Crime DVD & Blu-rays 2009 List

In the action-thriller "Public Enemies," acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public.

No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone—from his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression.

But while the adventures of Dillinger's gang—later including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi)—thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing "Clark Gable of the FBI."

However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis' men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals—from the infamous "Lady in Red" to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti—were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.

A newsman intentionally frames himself for a murder he didn't commit in order to point out the dangers of circumstantial evidence and to expose an overzealous district attorney who has manipulated evidence in the past to gain convictions. Everything is going as planned until his friend, the one person who can exonerate him, is killed.

Love. Honor. Power. Fear of death... People live for all kinds of reasons. Life becomes the ultimate battle when all you're living for is revenge. Joshua (Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr.), a hard-nosed collector for a ruthless mob boss (Miguel Ferrer), lives in a world filled with brutal violence and beautiful women. But when he finds himself in the middle of a power struggle with the most dominant drug lord in the business (Harvey Keitel), Joshua knows that one false move could cause everything to come crashing down. Packed with intense action and gripping suspense, this explosive tale of vengeance shows how just one wrong turn can lead to a dead end.

The comedy, set in a Catholic high school, will follow Bobby Funke, a bullied sophomore investigating the theft of the school's SAT exams for St. Dominick's newspaper. Willis will play principal John T. Kirkpatrick, a Desert Storm veteran fond of recounting pungent anecdotes from his time liberating Kuwait and barking inspiring speeches such as: "Gentlemen, you are filth. Your parents have either spoiled or abused you to such a degree that your hearts have become black and lifeless. Your brains are warped, your souls doomed. There is no hope for any of you."

Made up of six short episodes with six main characters--all revolving around the four-sided criminality between the port of Naples, Scampia, Castelvolturno and Terzigno.

The story is based on the life of serial killer Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron), who was executed Oct. 9, 2002, after murdering at least six Florida men while working as a prostitute. In her 1992 trial, Wuornos pleaded innocent, saying she acted in self-defense to prevent being raped, a statement she later recanted. The film centers on Wuornos' life before the murders and her romantic relationship with Selby (Christina Ricci), a woman she dated while still turning tricks and killing men.

Donald Faison stars as a hapless delivery man who finds himself at the center of a drug deal gone horribly awry in "Next Day Air", an uproarious action comedy with an all-star cast. Life isn’t going smoothly for Leo Jackson(Faison). He still lives at home, he just broke up with his co-worker girlfriend and he’s had so many complaints about his sloppy work habits that his own mother is threatening to fire him. But Leo isn’t one to let a few bad breaks ruin his day—as long as he’s got plenty of weed to take his mind off his troubles. But when the wacked-out courier accidentally delivers a box containing 10 kilos of high quality cocaine to the wrong apartment, it sets in motion a hilarious and harrowing chain of events that could cost him his life.

One juror on a murder trial manages to convince his fellow colleagues that the case is not as clear cut as it might have seemed in the courtroom.

Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), stripped of his badge after the events of the first film, gets a chance to redeem himself by going undercover to infiltrate the world of Miami street racing.

Four narcotics detectives walk a very thin line between their jobs and the gangster world, placing them in the crossfire between gangs and the FBI until a police psychologist gets involved. She must decide between covering up the crimes or bringing out the truth.

A veteran thief recruits a younger crook to help him pull off one final job in order to repay his debt to the Russian mob.

WWE champion John Cena is New Orleans Police Detective Danny Baxter. When Baxter stops a brilliant thief from getting away with a multi-million-dollar heist, the thief’s girlfriend is accidentally killed. After escaping from prison, the criminal mastermind enacts his revenge, taunting the cop with a series of near-impossible puzzles and tasks …12 rounds…that Baxter must somehow complete to save the life of his fiancée.

In the thriller, based on the Elmore Leonard novel, a woman and her blue-collar husband become the targets of two killers after they stumble on an extortion plot hatched by the bad guys. Carmen (Lane) saw the scam and now she and Wayne (Jane), her ironworker husband, have to pay.

Blackbird (Rourke) kills smart and deadly. Richie kills stupid and crazy. Both are out to erase any living evidence--and when these lethal partners take up the chase, a safe place from killing is awfully hard to find.

