Crime Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated May 12, 2024
Beyond the Gates of Splendor
2002 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThis documentary tells the extraordinary story of five American missionaries who, in 1956, were killed in Ecuador by the indigenous Waodani tribe. After the murders, family members of the slain men take up the missionaries' work with the Waodani.
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BMF: The Rise and Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire
2012 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsRecord label BMF Entertainment is known less for its hip-hop acts and more for its role as the front for a $300 million cocaine trafficking operation. This documentary profiles the two brothers at the top of this empire -- and the business' downfall.
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Mario's Story
2007 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsShot over the course of seven years, this documentary from filmmakers Susan Koch and Jeff Werner relates the inspiring true story of Mario Rocha, an East L.A. teen who unlocked his talent for writing while serving out a murder sentence behind bars. As his family and a team of pro bono attorneys labor on the outside to clear his name for a crime he didn't commit, Mario keeps himself grounded on the inside by writing poems, short stories and plays.
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Forensics on Trial: Nova
2012 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThere is a startling gap between the glamorous television world of "CSI" and the gritty reality of the forensic crime lab, wherein modern forensics can send innocent people to prison. NOVA investigates today's shaky state of crime science.
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Cocaine Cowboys 2
2008 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsSending a letter of admiration to the imprisoned "Cocaine Godmother" Griselda Blanco sets off a chain reaction of life-changing events for drug dealer Charles Cosby, who becomes her lover -- and a multimillionaire -- in one fell swoop. But Cosby doesn't realize he's been sharing a bed with the notorious "Black Widow," a woman who kills her lovers with ruthless indifference. Billy Corben directs this documentary follow-up to Cocaine Cowboys.
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Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story
1992 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsNarrated by Robert Redford, this provocative documentary chronicles the controversial events surrounding the shooting of two FBI agents on South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975, resulting in the conviction of Sioux activist Leonard Peltier. Featuring reenactments and interviews with key players in the incident, the film offers evidence that the government's prosecution of Peltier was unjust and politically motivated.
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30 for 30: June 17th, 1994
2010 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsESPN turns the spotlight on a fateful day in June 1994, when several unconnected incidents from the world of sports spilled over to capture the attention of the world -- most famously, O.J. Simpson's attempt to elude justice in a white Bronco.
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The Thin Blue Line
1988 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Errol Morris's gripping investigation into the murder of a Dallas police officer was responsible for freeing the man who was originally -- and erroneously -- charged with and convicted of the crime.
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Danny Greene: The Rise and Fall of the Irishman
2009 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsInfamous Cleveland mobster Danny Greene, whose violent life was ended by a car bomb in 1977, is profiled in this hourlong documentary that chronicles his rise to union president, involvement in criminal rackets and his battles with the Italian Mafia.
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National Geographic: Solitary Confinement
2010 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsThis controversial National Geographic program explores the potentially devastating psychological effects of isolation, paying particular attention to the thousands of Americans who spend, sometimes, years on end imprisoned in solitary confinement. While correctional officers claim the practice effectively controls unruly prisoners, others say being alone in a small space without any outside contact is tantamount to torture.
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After Innocence
2005 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsWith the emergence of DNA evidence, the justice system is seeing a wave of reversed criminal convictions. But what happens to those who are set free, sometimes decades after being imprisoned for a crime they didn't commit? Jessica Sanders takes a close look at some of these people in this gripping documentary that's both a harsh criticism of the current judicial system and a touching look at those profoundly affected by it.
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In Prison My Whole Life
2007 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsThis provocative documentary examines the life of journalist and activist Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of killing a police officer in 1982. In addition to interviews with Abu-Jamal's supporters, the film presents new insights into his case.
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Square Grouper
2011 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsDocumentarian Billy Corben shines a spotlight on three unusual and interrelated stories about drug trafficking in Florida during the 1970s and 1980s, when marijuana smuggling was big business practiced by everyone from ordinary folks to pirates. Interviews and archival footage examine the practices of the incendiary Ethiopian Coptic Church, the jobless fishermen who grew pot in Everglades City and the enterprising members of the Black Tuna Gang.
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Sensing Murder
2006 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsPsychics, with no advance knowledge of the circumstances of a homicide, surprise the detectives with the accuracy of the detail in their visions. The detectives and the families of the victims appeal for viewers to come forward.
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Russia's Toughest Prisons
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsFor the first time, three prisons across Russia unlock their doors to an international film crew, allowing viewers access to top-security facilities where cannibals, terrorists and killers live out the rest of their days.
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Into the Abyss
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsDirector Werner Herzog's compelling documentary examines the emotional aftermath of a triple murder in Texas, interviewing the two convicted killers, their relatives, the victims' families and law-enforcement officials involved in the case.
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National Geographic: Diamonds of War: Africa's Blood Diamonds
2007 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis illuminating National Geographic documentary tracks the bloody trail of diamonds mined in West Africa and sold in First World nations. In Sierra Leone, the sale of the precious stones financed a decade-long insurrection that left thousands dead. Long considered a symbol of prestige, affluence and love, diamonds are becoming increasingly recognized as a source of great heartache and bloodshed.
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Sensing Murder
2006 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsPsychics, with no advance knowledge of the circumstances of a homicide, surprise the detectives with the accuracy of the detail in their visions. The detectives and the families of the victims appeal for viewers to come forward.
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Science of Armored Cars
2009 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsArmored cars are tough enough to resist an onslaught of gunfire, fast enough to evade ambush and strong enough to repel ammunition strike-back. This enlightening documentary examines what it takes to build these fortresses on wheels.
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Girl 27
2007 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsAuthor-screenwriter David Stenn investigates a notorious Hollywood scandal more than 65 years after it occurred, a rape case involving Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio execs and an underage dancer who refused to stay silent. Hired along with 120 other young girls to entertain MGM salesmen at a stag party in 1937, Patricia Douglas was violently raped and brought a landmark lawsuit against her attackers -- then mysteriously disappeared.
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The Imposter
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsA 13-year-old boy who vanished in Texas and shows up three years later in Spain now has the same tattoos, but looks different and speaks with an accent. An investigator sets out to unravel the mystery in this riveting documentary.
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Talhotblond
2009 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsDirector Barbara Schroeder's true-crime documentary follows a love triangle whose participants had never met beyond cyberspace -- yet their passions ended up sending one member to prison and another to the grave.
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Of Dolls and Murder
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsIn the 1930s, grandmother Frances Glessner Lee created an ingenious investigative tool: dollhouse crime scenes that detectives could use to crack real cases. Narrator John Waters tells Lee's story and explores the state of modern forensic science.
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Brother's Keeper
1992 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis documentary explores the odd world of the four elderly Ward brothers, illiterate farmers who have lived their entire lives in a dilapidated shack. When William dies in the bed he shared with his brother Delbert, the police arrest him for murder.
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National Geographic: World's Most Dangerous Gang
2006 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsWith its numbers exceeding 50,000 in the United States alone, the El Salvador-originated gang MS-13 is infecting towns big and small with criminal activity ranging from drug smuggling to gunrunning, human trafficking and more. Correspondent Lisa Ling takes viewers deep within the shadowy organization, revealing its extreme culture and violent rituals through interviews with current and former members, as well as law enforcement officials.
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