuinely underrated.

Crime on a Lakota reservation; brutal and brilliant.

Crime on a Lakota reservation; brutal and brilliant.

Sin City is the stylized end of crime comics.

Sin City is the stylized end of crime comics.

Comic crime, incompetent crooks; exactly the farce register of this taste.

Comic crime, incompetent crooks; exactly the farce register of this taste.

Hitman (Garth Ennis) is comic in tone despite the name.

Hitman (Garth Ennis) is comic in tone despite the name.

Anthropomorphic noir; gorgeous, one of the great crime comics. Spanish.

Anthropomorphic noir; gorgeous, one of the great crime comics. Spanish.

European crime-comic tradition; for manga crime, the darkly comic seinen tradition is the analog.

European crime-comic tradition; for manga crime, the darkly comic seinen tradition is the analog.

A psychedelic assassin freak-out — Harman Smith and his seven personalities. Divisive, singular, genuinely unlike anything.

A psychedelic assassin freak-out — Harman Smith and his seven personalities. Divisive, singular, genuinely unlike anything.

The 'Kill the Past' cycle — severed heads, assassins, TV, meaninglessness of death. No More Heroes is the accessible, funny entry. Suda51 is called 'the Tarantino of games.'

The 'Kill the Past' cycle — severed heads, assassins, TV, meaninglessness of death. No More Heroes is the accessible, funny entry. Suda51 is called 'the Tarantino of games.'

The best-written crime game ever made — a broken detective, a murder, an avalanche of digressive dialogue. Essential, and the closest a game comes to the motormouth ideal.

The best-written crime game ever made — a broken detective, a murder, an avalanche of digressive dialogue. Essential, and the closest a game comes to the motormouth ideal.

Noir detective adventure; sharp dialogue.

Noir detective adventure; sharp dialogue.

Melodramatic, funny, violent Tokyo crime sagas with absurd tonal range. Judgment is the detective spin-off. Sleeping Dogs is the Hong Kong-set cousin.

Melodramatic, funny, violent Tokyo crime sagas with absurd tonal range. Judgment is the detective spin-off. Sleeping Dogs is the Hong Kong-set cousin.

Hotline Miami (2012) is flagged as the neon-violence needle-drop apotheosis.

Hotline Miami (2012) is flagged as the neon-violence needle-drop apotheosis.

Southern-gothic point-and-click; brilliant writing.

Southern-gothic point-and-click; brilliant writing.

An open-world murder mystery on a vaporwave island.

An open-world murder mystery on a vaporwave island.

A 16th-century murder investigation, superb.

A 16th-century murder investigation, superb.

El Paso, Elsewhere (2023) is a Max Payne homage.

El Paso, Elsewhere (2023) is a Max Payne homage.

THE Coen-brothers-in-a-box game — 'powerful ambitions and poor impulse control,' capers gone wrong. No GM, no dice; built precisely for this register. Start here.

THE Coen-brothers-in-a-box game — 'powerful ambitions and poor impulse control,' capers gone wrong. No GM, no dice; built precisely for this register. Start here.

A crew of scoundrels in a haunted industrial city; heist-and-consequences mechanics. Excellent.

A crew of scoundrels in a haunted industrial city; heist-and-consequences mechanics. Excellent.

The con-artist-crew show adaptation.

The con-artist-crew show adaptation.

Spaghetti-western scores and cool-jazz crime scores (Dirty Harry, Bullitt) — the two composer wells QT and his peers drew from.

Spaghetti-western scores and cool-jazz crime scores (Dirty Harry, Bullitt) — the two composer wells QT and his peers drew from.

The Centurions' 'Bullwinkle Part II' is the Pulp Fiction sound; the soul/funk canon is the Jackie Brown palette. Chase as playlists to understand the needle-drop grammar.

The Centurions' 'Bullwinkle Part II' is the Pulp Fiction sound; the soul/funk canon is the Jackie Brown palette. Chase as playlists to understand the needle-drop grammar.

The BBC and Audible also have full-cast audio dramas of several titles above; flagged as a companion.

The BBC and Audible also have full-cast audio dramas of several titles above; flagged as a companion.