Crime from the world's archives

1–48 of 4,952 films, free to watch, from the world's open archives.

Where these films come from, and who sees what

Every film here plays from the archive that keeps it: the Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, the NASA Image and Video Library, the Library of Congress and Open Images (the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). Nothing is copied to this site. Each film's page names its archive, links to its page there, and states its licence or status as the archive does.

Archive films carry no age ratings, so each is placed from the collections it sits in and the subjects the archive gives it, cautiously. Nothing is left out for being sexual: sexual content and nudity are for adults, placed by what the archive files a film as, never by a word of its title alone (The Naked City is a police film). A film filed as pornography is listed for adults without its picture and plays nowhere yet, as the law where it would play asks for a proof of age this site does not have. A sexual depiction of a child, drawn ones too, is listed nowhere.

Little OnesFilms for young children by name: nursery rhymes, lullabies, preschool.
KidsCartoons and animation, children's and family films, and educational films, unless they deal with war, propaganda, crime, horror or drugs, or carry racial caricature.
TweensDocumentaries, science, nature and space, classic comedies, newsreels, commercials and lectures.
TeensEverything else, including anything we cannot tell about; war, crime, horror and westerns go no lower.
AdultSexual content, pornography, nudity and nudism, striptease, sexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, beheadings, atrocity footage.
Internet Archive The Stranger 1946 · Feature · 1 h 35 min · Subtitles Set Connecticut after World War II, The Stranger is a cat and mouse game between Wilson (Edward G. Robinson), a member of the Allied War Crimes Commission and… Internet Archive Scarlet Street 1945 · Feature · 1 h 43 min · Subtitles German director Fritz Lang is best known for the highly influential films from relatively early in his career, especially Metropolis (1927) and M (1931). But… Internet Archive Suddenly 1954 · Feature · 1 h 15 min · Subtitles "Three gunmen, who have been hired to assassinate the President, hold a family hostage while waiting for their target. Interesting B film which focuses on… Internet Archive They Made Me a Criminal 1939 · Feature · 1 h 31 min · Subtitles Boxer Johnny Bradfield (John Garfield) knocks out a rival in a postfight brawl. Thinking he committed murder, he flees to an Arizona ranch run by… Internet Archive Young and Innocent (The Girl Was Young) 1937 · Feature · 1 h 20 min · Subtitles A man on the run from a murder charge enlists a beautiful stranger who must put herself at risk for his cause. Internet Archive Nightmare Castle 1965 · Feature · 1 h 19 min · Subtitles You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . This MPEG-4 file has been encoded to work with the Sony PSP. I would be interested to get… Internet Archive The Red House 1947 · Feature · Subtitles "Middle-aged farmer goes to extreme lengths to protect the dark secret associated with a deserted house on his property. Murky psychological thriller with… Internet Archive Impact 1949 · Feature · 1 h 49 min · Subtitles "Wealthy businessman survives attempt by wife to have him killed, makes it look like she succeeded and starts a new life in small town as auto mechanic.