Best crime Tamil movies in India
By the KyaDekhu team · Updated · Availability for India from JustWatch, ratings from IMDb
129 movies in India match this list, with an average IMDb rating of 6.6. Ranked by vote-weighted IMDb rating and popularity; showing the top 30.
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1. Jai Bhim (2021)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 44m · A · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.6 (2.4L votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatSerious
A pregnant woman from a primitive tribal community, searches desperately for her husband, who is missing from police custody. So as to find her husband and seek justice for them, as their voice, a High Court advocate rises in support. Will their battle for justice succeed?
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2. Nayakan (1987)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 36m · A · Drama, Crime · IMDb 8.6 (28.3K votes)
MatureDark & grittyEdge-of-seatVisually stunning
Velu Naicker, who witnesses the brutal murder of his father, kills a corrupt policeman and escapes to Mumbai, only to become a gangster.
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3. Kaithi (2019)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 27m · UA · Action, Thriller · IMDb 8.4 (53.1K votes)
Fast-pacedVisually stunningEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
Dilli, a convicted criminal, is out on parole to meet his daughter. However, a drug bust sets him off on a mission to save the life of police officers.
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4. Vikram (2022)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 54m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 8.3 (91.6K votes)
Visually stunningTwistyFast-pacedEdge-of-seat
Amar is assigned to investigate a case of serial killings. When Amar investigates the case, he realizes it is not what it seems to be and following down this path will lead to nothing but war between everyone involved.
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5. Ratsasan (2018)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 50m · UA · Thriller, Crime · IMDb 8.3 (61.5K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seatMature
A serial killer is murdering school girls, and a newbie cop has to track him down before the victim count increases.
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6. Anniyan (2005)
Movie · Tamil · 3h 1m · U · Action, Drama · IMDb 8.4 (27.2K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyVisually stunningEdge-of-seat
Unable to tolerate society's injustices and devastated by rejection from the woman he loves, a meek lawyer develops a split personality: one side a vengeful vigilante killer punishing evildoers, the other a dashing playboy capable of winning her heart. Complications arise when the three sides begin to collide.
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7. Vikram Vedha (2017)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 27m · UA · Action, Thriller · IMDb 8.2 (56.4K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatVisually stunningFast-paced
A notorious gangster Vedha surrenders himself to encounter specialist Vikram whom he challenges every step of the way by narrating his life events in the form of riddles that needs to be solved in order to capture him.
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8. Vada Chennai (2018)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 46m · A · Crime, Drama · IMDb 8.4 (25.0K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningMatureDark & gritty
Anbu, a young carrom player in North Chennai becomes inadvertently involved in an ongoing conflict between two local gangsters.
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9. Thalapathi (1991)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 37m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 8.5 (16.3K votes)
Visually stunningDark & grittyEdge-of-seatHeartwarming
Surya, a courageous man who was raised in the slums, fights for the rights of the poor and befriends Deva, who hires him as his commander and changes his life completely.
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10. Baasha (1995)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 25m · U · Action, Crime · IMDb 8.3 (13.9K votes)
Edge-of-seatDark & gritty
Auto rickshaw driver Manickam avoids violence at all costs. When some thugs begin to intimidate Manickam's family, it triggers the revival of Manickam's old self.
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11. Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016)
Movie · Tamil · 1h 46m · UA · Thriller, Action · IMDb 8.1 (19.4K votes)
TwistyCold & detachedEdge-of-seatDark & gritty
A former cop looks back on the case which left him disabled and forced him to quit the force.
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12. Jigarthanda (2014)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 50m · UA · Music, Crime · IMDb 8.2 (15.0K votes)
TwistyFunnyFast-pacedEdge-of-seat
A budding director endeavors to research a merciless gangster for making a film on gangsterism. But his secret attempts to conduct the research fail when he gets caught for snooping.
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13. Pudhupettai (2006)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 59m · Action, Drama · IMDb 8.4 (9.9K votes)
MatureFast-pacedCold & detachedEdge-of-seat
The story of ‘Kokki’ Kumar, a carefree teenager from a Chennai slum who runs away from home in the wake of his mother’s death, gets recruited into a local gang and quickly evolves into the dreaded, psychotic right-hand man of a dirty politician.
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14. Soodhu Kavvum (2013)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 18m · U · Comedy, Thriller · IMDb 8.2 (13.7K votes)
FunnyTwistyFast-pacedCold & detached
Dass specialises in small time kidnapping and has his own set of rules. The primary and most important among them is not to get involved with influential people. Three jobless youngsters meet Dass and the four take up an assignment for a hefty sum that throws away this primary rule and end up being chased by a dreaded
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15. Hey Ram (2000)
Movie · Tamil · 3h 19m · A · History, Drama · IMDb 8.0 (15.4K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningDark & grittyMature
Saketh Ram's wife is raped and killed during direct action day riots in Calcutta. He is convinced that Mahatma Gandhi is responsible for all the problems happening in the country. He sets out to kill him.
