German movies about criminals

List of the best German movies about criminals, crimes and violators of the law, selected by visitors to our site: Rising High, The Marco Effect, Easy Money II, High Life, Snowflake, Tom of Finland, Kidnapping Stella, Bastille Day, M, King of Thieves.

In the top there are new films of 2021, a plot description and trailers for films that have already been released.

Country
Markimdb: 5.9
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryGermany

Charting the rise and fall of three corrupt real estate agents who accumulate absurd wealth in no time but fall into a vortex of fraud, greed and drugs.

Markimdb: 5.2
Genrethriller, crime
CountryDenmark, Germany

When 14-year-old Marco, a homeless Romani boy, is arrested at the Danish border for possession of a missing public servant's passport, police inspector Carl Mørck and his Department Q team are tasked with finding the connection. The old case contains several suspicious elements: The public servant was accused of pedophilia shortly before he disappeared, and his case was closed unusually quickly. But the silent, traumatized Marco refuses to talk to them and it's not long before he's on the run from those who intend to kill him because of what he knows.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountrySweden, Germany, Denmark, France
Duration01:39

JW is serving hard time in prison and struggling to get back on an honest path. There are glimmers of hope in his life - some venture capitalists are interested in a new piece of trading software he's developed, and while behind bars he's made peace with an old enemy. This all proves to be an illusion. On leave from prison, and back in contact with his former gang, JW learns that once you've walked in the shoes of a criminal there just may be no going back.

Markimdb: 5.8
Genrefantastic, thriller
CountryUnited Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland
Duration02:05

Monte and his baby daughter are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to the outer reaches of the solar system. They must now rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genrefantastic, action, comedy, crime
CountryGermany

Hunting down the murderer of their families in an anarchic Berlin of the near future, the outlaws Tan and Javid find themselves trapped in the wicked fairytale of a mysterious screenplay that entangles them in a vicious circle of revenge - apparently all written by a clueless dentist.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genredrama, biography
CountryFinland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, USA
Duration02:03

Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II, but life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds peace-time Helsinki rampant with persecution of the homosexual and men around him even being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art, specialising in homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions. His work – made famous by his signature ‘Tom of Finland’ – became the emblem of a generation of men and fanned the flames of a gay revolution.

Markimdb: 4.9
Genrethriller, crime
CountryGermany

Snatched off the street and held for ransom, a bound and gagged woman uses her limited powers to derail her two masked abductors' carefully laid plans.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
CountryUnited Kingdom, France, USA, Belgium, Luxembourg, China, Germany
Duration02:25

Michael Mason is an American pickpocket living in Paris who finds himself hunted by the CIA when he steals a bag that contains more than just a wallet. Sean Briar, the field agent on the case, soon realises that Michael is just a pawn in a much bigger game and is also his best asset to uncover a large-scale conspiracy.

Markimdb: 8.3
Genrethriller, crime, detective
CountryGermany
Duration01:48

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

Markimdb: 5.5
Genredrama, crime, biography, history
CountryUnited Kingdom, Belgium, USA, Germany, France
Duration01:43

London, England, April 2015. Brian Reader, a retired thief, gathers an unlikely gang of burglars to perpetrate the biggest and boldest heist in British history. The thieves assault the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company and escape with millions in goods and money. But soon the cracks between the gang members begin to appear when they discuss how to share the loot.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrecomedy
CountryGermany
Duration02:53

Mr. Müller is not satisfied with his new work at the Goethe-Gesamtschule. The early getting up and correcting exams annoy him. Director Gerster wants to improve the image of the Goethe-Gesamtschule because she wants to be a symbol of the new company. To achieve this, she wants to take away the partnership from the Schillergymnasium with a Thai school. So, Mr. Müller, Mrs. Schnabelstedt and the 10b must go on a school trip to Thailand.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genredrama, crime
CountryItaly, Germany

Ciro's body is sinking in the dark waters of the Gulf of Naples. And as it sinks deeper and deeper, memories emerge. The sounds muffled by the water merge with the screams of fleeing people. It is 1980, the earth shakes, the palace collapses, but under the rubble you can hear the cry of a newborn baby still alive. Ten years later, we find that new-born baby as it survives as it can on the streets of Naples, nobody's son. Vivid memories of a criminal education that made him what he is: Ciro Di Marzio, the Immortal. Prequel of the "Gomorra" tv show.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
CountryLuxembourg, Belgium, Germany, France