… Internet Archive Quicksand 1950 · Feature · 1 h 18 min · Subtitles An engrossing suspense film with Mickey Rooney, Peter Lorre, and Jeanne Cagney. Needing money for a date, Rooney borrows $20 from the cash register, starting… Internet Archive Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon 1943 · Feature · 1 h 7 min · Subtitles Based on the Sir Authur Conan Doyle story "The Dancing Men", Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are placed in WWII europe to help protect a scientist and his… Internet Archive Kansas City Confidential 1952 · Feature · 1 h 39 min · Subtitles Four robbers hold up an armored truck getting away with over a million dollars in cash. Joe Rolfe (John Payne), a down-on-his-luck flower delivery truck… Internet Archive The Man Who Cheated Himself 1951 · Feature · Subtitles "Tough cop helps his lover cover up the shooting of her wealthy husband. Mainstream noir, primarily distinguished by its acting and San Francisco visuals." -… Internet Archive Inner Sanctum 1948 · Feature · 1 h 2 min · Subtitles An atmospheric film starring Charles Russell and Mary Beth Hughes. Fritz Leiber, Sr. (father of the famous author) has a cameo as a seer or psychic. "You're… Internet Archive Detour 1945 · Feature · 1 h 7 min · Subtitles "Man is involved in two freakish accidents that make him look like a murderer. Poverty row masterwork that is the most precise elucidation of the noir theme… Internet Archive The Grapes Of Wrath ( 1940) 1940 · Feature · Subtitles The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 American drama film directed by John Ford . It was based on John Steinbeck 's 1939 Pulitzer Prize -winning novel of the same… Internet Archive Master Touch 1972 · Feature · 1 h 52 min · Subtitles Un Uomo da rispettare A heist film with an outrageous car chase. For more info on this film see its IMDB.com entry Internet Archive The Green Glove 1952 · Feature · 1 h 28 min · Subtitles Glen Ford plays Michael Blake a WWII veteran who retuns to France to find a mysterious Green Glove he had discoverd during the early days of Normandy invasion. Internet Archive He Walked By Night 1948 · Feature Gripping film noir crime drama about a manhunt for a ruthless killer who plays a deadly cat and mouse game with the police. Starring Richard Basehart, Scott… Internet Archive Strange Love of Martha Ivers 1946 · Feature · 1 h 55 min · Subtitles Top-of-the-line noir melodrama featuring Van Heflin, Barbara Stanwyck, Lizabeth Scott, and Kirk Douglas. Don't miss it. (The video is interlaced in the MPEG2… Internet Archive Please Murder Me 1956 · Feature · 1 h 14 min · Subtitles How's that for a title? Lawyer Raymond Burr (seeming very much like Perry Mason) brilliantly defends Angela Lansbury, who seems certain to be found guilty of… Internet Archive Paradise Canyon 1935 · Feature · 52 min AKA Paradise Ranch Government agent John Wyatt (John Wayne) is searching for a counterfeit ring operating on the Mexican/Arizona border and joins Doc Carter's… Internet Archive The Saint Louis Bank Robbery 1959 · Feature · 1 h 28 min · Subtitles Steve McQueen stars in a gritty, downbeat, and sometimes savage heist movie that features a gang of very psychologically warped men and a story that's based… Internet Archive The Hitch-Hiker 1953 · Feature · 1 h 10 min · Subtitles Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy pick up a hitch-hiker (William Talman) who turns out to be an insane escaped convict. The mpeg2 file is ready to be loaded… Internet Archive Club Paradise 1945 · Feature · 1 h 1 min · Subtitles Also known as "Sensation Hunters". You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . How To Make A DVD of this film: 1) Download these… Internet Archive Gangsters of the Frontier 1944 · Feature · 54 min · Subtitles Tex put the Kern gang away once but they have returned with reinforcements and have take over the town of Red Rock capturing the townsmen and forcing them to… Internet Archive Behind Green Lights 1946 · Feature · Subtitles The action begins when a car occupied by the corpse of a sleazy private detective glides down a hill and winds up in front of a police station. (The title of… Internet Archive Abe Lincoln of the Ninth Avenue 1939 · Feature · 1 h 4 min · Subtitles A drama about an idealistic law student from Hell's Kitchen who unites his neighborhood pals against a gang. Originally released as "Streets of New York". You… Internet Archive Chinatown After Dark 1931 · Feature · 59 min · Subtitles A female head of a Chinatown crime syndicate will use any lethal means available to acquire a valuable jewel. Internet Archive High Risk 1981 · Feature · 1 h 34 min Four