Best 25 Crime Movies Editor's Choice from 1949

A distant poor relative of the Duke D'Ascoyne plots to inherit the title by murdering the eight other heirs who stand ahead of him in the line of succession. Explore Kind Hearts and Coronets / IMDB / YouTube

A psychopathic criminal with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. Find out about White Heat / IMDB / YouTube

Expecting the usual loss, a boxing manager takes bribes from a betting gangster without telling his fighter. Info on The Set-Up / IMDB / YouTube

An armored truck driver and his ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route. Get info on Criss Cross / IMDB / YouTube

An escaped convict injured during a robbery falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning. See more about They Live by Night / IMDB / YouTube

Gino, a drifter, begins an affair with inn-owner Giovanna, and they plan to get rid of her older husband. Info on Obsession / IMDB / YouTube

A young gentleman goes to Australia where he reunites with his now married childhood sweetheart, only to find out she has become an alcoholic and harbors dark secrets. Details on Under Capricorn / IMDB / YouTube

A war veteran turned truck driver attempts to avenge the crippling and robbing of his father at the hands of an amoral produce marketer. Details on Thieves' Highway / IMDB / YouTube

This film-noir piece, told in semi-documentary style, follows police on the hunt for a resourceful criminal who shoots and kills a cop. Check out He Walked by Night / IMDB / YouTube

Scottish islanders try to plunder 50,000 cases of whisky from a stranded ship. Find out about Whisky Galore! / IMDB / YouTube

Through a fluke circumstance, a ruthless woman stumbles across a suitcase filled with $60,000, and is determined to hold onto it even if it means murder. See more about Too Late for Tears / IMDB / YouTube

After discovering the dead body of her teenage daughter's lover, a housewife takes desperate measures to protect her family from scandal. More about The Reckless Moment / IMDB / YouTube

An Army lieutenant accused of robbery pursues the real thief on a frantic chase through Mexico, aided by the thief's fiancee. Explore The Big Steal / IMDB / YouTube

To avoid the heat of a sweltering summer night a 9-year-old Manhattan boy decides to sleep on the fire escape and witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him. Check out The Window / IMDB / YouTube

A unfaithful wife plots with her lover to kill her husband, but the lover is accidentally killed instead. The husband stays in hiding and lets his wife be charged with conspiracy. Look into Impact / IMDB / YouTube

An ambitious young LA department store model gets her wish of marrying a millionaire but she eventually discovers that rich life isn't always a happy one. More about Caught / IMDB / YouTube

An attorney defends a young hoodlum charged with murdering a policeman using the oppressiveness of his client's upbringing in the slums to appeal to the sympathies of the jury. Look into Knock on Any Door / IMDB / YouTube

Two employees of a secluded hotel investigate a murder on the premises in which the goofy bellboy is the prime suspect. Details on Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet the Killer Boris Karloff / IMDB / YouTube

After years in prison, Max promises revenge on his brothers for their betrayal. His lover Irene and memories of his past yield him a broader perspective. Read about House of Strangers / IMDB / YouTube

A meek pharmacist creates an alternate identity under which he plans to murder the bullying liquor salesman who has become his wife's lover. Learn about Tension / IMDB / YouTube

Outlaw Wes McQueen escapes jail to pull a railroad robbery but, upon meeting pretty settler Julie Ann, he wonders about going straight. More about Colorado Territory / IMDB / YouTube

Pursued by the big-time gambler he robbed, John Muller assumes a new identity, with unfortunate results. Find out about Hollow Triumph / IMDB / YouTube

An American returns to Tokyo try to pick up threads of his pre-WW2 life there, but finds himself squeezed between criminals and the authorities. See more about Tokyo Joe / IMDB / YouTube

Mexican and American federal agents tackle a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California. Look into Border Incident / IMDB / YouTube

A parole officer falls in love with his client, a ravishing blonde who served time for murder, and he's determined to help her go straight despite her interfering criminal boyfriend. Get info on Shockproof / IMDB / YouTube