The classic genre has distinguished itself over the past few decades, and the typical detective story - several people in the house, one dies, the detective must solve the crime - expanded to include truly unique plots and stories. That's good: it means that many of these puzzles can play with form and framing while still giving you the perfect twist ending. There are a couple of horror films on this list, one action movie and a few dramas. What do they have in common? The killer secret is a play on words.
Here are 29 murder detective films, from beginning to end of which you will be on the edge of the seat.(No major spoilers are expected for any of these mind-blowing films, especially the detective part. But if you don't want to know anything about the plot, watch before reading.)
[article updated July 3, 2021]
A Simple Request (2018)
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini, Rupert Friend and Jean Smart.
Mystery: two moms become friends, and then one disappears. The hunt to find out what happened (and who this woman really is) begins. No spoilers about who dies - yes, it's included in the list of murder mysteries for a reason - or why this mystery is so compelling. But trust me on this: it's really great. And guys Blake Livelyreally funny (as is the movie, contrary to what the trailer might lead you to believe). Don't sleep on it.
Zodiac (2007)
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, Charles Fleischer, Zach Grenier, Philip Baker Hall, Elias Koteas, James LeGros, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Dermot Mulroney, Candy Clark and Chloe. Sevigny.
Mystery: the 2007 film directed by David Fincher deals with the still officially unsolved murders of the Zodiac Killer. The film is long and complex, but nothing is felt. If the lack of closure makes you wary of it, don't let it hold you back. This movie is as addictive as it gets.
Seven (1995)
Cast: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C. McGinley and Kevin Spacey.
Mystery: A serial killer begins a seven deadly sin-themed killing spree, and two detectives (Freeman and Pitt) must try to solve the case before he strikes again. The film is now famous for several key scenes, but the plot is underestimated andvery tense. However, be careful if you are squeamish.
Sweet couple (2020)
Cast: Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Paul Sparks, Anna Camp and Kyle Bornheimer.
Mystery: a couple, formerly in love, now on the brink of a breakup, fails after a man runs over a cyclist with his car. On the run, and knowing the cops wouldn't believe them, they decided to solve the mystery on their own. Narrationreally goes in some unexpected directions, and some of the turns - plural - are really unexpected. In addition, Ray and Nanjiani are completely selling their desperation, trying to clear their names and avoid the subsequent absolute madness.
Knives Out (2019)
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer and Katherine Langford.
Detective about a mysterious crime - Murder. The best foreign detective of 2019.
Mystery: Harlan Thrombey, famous writer and aging patriarch of a needy, enraged family, commits suicide. Or is he? Detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) is hired to investigate, but absolutely everyone in this family has a motive. As the story unfolds, the plot takes on a… let's call it an unusual twist that really pays off. This is a perfect example of a modern interpretation of a classic genre.
Happy Death Day (2017)
Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Rachel Matthews and Charles Aitken.
Mystery: Is this a traditional murder mystery setting? Absolutely not. Is this a great detective movie? You place a bet. In a scenario like"Groundhog Day" , Wood (Rothe) is looking for a kill. Victim? Tree. Every morning she sets off in search of her killer, trying to beat time and survive until tomorrow. I would say that this premise makes the detective even more interesting.
Suspicious Persons (1995)
Cast: Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollack, Pete Postlethwaite, Kevin Spacey, Susie Amis, Benicio del Toro and Giancarlo Esposito.
Mystery: who is Keyser Söze? Once considered the most compelling mystery of all time, the films start towards the end when the murders have already been committed and the killer has largely been identified. He then carefully returns to the story through police interrogations, gently unfolding everything you think you know about what happened. It's both "why did it" and "who did it" and the movie waits until the last few seconds to answer both brilliantly.
Get Out (2017)
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, Marcus Henderson, LaKeith Stanfield and Lil Rel Howery.
