Best Chicago, illinois Movies
Ranked by how strongly each film carries the visual signature of chicago, illinois cinema — measured across 2,065 indexed frames from 26 films, against a 404,689-frame catalogue baseline. Not by box office, and not by vote.
Chicago, illinois films over-index on flat cap, vintage car and fedora — the objects that make the genre recognisable before a line is spoken.
- 1
The Untouchables (1987)
Brian De PalmaDP Stephen H. BurumIMDb 7.8TMDB 7.8See in full on FrameThrower →
After building an empire with bootleg alcohol, legendary crime boss Al Capone rules Chicago with an iron fist. Though Prohibition Agent Eliot Ness attempts to take Capone down, even his best efforts fail due to widespread corruption within the Windy City's police force. Recruiting an elite group of lawmen who won't be swayed by bribes or fear, including Irish-American cop Jimmy Malone, Ness renews his determination to bring Capone to justice.
- 2
Sinners (2025)
Ryan CooglerDP Autumn Durald ArkapawIMDb 7.5TMDB 7.5See in full on FrameThrower →
1930s. Brothers "Smoke" and "Stack" Moore return home to Mississippi after working for the Chicago Mafia. They buy a sawmill and a juke joint and use their experience as gangsters to ensure that their businesses flourish. Things appear to be going well but trouble has just hit town, trouble in supernatural form.
- 3
The Irishman (2019)
Martin ScorseseDP Rodrigo PrietoIMDb 7.8TMDB 7.6See in full on FrameThrower →
Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran is a man with a lot on his mind. The former labor union high official and hitman, learned to kill serving in Italy during the Second World War. He now looks back on his life and the hits that defined his mob career, maintaining connections with the Bufalino crime family. In particular, the part he claims to have played in the disappearance of his life-long friend, Jimmy Hoffa, the former president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, who mysteriously vanished in late July 1975 at the age of 62.
- 4
Carol (2015)
Todd HaynesDP Edward LachmanIMDb 7.3TMDB 7.5See in full on FrameThrower →
In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.
- 5
The Bikeriders (2023)
Jeff NicholsDP Adam StoneIMDb 6.6TMDB 6.7See in full on FrameThrower →
After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
- 6
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Joel Coen, Ethan CoenDP Bruno DelbonnelIMDb 7.4TMDB 7.2See in full on FrameThrower →
Follow a week in the life of a young folk singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Guitar in tow, huddled against the unforgiving New York winter, he is struggling to make it as a musician against seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- some of them of his own making.
- 7
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
Shaka KingDP Sean BobbittIMDb 7.4TMDB 7.3See in full on FrameThrower →
Fred Hampton, a young, charismatic activist, becomes Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party - putting him directly in the crosshairs of the government, the FBI, and the Chicago Police. But to destroy the revolution, the authorities are going to need a man on the inside.
- 8
Thief (1981)
Michael MannDP Donald E. ThorinIMDb 7.4TMDB 7.2See in full on FrameThrower →
Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specializing in high-profile diamond jobs. After having spent many years in prison, he has a very concrete picture of what he wants out of life--including a nice home, a wife, and kids. As soon as he is able to assemble the pieces of this collage, by means of his chosen profession, he intends to retire and become a model citizen. In an effort to accelerate this process, he signs on to take down a huge score for a big-time gangster. Unfortunately, Frank's obsession for his version of the American Dream allows him to overlook his natural wariness and mistrust, when making the deal for his final job. He is thus ensnared and robbed of his freedom, his independence, and, ultimately, his dream.
- 9
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Billy WilderDP Charles LangIMDb 8.2TMDB 8.1See in full on FrameThrower →
After two Chicago musicians, Joe and Jerry, witness the the St. Valentine's Day massacre, they want to get out of town and get away from the gangster responsible, Spats Colombo. They're desperate to get a gig out of town but the only job they know of is in an all-girl band heading to Florida. They show up at the train station as Josephine and Daphne, the replacement saxophone and bass players. They certainly enjoy being around the girls, especially Sugar Kane Kowalczyk who sings and plays the ukulele. Joe in particular sets out to woo her while Jerry/Daphne is wooed by a millionaire, Osgood Fielding III. Mayhem ensues as the two men try to keep their true identities hidden and Spats Colombo and his crew show up for a meeting with several other crime lords.
- 10
Chicago (2002)
Rob MarshallDP Dion BeebeIMDb 7.2TMDB 7.1See in full on FrameThrower →
Murderesses Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones) (a chanteuse and tease who killed her husband and sister after finding them in bed together) and Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger) (who killed her boyfriend when she discovered he wasn't going to make her a star) find themselves on death row together and fight for the fame that will keep them from the gallows in 1920s Chicago.
What chicago, illinois films are made of
How much more often each element appears in a chicago, illinois frame than in an average frame from the catalogue. A ratio, not a share — flat cap is not in most frames, it is simply far more common here than anywhere else.
- flat cap6.4×
- vintage car4.7×
- fedora2.6×
- brick wall2.3×
- leather jacket2.2×
- vest2.1×
- collared shirt2.0×
- streetlamp2.0×
How chicago, illinois films are shot
Weaker signals than the objects above, and worth saying so: most dramatic genres skew dark and night-heavy, so these numbers separate chicago, illinois from the catalogue far more than they separate it from its neighbours.
- 87%eye levelvs 69% baseline
What breaks the pattern
The Big Sick (2017) is the least typical film here — it carries the least of what the rest of this list is made of. Which is either a failure of the genre label, or the most interesting film on the page.
Method
Every frame in the FrameThrower catalogue is tagged for shot size, lighting, time of day, camera angle, colour and the objects visible in it. This page aggregates those tags across 2,065 frames from 26 films carrying the chicago, illinois label, and compares each figure to the same measurement across the whole catalogue (404,689 frames). Films are ranked by how closely they match the theme’s over-indexed elements, weighted by how distinctive each element is; one film per series. Only films with at least 20 indexed frames and 500 TMDB votes are listed.
Machine-readable: /api/list/chicago-illinois
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