Emily the Criminal is a 2022 American crime thriller film written and directed by John Patton Ford in his feature directorial debut.

It stars Aubrey Plaza as the titular character, alongside Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, and Gina Gershon in supporting roles.

Emily the Criminal had its world premiere at the 38th Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2022, and was released theatrically in the United States on August 12, 2022, by Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment.

[5] Emily Benetto lives in Los Angeles and works as an independent contractor delivering food for a catering company.

Emily, an aspiring artist, wishes to visit South America, while Youcef plans to purchase a rental property.

While Emily dogsits for her childhood friend Liz, a buyer finds her apartment and robs her earnings, taking the dog as well.

He and Emily arrive at the ring's storage unit to find that Khalil has already taken everything and emptied their shared business bank account.

Ambushing a guy on lookout, kidnapping him and luring out the other ring members with a fake carjacking, they enter the safehouse, where Khalil severely injures Youcef before Emily can subdue him.

As police and ambulance sirens draw closer, Emily abandons Youcef in his car and flees with the money.

"[11] "The pace of the film is deliberately relentless", stated Vanessa Zimmer of Sundance, with the character of Emily charging "'full-octane' through her difficulties.

"[12] Confirming this in an American Film Institute interview, writer and director John Patton Ford says he intended "to grab you really unapologetically and just take you on this ride, and to never really give you much of a choice but to watch it…to have that kind of a raw effect upon an audience.

The website's consensus reads: "A taut thriller that contains a wealth of social commentary, Emily the Criminal is stolen by Aubrey Plaza's terrific work in the title role.

"[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

"[23] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars and praised Ford's direction, calling it "an undeniably striking debut, slick and involving enough to have us curiously excited for whatever he decides to do next".