Film

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

Name: Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: 1995
Cast: Andy Garcia, Christopher Lloyd, William Forsythe, Bill Nunn, Treat Williams

A stylish 1995 crime ensemble where five lowlife criminals await violent retribution after a job goes catastrophically wrong. Sharp dialogue, dark humour, and a colour-saturated Denver backdrop give it a Tarantino-adjacent energy. It's for people who love talky crime films with character and a fatalistic streak.

TMDb rating

3.2

If you liked this

Pulp Fiction1994

The obvious blueprint: interlocking criminals, non-linear storytelling, dialogue that sings, and the sense that everyone's one bad decision away from ruin. If you loved Denver's rhythm and wit, this is the gold standard.

But It's been endlessly imitated and parodied. The novelty has worn off, and some scenes feel self-consciously clever now rather than transgressive.

Reservoir Dogs1992

Before Pulp Fiction, Tarantino made this leaner, meaner debut about criminals after a heist gone wrong. The desperation here is rawer, the stakes feel more claustrophobic, the dialogue cuts deeper.

But It's violent and graphic in ways that serve the story but can feel punishing. Long stretches are just men in a warehouse arguing.

In the Soup1992

An underseen comedy-noir about a struggling screenwriter and a volatile criminal. It has Denver's playful tone, eccentric ensemble energy, and a real affection for its morally compromised characters.

But It's more whimsical and less slick than Denver. The pacing is deliberately baggy, and it won't appeal if you want conventional thriller momentum.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

After Hours1985

Both use ensemble casts and interconnected vignettes to explore how small mistakes compound into catastrophe, but After Hours approaches it through nightmare logic rather than crime-film mechanics.

Scorsese's only comedy: a white-collar guy's night in downtown New York becomes a surreal descent into escalating chaos and misunderstanding. Like Denver, it's funny and dark about ordinary people in over their heads, but it's dreamlike where Denver is grounded.

But It's genuinely weird and disorienting. The mood is more Kafkaesque anxiety than crime-thriller satisfaction, which is unsettling rather than cathartic.

Miller's Crossing1990

The Coen Brothers' prohibition-era crime film: snappy dialogue, an ensemble of flawed men, double-crosses, and a visual style that's painterly without ever feeling show-offy. Smarter and stranger than most crime films.

But It's baroque and mannered. The plot can feel secondary to the mood and language, which frustrates viewers who want clear narrative stakes.

State of Grace1990

A gem about Irish mobsters in Hell's Kitchen. Raw energy, genuine danger, and an ensemble cast who seem to be having real conversations rather than delivering exposition.

But It's less polished than the comparable films on this list. Some rough edges feel like budget constraints rather than style.

The Killing1956

Kubrick's debut about a race-track heist from multiple perspectives. It pioneered the non-linear crime narrative; Denver learned from this. Taut, intelligent, and darkly funny about human weakness.

But The pace is 1950s deliberate. Some exposition feels clunky by modern standards, and the femme-fatale character hasn't aged well.

City of God2002

A Brazilian masterpiece about competing gangs in the favelas. Like Denver, it's stylistically bold, character-driven, and unsparing about how circumstances trap people into violence.

But It's brutally violent and genuinely depressing. The rapid editing and overlapping voices can feel exhausting rather than energetic.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels1998

Guy Ritchie's debut borrowed Denver's playbook—interconnected criminals, witty banter, and a sprawling London underworld. Kinetic, funny, and packed with memorable characters.

But The style overwhelms substance. It feels like a music video, and rewatches reveal how thin the plot actually is underneath the flash.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels poster

Suicide Kings1997

Five kidnappers hold a crime boss for ransom in a house, everything spirals. Denver's contemporaries rarely get better—real tension, great ensemble work, and it understands that stupidity can be as dangerous as malice.

But It's a one-location bottle film that can feel claustrophobic and repetitive. Not as stylish as Denver, and the violence is unglamorous in ways some viewers won't enjoy.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both are colour-saturated, character-obsessed crime films that know their own genre well enough to bend it. Both use humour as a survival mechanism for characters in genuinely bad situations.

Shane Black's LA noir: a criminal and a gay private eye and an actress collide. Self-aware, meta, genuinely funny about genre itself, and completely confident that clever dialogue and character matter more than plot.

But The narrator breaks the fourth wall constantly. If you hate films commenting on themselves, this will feel insufferable and smug.