Early one summer morning a young man, with a secret stashed away in a duffel bag, emerges from the forest. In a nearby village he asks around for work, but the farmers, suspicious to the point of hostility, are not very forthcoming. Only when Lucy, the mayor’s unruly daughter, takes a liking to him, does the village change its attitude: he is promptly offered a job as a farmhand and a caravan to live in. As time passes and he is gradually integrated into the community, it emerges that he’s not the only one with a past to hide. Something sinister is lurking under the immaculate surface of this picturesque little world - and it is slowly drawing him in.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrethriller, drama, crime
CountryGermany, USA, Mexico
Duration02:00

A Texas cop (Kevin Kline), whose own daughter might have been forced into sexual slavery, joins forces with a Mexican youth (Cesar Ramos) to find the boy's sister, who was abducted and forced into prostitution. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian woman who was promised a better life in America also becomes a victim.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genremelodrama
CountryGermany
Duration02:26

Two university students gain insight into life and love as they get to know each other during a road trip across Europe.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genredrama, military
CountryAustralia, Germany, United Kingdom
Duration01:48

Lore leads her four younger siblings across a war-torn Germany in 1945. Amidst the chaos she encounters a mysterious refugee who shatters her fragile reality with hatred and desire.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genrehorror, thriller, drama, detective
CountryHungary, Germany, Sweden
Duration02:01

Favoring pedigree dogs, a new regulation puts a severe tax on mixed breeds. Owners dump their dogs and shelters become overcrowded. 13-year-old Lili fights desperately to protect her pet Hagen, but her father eventually sets the dog free on the streets. Hagen and his master search desperately for each other until Lili loses faith. Struggling to survive, homeless Hagen realizes that not everyone is a dog’s best friend. Hagen joins a gang of stray dogs, but is soon captured and sent to the pound. With little hope inside there, the dogs will seize an opportunity to escape and revolt against mankind. Their revenge will be merciless. Lili may be the only one who can halt this unexpected war between man and dog.

Markimdb: 5.2
Genrehorror, fantastic, thriller, drama, detective
CountryGermany, USA
Duration01:41

Canadian scientist, Dr Geoff Burton takes up a position at a new institute in wintry Dresden in order to contribute to their most important project—a human regeneration gene—that also has the potential to make something miraculous out of a personal tragedy that has haunted him for years.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genredrama, military, biography, history
CountryGermany

Four young Jews survive the Third Reich in the middle of Berlin by living so recklessly that they become "invisible."

Markimdb: 5.6
Genrefantasy, comedy, drama, adventure, family
CountryGermany
Duration01:30

Keeping secrets can be difficult, especially when you’re a twelve-year-old half-vampire moving from Transylvania to a new life in Germany. Going to school, making new friends and fitting in — it’s all tough when you can’t just be yourself. With a vampire father and a human mother, sisters Dakaria (Daka) and Silvania don’t live in your typical blended family. Each girl embraces a different side of her genetic makeup: Daka wishes she was 100% vampire; Silvania wishes she was 100% human; and both believe they can finally realize their hearts’ desires when the opportunity to change presents itself. Will Daka and Silvania realize that, sometimes, your uniqueness is your greatest strength?

Markimdb: 6.1
Genrefantastic, comedy, drama
CountryGermany

A student moves in with a family that lives in an underground house in the middle of the forest, far from civilization. His hopes of peace and quiet are soon shattered, when it becomes apparent that both the parents and their son have a screw loose.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genredrama
CountryGermany, France
Duration02:08

Andreas Dresen's adaptation of Clemens Meyer's novel about a group of East German friends right after the fall of the Wall.

