Few themes recur more often in crime cinema than the innocent person accused of a crime he or she did not commit. Mistaken identity, circumstantial evidence, false accusations, and determined efforts to clear one’s name create some of the genre’s most suspenseful stories. As ordinary people become fugitives or amateur detectives, the line between innocence and guilt often grows increasingly blurred. This page explores films built around one of crime cinema’s most enduring dramatic situations.

Crime Wave (1953)

Kansas City Confidential (1952)

The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)

Detour (1945)