Gritty Crime Mystery Films: 12 Movie Scripts Worth Reading (Script Library)
The Town
2010 | Crime | Thriller | Drama | Based on a Book | Feature Film
A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold Claire, the assistant manager, hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with Claire. [IMDb]
Written by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard (previous revisions by Chuck Hogan)
Based on the novel "Prince of Thieves" by Chuck Hogan
Scripts (for educational purposes only)
- Revisions - dated January 5, 2009
- Revised Reshoots - dated May 20, 2010
Gone Baby Gone
2007 | Crime | Mystery | Drama | Based on a Book | Feature Film
Two Boston area private detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally. [IMDb]
Written by Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard
Based on the novel "Gone Baby Gone" by Dennis Lehane
Script version: undated (for educational purposes only)
Heat
1995 | Crime | Action | Drama | Based on a Previous Movie | Feature Film
A group of high-end professional thieves start to feel the heat from the LAPD when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist. [IMDb]
Writer: Michael Mann
Based on the 1989 Television Movie "L.A. Takedown" written by Michael Mann
Script version: Photocopy, dated August 18, 1994 (for educational purposes)
Sicario
2015 | Crime | Action | Mystery | Feature Film
An FBI agent joins a covert DoD task force targeting a Mexican cartel. Operating outside legal boundaries with a CIA handler and a mysterious fixer, she discovers the mission's true purpose goes far beyond what she was told. [IMDb]
Written by Taylor Sheridan
Script version: Undated (for educational purposes only)
Sicario: Day of the Soldado
2018 | Crime | Action | Mystery | Feature Film
The drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro. [IMDb]
Written by Taylor Sheridan
Script version: Blue revisions, undated (for educational purposes only)
The Departed
2006 | Crime | Thriller | Drama | Based on a Previous Film | Feature Film
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston. [IMDb]
** Oscar-Winning Screenplay **
Written by William Monahan
Based on the film/script "Infernal Affairs" by Alan Mak and Felix Chong
Script version: Shooting script, dated May 23, 2005 (for educational purposes only)
Out of the Furnace
2013 | Action | Crime | Drama | Feature Film
When a man mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough, his older brother takes matters into his own hands to find justice. [IMDb]
Script versions (for educational purposes):
- Photocopy, credited to Scott Cooper, dated March 15, 2011
- Photocopy, titled "The Low Dweller", credited to Brad Ingelsby, draft dated February 15, 2008
- Photocopy, titled "The Low Dweller", credited to Brad Ingelsby, undated draft
Winter's Bone
2010 | Crime | Mystery | Drama | Based on a Book | Feature Film
An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact. [IMDb]
** Oscar-Nominated Screenplay **
Written by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
Based on the novel "Winter's Bone" by Daniel Woodrell
Script version: Final (for educational purposes only)
Mystic River
The lives of three men, who experienced a tragedy as childhood friends, are shattered when the daughter of one of them is murdered.
*** Oscar-Nominated Screenplay ***
Written by Brian Helgeland
Based on the book "Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane
Script version: Final Draft (for educational purposes)
The Silence of the Lambs
1991 | Crime | Thriller | Drama | Based on a Book | Feature Film
A young F.B.I. cadet must receive the help of an incarcerated and manipulative cannibal killer to help catch another serial killer, a madman who skins his victims. [IMDb]
** Oscar-Winning Screenplay **
Written by Ted Tally
Based on the novel "The Silence of the Lambs" by Thomas Harris
Script version: Final (for educational purposes only)
Scarface
1983 | Crime | Drama | Feature Film
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed. [IMDb]
Written by Oliver Stone
Based on the 1932 screenplay by Howard Hanks & Ben Hecht
Based on the 1929 novel "Scarface" by Armitage Trail (Maurice R. Coons)
Script version: Revisions January 18, 1983, photocopy (for educational purposes)
The Salton Sea
2002 | Crime | Mystery | Drama | Feature Film
After a tragic incident, a man drifts into a world populated by thugs and speed junkies. [IMDb]
Written by Tony Gayton
Script version: Undated (for educational purposes)
