There have been a number of films involving crime that have been set in and around Boston, Massachusetts. Fuzz; The Thomas Crown Affair; Blown Away; The Verdict; and A Civil Action all involved some sort of criminality at the center of the plot, even if the films themselves were, essentially, detective or court room dramas. No one could forget Boston’s most famous TV series, Spenser for Hire (which, unlike Cheers, was actually filmed in and around the city). However, while there have been lots of stories set in Brooklyn, The Bronx, and Queens, NY, only a small list of films have actually been set in inner city Boston neighborhoods and dealt with street level criminals as part of their central plots. With a group of lower budget offerings and a Hollywood film like Good Will Hunting in the late nineties, and now the latest spate of films to come out over the past few years, however, neighborhood Boston has become known to an international movie watching public. The following list contains 11 films, all of which could be comfortably categorized as belonging to the the crime genre; and all of which are based, in large part, in one or more of Boston’s neighborhoods. They range from smaller, low budget indies like Squeeze (1997) and Southie (1998) to big budget action extravaganzas like 2006s The Departed. 

1. The Friends of Eddy Coyle(1973). Directed by Peter Yates. Based on the book by local novelist, the late George V. Higgins. Starring Robert Mitchum; Peter Boyle; Alex Rocco. Perhaps the best critically accepted film of its kind to be located in Boston. Tells the story of small-timer Coyle (Mitchum), facing a possible prison sentence he’d like to avoid. Set and filmed all over Eastern Mass.  

2. The Brinks Job(1978). Directed by William Friedken. Starring Peter Falk; Peter Boyle; Gena Rowlands; Warren Oates. From the director of The French Connection, the film takes a look at one of the most famous heists in Massachusetts history, and a crew made of of local Boston thieves from places like Dorchester and the North End.   

3. Squeeze (1997) Directed by Robert Patton Spruill. Starring Tyrone Burton; Eddie Cutanda. Low budget indie set and filmed in Dorchester from Roxbury native Robert Patton Spruill. Tells the story of three high school age friends (one Latin; one Asian; one African American), and their attempts to survive the challenges of the inner city. 

4. Monument Ave. (1998) Directed by Ted Demme. Starring Dennis Leary; Colm Meaney; Billy Crudup; Famke Jannsen. Set in Charlestown. A story about low level criminal car thieves. Worcester native Leary was the driving force behind bringing this story to the screen.  

5. Blue Hill Ave. (1998) Directed by Craig Ross Jr.. Starring Allen Payne; Michael Talifero; William Forsythe. Rather typically plotted crime film about a group of street savvy friends. Set in Roxbury.  

6. Southie (1998) Directed by John Shea. Starring Donnie Wahlberg; John Shea; Amanda Peet; Rose Magowan. Ex New Kid Wahlberg plays a guy who has moved away from Southie, but returns when his mother gets sick. Cliches abound, but there’s some nice cinematography; a young Amanda Peet; and a number of local residents doing well in smaller parts. 

7. Lift (2001) Directed by Khari Streeter; Demane Davis. Starring Kerry Washington; Lonette McKee. Tells the story of a female shoplifter Niecy (Washington) from Roxbury.  

8. Mystic River (2003) Directed by Clint Eastwood. Starring Sean Penn; Marcia Gay Harden; Kevin Bacon; Tim Robbins; Laura Linney; Lawrence Fishburne.  A dark, baroque opera of a film. Based on the novel by Dorchester’s Dennis Lehane. Lehane and Eastwood do not name the neighborhood where Mystic River is set, but it bears a striking resemblance to South Boston. Filmed all over Boston

9. Gone Baby Gone (2007) Directed by Ben Affleck. Starring Casey Affleck; Morgan Freeman; Michelle Monaghan; Ed Harris. Based on the Kenzi/Gennaro detective novels by Dorchester’s Dennis Lehane.  A somewhat over-plotted, but promising debut from actor turned director/Cambridge native Ben Affleck. Like the books, set in Dorchester and filmed in the area.  

10. The Departed (2006) Directed by Martin Scorcese. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio; Matt Damon; Mark Wahlberg; Alec Baldwin; Martin Sheen; Vera Famiglia. Evidently, the rights to The James Bulger story were unavailable so Scorcese chose to take the story anyway, calling it a remake of the superior Asian flick Infernal Affairs. Set in a South Boston only a New York Italian could imagine. Screenwriter and Massachusetts native William Monaghan wrote this cartoon-like action flick. Filmed in Boston and New York. 

11. What Doesn’t Kill You(2008) Directed by Brian Goodman. Starring Mark Ruffalo; Ethan Hawke; Amanda Peet. Gritty story from South Boston native Brian Goodman. Goodman used elements from his own life experiences to tell a gripping story. Set and filmed in South Boston. 

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