American friends, badly needing money, decide to make a commando-like raid into a South American country and steal $5 million from the hacienda of an… Internet Archive Zouzou AKA Zou Zou 1934 · Feature · 1 h 24 min Along with Princesse Tam-Tam, this is one of only two notable films starring Josephine Baker. (Spoiler alert!) From the Wikipedia entry for "Zouzou": "As… Internet Archive Captain Calamity 1936 · Feature · 1 h · Subtitles A South Seas skipper fights off thieves and pirates who are after a lost treasure. Internet Archive Convict's Code 1939 · Feature · 1 h 2 min · Subtitles An ex-con is employed by the man who framed him for bank robbery. You can find more information regarding this film on its IMDb page . Internet Archive Midnight Phantom 1935 · Feature · 56 min · Subtitles A newly hired police chief vows to clean up a notoriously corrupt police department. When he is murdered, investigators find that there is no shortage of… Internet Archive Barefoot Boy 1938 · Feature · Subtitles A pampered, snobbish young boy is sent by his father who has served time in prison for a crime he did not commit. Internet Archive Danger Ahead 1935 · Feature · 58 min · Subtitles Captain Matthews (John Elliot) is paid 40,000 dollars in cash by Nick Conrad (Bryant Washburn, who also played an attorney in 'Prison Mutiny') for his… Internet Archive The Chase 1946 · Feature · 1 h 26 min Returning a lost wallet gains unemployed veteran Chuck Scott (Robert Cummings) a job as chauffeur to Eddie Roman (Steve Cochran), a seeming gangster whose… Internet Archive The Contender 1944 · Feature · 1 h 2 min · Subtitles Widower Gary Farrell can't afford, on his $45-weekly salary as a truck driver, to send his young son, Mickey, to a high-priced military school and decides to… Internet Archive Last Alarm 1940 · Feature · 53 min · Subtitles Captain Hadley (J. Farrell MacDonald, who also appeared as the City Editor in "Danger Ahead") reaches the age limit for firefighter and is retired. While he… Internet Archive Irish Luck 1939 · Feature · 50 min · Subtitles Bellhop Buzzy and his pal Jefferson fumble their way to finding a killer in a hotel. Internet Archive Five Minutes to Live / AKA Door-to-Door Maniac 1961 · Feature · 1 h 14 min · Subtitles A gang of bank robbers (Johnny Cash) terrorize a small town by knocking on doors and then killing whoever answers. Internet Archive Quicksand 1950 · Feature · 1 h 19 min · Subtitles After borrowing $20 from his employer's cash register, an auto mechanic is plunged into a series of increasingly disastrous circumstances which rapidly spiral… Internet Archive The Scar 1948 · Feature · Subtitles "Harsh tale of an alienated criminal's attempt to impersonate his psychiatrist-double. Important fatalistic noir, with classy visuals and a very fine script… Internet Archive Midnight Manhunt 1945 · Feature · Subtitles Stolen diamonds are at the heart of a game of body, body, who's got the body played by two reporters, a crook, two employees of a wax museum, and the police.… Internet Archive Burke's Law 1963 · Feature · 51 min · Subtitles The only PD episode of Burke's Law. Episode Title: "Who Killed Jason Shaw" S1 E15 This show was originally set to air on 22 November 1963. It was pushed back… Internet Archive The Second Woman 1951 · Feature · 1 h 31 min Robert Young plays Jeff Cohalan, a young man whose wife was murdered while they were on their honeymoon, and who is plagued by strange accidents and visions… Internet Archive Devil's Party, The 1938 · Feature · Subtitles From IMDB : Adults who grew up as slum kids meet later in life, but murder disrupts their reunion. Internet Archive The File On Thelma Jordan 1950 · Feature · 1 h 39 min http://imdb.com/title/tt0041368/ Thelma Jordon (Barbara Stanwyck), late one night, shows up in the office of married Assistant DA Cleve Marshall (Wendell… Internet Archive Waterfront Lady 1935 · Feature · 1 h 10 min · Subtitles Taken from IMDB : When a young man is befriended by a gambling ship operator and made a partner in the business, he becomes involved in a police manhunt after…