Markimdb: 7
Genredrama, crime, history
CountryGermany

On 24th August 1992 in the eastern German city of Rostock a rampaging mob, to the applause and cheering of more than 3,000 bystanders, besieged and set fire to a residential building containing, among others, more than 120 Vietnamese men, women and children on what has since become known as "The Night of the Fire." The riots became a symbol for xenophobia in the just recently reunited Germany. This film recounts the incident from the perspectives of three very different characters.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryGermany
Duration02:27

The Hartmann family is turned upside down when mother Angelika decides to take in the refugee Diallo, against her husband's will. Amidst the typical chaos of our time, hope remains that the family finds its stability, confidence and peace again - just like the whole country.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genredrama
CountryGermany
Duration01:42

East Germany. Summer, late 70's. Three years after her boyfriend Wassilij's apparent death, Nelly Senff decides to escape from behind the Berlin wall with her son Alexej, leaving her traumatic memories and past behind. Pretending to marry a West German, she crosses the border to start a new life in the West. But soon her past starts to haunt her as the Allied Secret Service begin to question Wassilij's mysterious disappearance. Is he still alive? Was he a spy? Plagued by her past and fraught with paranoia, Nelly is forced to choose between discovering the truth about her former lover and her hopes for a better tomorrow.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrethriller, drama, military, history
CountryGermany, France, Poland, China, Portugal
Duration01:51

Germany, 1945. Soldier Willi Herold, a deserter of the German army, stumbles into a uniform of Nazi captain abandoned during the last and desperate weeks of the Third Reich. Newly emboldened by the allure of a suit that he has stolen only to stay warm, Willi discovers that many Germans will follow the leader, whoever he is.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genredrama, military
CountryGermany, Russia, Ukraine
Duration01:33

Germany, Baltic Sea coast, May 1945, a few days before the end of World War II. A small Soviet patrol arrives at an isolated house where an elderly baroness gives shelter to a group of orphan girls and a boy who is determined to continue the fight.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrecomedy, drama, sport
CountryGermany
Duration01:54

A former Olympic champion wants to compete in the Berlin Marathon one last time.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genredrama, history
CountryFrance, Germany, Netherlands
Duration01:54

Master filmmaker Alexander Sokurov (Russian Ark) transforms a portrait of the world-renowned museum into a magisterial, centuries-spanning reflection on the relation between art, culture and power.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genredrama
CountryFrance, Belgium, Germany

A stroke-afflicted filmmaker is manipulated by a notorious con man.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryGermany
Duration01:26

A fateful day pushes an aimless college dropout (Tom Schilling) to stop wasting his time and finally engage with life.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genrethriller, crime
CountryGermany
Duration01:38

Erik has is own motorbike workshop in a sleepy little town. He may have the telling word ‘scoundrel’ tattooed onto his lower arm but he nonetheless creates an impression of a well-behaved average Joe. His relationship with his girlfriend Julia is going well and her daughter Linda is very fond of her new Dad. But then all of a sudden the mysterious Henry appears and begins following him about like a sinister shadow. The more Erik tries to shake off his diabolical guest the more Henry intrudes into his life. But then when a violent gangster named Keitel enters the fray and threatens not only Erik but Julia and Linda, Erik’s seemingly ideal world begins to run off the rails.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryGermany, Austria
Duration02:15

Without warning a father comes to visit his daughter abroad. He believes that she lost her humor and therefore surprises her with a rampage of jokes.

Markimdb: 5.7
Genrecomedy, drama
CountryGermany
Duration01:49

Helen is a nonconformist teenage girl who maintains a conflictual relationship with her parents. Hanging out most of her time with her friend Corinna, with whom she breaks one social taboo after another, she uses sex as a way to rebel and break the conventional bourgeois ethic. After an intimate shaving accident, Helen ends up in the hospital where it doesn’t take long before she makes waves. But there she finds Robin, a male nurse who will sweep her off her feet...

Markimdb: 7.2
Genredrama, military, history
CountryGermany

Taking place at the Concentration camp Buchenwald at the end of March 1945, prisoner Hans Pippig discovers in a carrying case of an incoming prisoner a Jewish child. If reported the three-year-old is sure to die. On the other hand, a violation of the rules of the camp would threaten the long prepared uprising of the concentration camp prisoners against the SS.

Markimdb: 4.3
Genrecomedy, melodrama
CountryGermany
Duration02:11

After her fiancee cancels the wedding, Merlin's life changes drastically when she moves in with one of her brother's best friends.

