The film stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Joe Denton, a former cop recently released from prison for attempted murder.

The film also stars Gary Cole, Molly Parker, Macon Blair, Pat Healy, Jacki Weaver, and Robert Forster.

Six years earlier, while on the mob's payroll, Denton attacked district attorney Phil Coakley, earning him the enmity of the police and the nickname "slash cop".

After briefly talking to one of his daughters, his ex-wife takes the phone and threatens to press charges if he contacts them again.

Denton declines, saying he wants to leave his history in the past, to the disgust of Coakley and Lieutenant Pleasant, who calls him a disgrace.

Pleasant, also corrupt, demands Denton kill mob boss Manny Vassey, who has found religion on his deathbed.

In his dying moments, Denton wipes his father's fingerprints off the knife and adds his own, to make the wound appear self-inflicted.

In addition, Michael Kinney portrays Phil Coakley, while Shawn Lawrence plays Manny Vassey.

[3] Jacki Weaver, Robert Forster, Gary Cole, and Molly Parker were all announced to have joined the cast in July 2016.

[8] In positive reviews, David Ehrlich of IndieWire and Britt Hayes of ScreenCrush particularly praised Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's performance and character, with Ehrlich saying that "as much of a chore as [Small Crimes] can be to sift through at times, there’s a well-conceived method to all of this densely packed madness" and Hayes stating that "Coster-Waldau is a pro at playing narcissists, but in Small Crimes he brings additional pathos to the role of Joe".They gave the film B+ and 8 out of 10 respectively.

[9][10] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com stated that while Small Crimes was "similarly clever if a bit less satisfying" than Cheap Thrills, he praised the supporting cast (particularly Gary Cole and Pat Healy) and the film's clean conclusion.

[11] Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound similarly praised Coster-Waldau's performance, along with those of Jacki Weaver and Robert Forster, as well as the film's tonal shifts "that make each outcome even more jarring".

[15] Sheila O'Malley, also writing for RogerEbert.com, criticized the script's lack of any exposition, saying that "it's hard to figure out what actually happened, who did what to whom".

[16] While the film was purchased and streamed by Netflix, it did receive a limited theatrical release in overseas markets, grossing US$1.4 million at the box office.