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16. Por Thozhil (2023)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 28m · UA · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 8.0 (13.7K votes)
Dark & grittyTwistyEdge-of-seatCold & detached
Loganathan, a senior cop is asked to mentor Prakash, an academically bright but faint-hearted rookie and this unlikely duo team up to investigate a series of murder cases, and realize all of them are interlinked and that a psychopath serial killer is on the run.
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17. Aaranya Kaandam (2011)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 6m · A · Comedy, Action · IMDb 8.4 (6.2K votes)
MatureTwistyCold & detachedFast-paced
A drama that unfolds between two rival mafia gangs on a single day when a bag of cocaine gets stolen by two innocent people.
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18. Mahaan (2022)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 43m · UA · Crime, Action · IMDb 7.7 (19.8K votes)
A man's family leaves him when he strays from the path of ideological living in his search for personal freedom. However, as he realizes his ambitions, he also misses the presence of his son in his life. Having fulfilled his dream of becoming a billionaire, does life give him a second chance to be a father?
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19. Mersal (2017)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 41m · UA · Thriller, Action · IMDb 7.5 (42.8K votes)
TwistyVisually stunningFast-pacedEdge-of-seat
A few individuals in the medical profession are murdered or kidnapped, and the cop investigating the case suspects a doctor and arrests him. But is he the one who is behind these crimes? And why are they being committed?
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20. Pokkiri (2007)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 45m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 7.6 (15.2K votes)
Visually stunningFast-pacedEdge-of-seat
Amidst gang warfare and police crackdowns, mob hitman Tamizh falls for Shruthi, a nice girl unaware of his true identity. But she may not be the only one Tamizh is hiding secrets from...
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21. Theri (2016)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 37m · U · Action, Crime · IMDb 7.4 (27.0K votes)
Visually stunningEdge-of-seatTwistyDark & gritty
When an honest cop, Vijay Kumar's family is ruthlessly slaughtered by a politician and his aides, he decides to change his identity and commits his life to bring his daughter up in a serene atmosphere. But some freak events end up compromising his identity and what he does to save his daughter and avenge the death of h
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22. Sathuranga Vettai (2014)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 25m · U · Crime, Thriller · IMDb 8.1 (4.1K votes)
Cold & detachedEdge-of-seatFunnyFast-paced
A con artist is caught by the cops and is swindled off the money by his own partners. Meanwhile, a person who he had scammed hires a gangster to finish him off. Can he outwit these people and turn over a new leaf?
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24. Jailer (2023)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 45m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 7.2 (47.8K votes)
Visually stunningEdge-of-seatFast-paced
Muthuvel Pandian, a retired, stern yet compassionate jailer lives a peaceful life with his family, but trouble knocks his door when his cop son’s tryst with an antique mafia gang goes awry and forces Muthu to step back into a dark world he had voluntarily took a break from.
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25. Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum (2013)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 22m · Crime, Mystery · IMDb 8.1 (3.3K votes)
Fast-pacedEdge-of-seatTwistyDark & gritty
Chandru, a medical student, saves a dying man by operating him, but soon, the police are knocking on his doors for helping Wolf, a paid killer. And, worse, they want him to kill Wolf.
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26. Thupparivaalan (2017)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 39m · UA · Action, Crime · IMDb 7.6 (6.3K votes)
TwistyEdge-of-seatDark & grittyCold & detached
Detective Kaniyan Poonkundran is hungry for a challenging case to investigate and the mystery of a murdered dog leads to a rival who could be the match for him.
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27. Subramaniapuram (2008)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 25m · UA · Drama, Crime · IMDb 8.2 (2.8K votes)
TwistyDark & grittyEdge-of-seat
In 1980, five friends live a carefree life in Madurai until they commit a near-perfect crime but do not manage to get away with it.
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28. Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 52m · UA · Drama, Thriller · IMDb 7.3 (8.7K votes)
Dark & grittyEdge-of-seatMature
A youngster from Tamil Nadu goes to Bombay in search of a better life and gets sucked into the underworld. Will he be able to find a way out of the violence and bloodshed?
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29. Gentleman (1993)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 40m · Action, Crime · IMDb 7.8 (3.0K votes)
Edge-of-seatTwisty
Kicha is a modern-day Robin Hood, who along with his friend, Mani, steals from the rich to aid the poor. In society, he is a respected man who runs a small business.
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30. Kaantha (2025)
Movie · Tamil · 2h 30m · U/A 13+ · History, Crime · IMDb 7.2 (10.2K votes)
Set in the backdrop of a film set, in the 1950’s in post colonial Madras, the film is centred around the professional rivalry between a film-maker trying to make his seminal film and the top reigning actor who the director once introduced. The rivalry spirals around the leading actress, a debutante and as the relations
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