Markimdb: 7
Genrecomedy, drama, family
CountryGermany, France
Duration01:18

Two outsiders travel around the countryside during school holidays.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrehorror, drama, cartoon
CountryChile, Germany

María, a girl from Colonia Dignidad, in Chile —a kind of sectarian community, tyrannically mastered by the ruthless Paul Schäfer, a German madman, religious fanatic and child predator, who would end up turning the place into a torture center at the service of the military dictatorship ruled by Augusto Pinochet—, is punished for having lost three pigs, so she decides to run away and take refuge in an abandoned house hidden in the forest.

Markimdb: 6.7
CountryGermany
Duration01:24

You left your home to move far away. You were struck by a wind of change and were unfaithful to yourself. You reinvented yourself and you are now feeling free. But suddenly pressure arises in you.

Markimdb: 1.8
Genreaction, adventure, detective
CountryGermany, USA
Duration01:40

After selling his soul to a sorceress Robin is killed in battle. Distraught over these horrific turn of events Marian and Little John attempt to resuscitate Robin and his Merry Men. In doing so they inadvertently have turned the one-time heroes into the living dead and worse, the ghostly reincarnations are now hunting down Marian and Little John. So the pair attempt to seek out a new potion that will free these tormented souls from their demonic possession.

Markimdb: 6.8
Genredrama, crime
CountryItaly, France, Germany
Duration01:45

The story of a man who murdered thirty-two people, gained power, and then got afraid because too many people wanted to kill him. One August morning, he disappeared. For fifteen years, everyone believed him dead.

Markimdb: 4
Genreaction, comedy
CountryGermany
Duration02:25

A pair of Tactical Units Police Officers from different walks of life come together to rescue an ambassador's daughter.

Markimdb: 5.2
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryGermany
Duration02:00

Sonia breaks the perhaps most exciting time of her life, because the 20-year-old moves to Berlin for a mathematics study. Once there, she soon began to build up a new circle of friends, and then she fell in love with the kind, but irresponsible Ladja. There is only one big catch: the dear money is a bit scarce and therefore Sonia one day, financially, but also from curiosity, the path to prostitution. From now on, it leads a brisk double flight, which can fly at any time. Her experiences are ambivalent, as part-time she often gets into difficult situations, but also gets to know nice people, while she enjoys life just as a student. But how long can it maintain the double game?

Markimdb: 5.6
Genrecomedy, melodrama
CountryGermany
Duration01:53

An actor's career takes a "Tootsie"-like turn when he lets himself be cast as a woman in a movie.

Markimdb: 6.5
Genredrama
CountryGermany, Netherlands
Duration02:04

Karsten apparently has it settled. However, in this provincial German town, a moment of weakness turns to disaster, disappointment soon fuels anger, justice hides behind hypocrisy, and evil gradually unfolds.

Markimdb: 4.1
Genreaction, thriller, crime
CountryGermany, Turkey
Duration02:26

We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genredrama
CountrySerbia, Germany, France, Slovenia, Croatia

Circles (Serbian: Krugovi) is a Serbian movie based on the true story of a Serbian soldier who risked his life to protect a Muslim civilian during the war in Bosnia. During the war in Bosnia in 1993, a Serbian soldier pays for his life after protecting a Muslim civilian from being attacked by three other soldiers. 12 years later, the consequences of this act of heroism are still having their repercussions.

Markimdb: 5.5
Genrecomedy, melodrama
CountryGermany, USA

What a man is a comedy that tells the story of a young professor, Alex (Matthias Schweighofer), which after being left by his girlfriend Caroline (Mavie Hörbiger), begins a journey to know himself. But how do you overcome the difficulties of a man today? Or rather what is it that makes a man a man?

Markimdb: 7
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryGermany
Duration01:34

Lukas, 20, is a prisoner in his own body. As a pre-op transgendered person, he is constantly finding himself trapped in uncomfortable, compromising positions. His best friend, Ine introduces him to the gay scene in Cologne where he meets the confident and gorgeous, Fabio. The two develop a romantic relationship that tests the boundaries of love. ROMEOS forgoes stereotypes and conventions to offer an honest and humorous examination of the most basic of human conditions: friendship, sex, and love.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genrethriller, drama, detective
CountryCanada, Mexico, Germany, South Africa
Duration02:15

With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person responsible for the death of his family.




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