It’s spring. It’s officially spring in New York, where CrimeReads is based. Maybe you, like me, wear sunglasses year-round. But maybe you are just busting yours out for the season. There can be no denying that accessory’s association with warm weather.
Nothing elevates a look like a pair of sunglasses. And there are many, many slick shades in the annals of crime film and TV. There are cool sunglasses in lots of movies (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Top Gun, Risky Business, Lolita… though Dolores wears cat-eyes, not the heart-shaped glasses, in the movie itself). But the crime genre has them in spades. So does the sci-fi genre; hey, it’s also a thing that sometimes CrimeReads covers sci-fi, so I’ve included a few sci-fi shades in here as well.
We’ve rounded up some excellent ones here, but this list isn’t ranked.
Leave Her to Heaven
If I were ranking this list, which I’m not (whispers to self: “I’m not, I’m not”), I’d put these tortoiseshell-rimmed shades at #1. A perfect look for the psychotic cypher that is Gene Tierney’s Ellen Berent.
Léon: The Professional
Jean Reno’s hitman Leon wears a pair of round acrylic glasses, which he pairs with a gray beanie, and stubble.
The Terminator
The Terminator’s Gargoyles glasses are iconic, pure and simple. This is what sunglasses look like when they’re going to murder you.
The Big Lebowski
John Goodman’s Walter Sobchak has one of the most extraordinarily memorable appearances in movies. Fishing vest, flat top, and a pair of yellow-lensed aviator sunglasses.
Taxi Driver
Randolph aviators, an army jacket, and a Mohawk… that’s how you do Travis Bickle. I mean, if looks could kill, right?
La Piscine
La Piscine, a thriller set poolside at a villa along the Côte d’Azur, features several pairs of very cool sunglasses. But the coolest? These enormous lenses worn by Jane Birkin.
To Catch a Thief
I’m going to caption this like a paparazzi shot in a tabloid: in To Catch a Thief, Grace Kelly pauses catching thieves for a moment to catch some rays along the French Riviera in a pair of these fascinating yellow sunglasses.
The Matrix, etc.
You knew this one had to be on here.
The Thomas Crown Affair
I’ve heard that Steve McQueen didn’t simply wear these Persol 714s in The Thomas Crown Affair, but in his personal life as well. Makes sense.
North by Northwest
Not only does North by Northwest have an ultra-suave pair of tortoiseshell Tart Arnel sunglasses, but it also has some fantastic dialogue about them.
Grand Central Ticket Collector: “Something wrong with your eyes?”
Thornhill: “Yes, they’re sensitive to questions.”
Scarface
I don’t know if the sunglasses that Al Pacino wore in Scarface are true Carreras, but they sure make his Tony Montana look like a shady character. (Get it?”)
Men in Black
A movie where Ray-ban Predators aren’t simply stylish, but are also an essential part of the plot.
Kill Bill
It’s very likely that the most famous sartorial choice of Kill Bill is the yellow leather jumpsuit, but if we had to pick the most famous accessory from that movie, it’d be… well, the sword, probably. But after that, it’s these amber, oval glasses.
Shaft
I mean… come on.
