MOST WANTED: CRIME AND JUSTICE IN FILM

Since the beginning of cinema, filmmakers around the world have long been captivated by the inherent conflict between criminal endeavors and the pursuit of justice. A century’s worth of struggles between killers, crooks, convicts and the police, G-Men, amateur sleuths and other supposed keepers of the peace have entertained and thrilled audiences and storytellers alike. But movies also remind us that it’s not just simply about cops and robbers or good versus evil. Justice can be defined very differently when it comes to those wrongfully accused and pursued, to men and women of color, or when it’s corrupt authorities themselves who have violated the very law they are sworn to uphold. In those stories, what is most wanted is justice that has been denied.

The TCM Classic Film Festival invites you and the usual suspects to the big movie house, for a lineup of films that not only bring the heat but reflect and inspire new ways of thinking about what defines true justice, straight down the line.