Mystery: it would probably be classified, in- first, as a horror film, and secondly, as a murder mystery. But the mystery of the plot is as compelling as anything on this list. Chris (Kaluya) goes to meet his girlfriend's (Williams) parents, but their behavior seems strange. Then everything becomes So much scarier. The questions the film poses about racism, privilege and classism are horrifying, and the answers they give, including what happens to the person kidnapped in the first scene, are even more horrifying. If you have watched this horror movie, watch it again to find out the secret.
Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan and Corbin Bernsen.
Mystery: Harry Lockhart (Downey Jr.) is a thief who is mistaken for an actor. Subsequently, he finds himself in the glamorous, murderous world of Hollywood, full of mysteries associated with his childhood passion. Directed by Shane BlackDeadly weapon", «Iron Man 3") somehow managed to make it all funny and heralded the triumphant return of Downey Jr. as one of the best actors of our time.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Cast: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen and Joely Richardson.
Mystery: A disgraced financial reporter and a genius hacker team up to investigate a 40-year-old murder case. Fair warning: this is gettingcruel including sexual abuse throughout. But if you have the guts, this remake and adaptation of the book brings out the depth and horror of the plot.
Charade (1963)
Cast: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn and George Kennedy.
Mystery: often referred to as "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made", it is actually mystery, comedy and romance wrapped in one film. Don't be afraid, the plot is very interesting: the wife's husband suddenly dies, and the mysterious men also go after her. A handsome stranger (Grant) wants to help... or is he?
Chinatown (1974)
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, Perry Lopez, Burt Young and John Huston.
Secret: Los Angeles private investigator JJ "Jake" Gittes (Nicholson) is hired by a woman named Evelyn Mulwray to investigate suspicions of her husband's infidelity. But things change when Jake meetsreal Mrs. Mulwray (played by Dunaway) and finds herself investigating the sudden death of Mr. Mulwray.This is a multi-layered story about corruption, cruelty and deceit at all levels of society.
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Eddie Marsan.
Mystery: Sherlock Holmes is the original detective, and some of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories are the best detectives. There are many films made about the super sleuth, but this one (directed by Guy Ritchie) gives him a much-needed adrenaline rush. Ritual murders are taking place in London, and it seems that the culprit is obvious. Then the shit gets weird and the bodies start piling up. (This one is far superior to the sequel.)
Runaway (1993)
Cast: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsoulas and Jeroen Crabbe.
Mystery: doctor Harrison Ford, wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife, so, like you, he escapes and goes to investigate the crime himself. Tommy Lee Jones is the American Marshal who comes after him, reluctantly beginning to realize that the man he's chasing may be innocent after all. It's not your typical "10 people in a room - find out who the killer" story is, but the modified format works incredibly well. The investigation of a crime by a person found guilty of a crime is a brilliant foundation, and Ford does a great job of this task.
And Then There Was No One (1945)
Cast: C. Aubrey Smith, Judith Anderson, Mischa Auer, June Dupres, Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston and Louis Hayward.
Mystery: some things (including the original title "Ten Little Indians" ) are dated, but deal with it. It is considered one of the most impressive Agatha Christie novels of all time, and the plot holds up all these decades later. Ten people are invited to the island. Each of them is guilty of death for which he was not punished. Everyone starts dying one by one. Who is killing them? Just wait. Christy once said that she was so proud of the work she did to get the ending right, and it really shows. (Besides, if you like this movie,"The Ninth Guest" has a similar setup and is based on a book Christie may have used as inspiration.)
Death on the Nile (1978)
Cast: Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven, George Kennedy and Jack Warden.
Secret: A woman steals her best friend's husband and dies - only her best friend didn't. So who did it? Mia Farrow (who plays the best friend) pulls it off pretty well, striking the perfect balance between intense and hysterical. But the cast is also full of incredible talent, including the gorgeous young Maggie Smith and Angela Lansbury.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Cast: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Sean Connery, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Perkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Rachel Roberts, Richard Widmark and Michael York.
Mystery: The billionaire was killed while riding the Orient Express when famed detective Hercule Poirot was on board. He sets about solving the mystery, and everyone in the car turns out to be a suspect. The 2017 remake is great, but the original really captures Agatha Christie's vision perfectly.