A top FBI profiler, Special Agent Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) doesn't rely on traditional crime-solving techniques to unravel the mysteries of a murderous mind. Her intuitive, unconventional approach often makes the crucial difference between catching a killer and sending a dead-end case to the cold file. When Montreal detectives handling a local homicide investigation reluctantly ask for an outsider's help to get inside the head of a cunning serial killer, Agent Scott joins the case. With meticulous insight, she theorizes that the chameleon-like killer is "life-jacking" – assuming the lives and identities of his victims. As the pressure mounts to catch the elusive murderer, Agent Scott's unorthodox methods alienate her from a territorial police team that feels threatened by her uncanny abilities. Her seemingly cold demeanor belies an unparalleled passion for her work, and she's at her best when she's working alone. But when an unexpected attraction sparks a complicated romantic entanglement, the consummate specialist begins to doubt her finely-honed instincts. Alone in an unfamiliar city with no one she can trust, Agent Scott suddenly finds herself on a twisted and terrifying journey, surrounded by suspects in a case that has become chillingly personal.

Brian and Paulie are two young punks running loose on the hard streets of South Boston. Coming from separate but equally broken homes, the boys bond of friendship makes them brothers. They do whatever it takes to survive, living by the code of their dog eat dog neighborhood.

As Brian (Mark Ruffalo) and Paulie (Ethan Hawke) get older, petty crimes and misdemeanors grow into more serious offenses. Eventually, they fall under sway to the organized crime boss Pat Kelly (Brian Goodman) who runs the felonious backroom businesses and illicit trades in Southie. They also find themselves the targets of unwanted attention from Detective Moran (Donnie Wahlberg) one of Boston’s finest. And Brian in particular becomes lost in haze of drugs and rebellion. Even the love he has for his wife Stacy (Amanda Peet) and his children isn't enough to redeem him.

In time, the friends find themselves in jail – just a part of doing business on the mean streets they call home. Although not gone away forever Brian and Paulie are incarcerated long enough to learn a few lessons, but will they lead to changed lives on the outside? A storm of trouble is brewing: Paulie has big plans to liberate them from their life of crime – just one more job – one last heist – a bold and potentially violent daylight robbery. But Brian has used his time in jail to make amends to his family and get clean. When Paulie comes to him for help, Brian must face the biggest challenge to his code of honor that he could ever imagine: stand by his friend or salvage his family … he cannot do both!

"What Doesn't Kill You" reveals the true life drama that writer/director Brian Goodman underwent in his struggle to honor the people he loved – on both sides of the law.

Frank Martin has been pressured into transporting Valentina, the kidnapped daughter of Leonid Vasilev, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency for the Ukraine, from Marseilles through Stuttgart and Budapest until he ends up in Odessa on the Black Sea. Along the way, with the help of Inspector Tarconi, Frank has to contend with the people who strong armed him to take the job, agents sent by Vasilev to intercept him, and the general non-cooperation of his passenger. Despite Valentina’s cynical disposition and his resistance to get involved, Frank and Valentina fall for each other, while escaping from one life-threatening situation after another.

Waging his one-man war on the world of organized crime, ruthless vigilante-hero Frank Castle sets his sights on overeager mob boss Billy Russoti. After Russoti is left horribly disfigured by Castle, he sets out for vengeance under his new alias: Jigsaw. With the "Punisher Task Force" hot on his trail and the FBI unable to take Jigsaw in, Frank must stand up to the formidable army that Jigsaw has recruited before more of his evil deeds go unpunished.

The crime drama stars Val Kilmer as a thief who has just one morning to fix what has gone awry in the biggest heist of his life, all while attempting to repair his relationship with his ex-wife (Marg Helgenberger). Wilmer Valderrama will play a longtime associate who helps plan the crime despite grave concerns.

Ray Eddy, an upstate New York trailer mom, is lured into the world of illegal immigrant smuggling when she meets a Mohawk girl who lives on a reservation that straddles the US-Canadian border. Broke after her husband takes off with the down payment for their new doublewide, Ray reluctantly teams up with Lila, a smuggler, and the two begin making runs across the frozen St. Lawrence River carrying illegal Chinese and Pakistani immigrants in the trunk of Ray's Dodge Spirit.

Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is living a happy and quiet life with his lawyer wife (Maria Bello) and their two children in the small town of Millbrook, Indiana, but one night their idyllic existence is shattered when Tom foils a vicious attempted robbery in his diner.

Sensing danger, he takes action and saves his customers and friends in the self-defense killings of two-sought-after criminals.

Heralded as a hero, Tom's life is changed overnight, attracting a national media circus, which forces him into the spotlight.

Uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity, Tom tries to return to the normalcy of his ordinary life only to be confronted by a mysterious and threatening man (Ed Harris) who arrives in town believing Tom is the man who's wronged him in the past.

As Tom and his family fight back against this case of mistaken identity and struggle to cope with their changed reality, they are forced to confront their relationships and the divisive issues which surface as a result.

A mother prays for the return of her kidnapped son. When her prayers are answered, however, she begins to suspect the boy who comes back is not her child. Inspired by true events that took place in Los Angeles in the 1920s.

Actor-turned-director Clark Gregg shows he is as adept behind the camera as he is in front of it with "Choke", a wickedly colorful dark comedy about mothers and sons, sexual compulsion, and the sordid underbelly of Colonial theme parks. Victor Mancini (Rockwell), a sex-addicted med-school dropout, who keeps his increasingly deranged mother, Ida (Huston), in an expensive private medical hospital by working days as a historical reenactor at a Colonial Williamsburg theme park. At night Victor runs a scam by deliberately choking in upscale restaurants to form parasitic relationships with the wealthy patrons who "save" him. When, in a rare lucid movement, Ida reveals that she has withheld the shocking truth of his father's identity, Victor enlists the aid of his best friend, Denny (Henke) and his mother's beautiful attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall (Macdonald), to solve the mystery before the truth of his possibly divine parentage is lost forever.

An authentic, gritty and emotional study of the New York City Police Department, "Pride & Glory" looks deeply into the professional and personal lives of the people who inhabit it. Told through the interwoven lives of a three-generation family of cops whose moral codes are tested when Ray Farrell, one of three sons on the job, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother. When Ray is falsely implicated in a brutal crime related to the scandal, he and his family must choose among their loyalties to each other, the department, and the revelation of the truth that will atone them.

A pair of veteran New York City police detectives are on the trail of a vigilante serial killer. After 30 years as partners in the pressure cooker environment of the NYPD, highly decorated Detectives David Fisk and Thomas Cowan should be ready for retirement, but aren't. Before they can hang up their badges, they are called in to investigate the murder of a notorious pimp, which appears to have ties to a case they solved years before. Like the original murder, the victim is a suspected criminal whose body is found accompanied by a four line poem justifying the killing. When additional crimes take place, it becomes clear the detectives are looking for a serial killer, one who targets criminals that have fallen through the cracks of the judicial system. His mission is to do what the cops can't do on their own--take the culprits off the streets for good. The similarities between the recent killings and their earlier case raise a nagging question: Did they put the wrong man behind bars?

Lazy stoner Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) has only one reason to visit his equally lazy dealer Saul Silver (James Franco): to purchase weed, specifically, a rare new strain called Pineapple Express. But when Dale becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) and the city's most dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole), he panics and dumps his roach of Pineapple Express at the scene. Dale now has another reason to visit Saul: to find out if the weed is so rare that it can be traced back to him. And it is. As Dale and Saul run for their lives, they quickly discover that they're not suffering from weed-fueled paranoia; incredibly, the bad guys really are hot on their trail and trying to figure out the fastest way to kill them both. All aboard "The Pineapple Express".

A famous soccer coach has been murdered and his priceless ring stolen - a ring set with the stunning diamond known as the Pink Panther. Cracking the case becomes a national obsession, and Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kline), up for the prestigious Medal of Honor...again...for the seventh time...can't afford any mistakes - at least none that can be attributed to him.

Enter indefatigable Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Martin), a name that strikes fear into...well, everyone. His deductive powers are limited, his command of the language frightening, his reflexes hazardous. His approach may be alarmingly unorthodox, but he always solves the crime - in his own fashion - with hilarious results.

Maverick cop Max Payne (Wahlberg) is hell-bent on revenge against those responsible for the brutal murder of his family and partner. His obsessive investigation takes him on a nightmarish journey into a dark underworld. As the mystery deepens, Max is forced to battle enemies beyond the natural world and face an unthinkable betrayal.

An authentic, gritty and emotional study of the New York City Police Department, "Pride & Glory" looks deeply into the professional and personal lives of the people who inhabit it. Told through the interwoven lives of a three-generation family of cops whose moral codes are tested when Ray Farrell, one of three sons on the job, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother. When Ray is falsely implicated in a brutal crime related to the scandal, he and his family must choose among their loyalties to each other, the department, and the revelation of the truth that will atone them.