Psycho (1960)
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, John Gavin, Vera Miles and Martin Balsam.
Mystery: this horror movie is alsomain a murder mystery, partly because of who the killer is... (no spoilers, although you've probably seenthis main site). Hitchcock's insistence on unorthodox narrative structure moves the story forward. And he leaves red herrings throughout the film to make the ending feel truly amazing, even now.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
Cast: Basil Rathbone, John Carradine, Nigel Bruce, Richard Green, Lionel Atwill and Wendy Barry.
Secret: Long before Downey Jr took on the character, Rathbone was considered the classic Sherlock Holmes. Not all detective stories have aged well, but this one adds elements of the supernatural and creepy to give it an extra boost of energy. A huge, apparently demonic dog roams the swamps, killing members of a prominent family. Is it really an inhuman creature or the work of man?
Clue (1985)
Cast: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull and Lesley Ann Warren.
Mystery: This comedy based on the cult board game follows a group of dinner party guests who are all suspicious of each other when their host is murdered. This is one of the rare cases where a game adaptation actually works, and the original theatrical release had multiple endings randomly distributed to the audience. (The version you'll watch will contain all three, one after the other.)
Big Dream (1946)
Cast: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
Mystery: Private investigator Philip Marlowe (Bogart) is hired by General Sternwood to help fix his daughter Carmen's gambling debts. Marlow turns to the general's eldest daughter, Vivian (Bacall), who reveals that the situation is much more complicated than it seems. Indeed in the filmtells Ovolume, how the crime is solved. Thanks to William Faulkner's co-authored literary legend, the story is outdated.
Mystic River (2003)
Cast: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney.
Mystery: the daughter of an ex-convict is murdered and two of his childhood friends are connected to the case, prompting him to conduct his own investigation into the murder. The mood is dark and twisted, with a real visceral ending (no spoilers, though).
Courtyard Window (1954)
Cast: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter and Raymond Burr.
Mystery: a newspaper photographer with a broken leg spends his recovery time watching his neighbors through a window. When he witnesses what he believes to be a murder, he begins to solve the crime himself. By this point, Hitchcock has definitively cracked the "murder mystery with a twist" genre.
Devils (1955)
Cast: Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse and Charles Vanel.
Mystery: inspiring for Psycho" , this film begins with two women who have lost their minds: one is the wife of an abusive husband, the other is his mistress. Their plot to end him goes terribly wrong - the body disappears, and the women are tormented by terrible, seemingly otherworldly ghosts. True sacrifice, what happened and why: it all ends with an ending you won't see.
Gone Girl (2014)
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry.
Mystery: the man (Affleck) is the prime suspect in his wife's disappearance and apparent murder, but all is definitely not what it seems. David Fincher really understands what made the book so powerful, and its structure like this means there are some amazing twists and turns in the windy story.
Dial M for Murder (1954)
Cast: Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings and John Williams.
Mystery: a man plots the perfect murder to get rid of his adulterous wife, but is cornered when his wife fights back and kills her killer in self-defense. Another Hitchcock classic, the plot starts out twisty and only gets confusing.
Maltese Falcon (1941)
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre, Barton MacLaine, Lee Patrick and Sydney Greenstreet.
Mystery: Detective Sam Spade (Bogart) takes on a case that turns out to be bigger than he expected when his partner is murdered. Sam is threatened and told that he must find a valuable statue in a crime center.
Primal Fear (1996)
Cast: Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard and Frances McDormand.
Mystery: when the Archbishop of Chicago is assassinated, a media-hungry prosecutor takes over the case, protecting a henchman who is the prime suspect in the case. Norton (only 27 at the time and in his film debut) stars as a young alter boy who is more than meets the eye.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Cast: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye and Joanna Cassidy.
Mystery: Not every murder mystery has to be super-serious."Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is a family version of the classic film noir. In it, the detective tries to find out who framed Roger Rabbit and who actually committed the murder that the cartoon is accused of. The effects have aged a bit, but the story is still memorable.
