7 Amazing Murder Mystery Films

From documentaries and interviews to TV shows and books, we're living in a golden era of true crime entertainment. That means, no wonder, that the murder mystery film is also making a comeback in popularity. Over the past few decades, the classic genre has seen some big highlights, and the traditional whodunit scenario, several individuals in a home, one dies, a detective has to solve the case, has grown to include genuinely unusual scenarios and tales. That's a positive thing: it ensures that a lot of these mysteries, while always giving you a great surprise conclusion, will experiment with structure and framing. On this list, there are a couple of horror films, one action movie, and a variety of dramas. The one thing they've got in common? A tale of a killer—pun intended.

Posted On December 18th, 2020

Death on Nile

Around 2020, there's a reboot due out so get acquainted with the plot now. A woman steals the husband of her best friend and winds up dead; only her BFF couldn't have done it. Who did, then? In this, Mia Farrow (playing the best friend) is very strong, channelling an intense and hysterical perfect mix. But the cast is also filled with outstanding talent, including Maggie Smith and Angela Lansbury, who are gloriously young.

Basic Instinct

Johnny Boz, a former rock star, is brutally murdered while having sex, and the investigation is assigned to SFPD investigator Nick Curran. Nick encounters Catherine Tramell during the investigation, a mystery novelist who was a partner of Boz's when he died. Catherine proves to be a woman who is very smart and manipulative, and while Nick is more or less sure that Boz was murdered, he can't find any proof. Later, after Nilsen, Nick's police competitor is murdered, Nick assumes that Catherine was involved. He then continues with Catherine to play a dangerous lust-filled mind game to nail her, but as their relationship grows, the body count increases and conflicting information causes Nick to begin challenging his own assumptions about the guilt of Catherine.

Knives Out

Harlan Thrombey, revered author and elderly father of a family in need, pissed off, dies by suicide. Or is he? Detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) is hired to investigate, but there is a reason behind every person in this household. The storyline takes... let's call it an unexpected turn as the narrative unwinds, which really, really, pays off. This is a great example of a new take on the classic genre.

Get Out

This will actually be classified as a horror movie first and a murder mystery second. But inside the storey, the suspense is as convincing as any on this list. Chris (Kaluuya) goes to visit the parents of his girlfriend (Williams), but their subsequent conduct appears bizarre. Then things are so much scarier. The questions raised by the film about colonialism, privilege, and classism are frightening, and even more so are the responses they offer, like what happens to the man abducted in the first scene. See it again for the mystery if you've seen this as a horror flick, or go watch Jordan Peele's follow-up, Us, which is equally spine-tingling.

Game Night

Okay, so logically this doesn't begin as a murder mystery as much as a whodunit kidnapping: Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams) are professionals at game night, so Max's brother Brooks (Chandler) hosts an "immersive" detective game that goes terribly, hilariously wrong instantly. The pair and their friends need to find out what's true and what's not, and in stunning fashion, the movie takes the rug out from under us. Plus, it's one of the most entertaining whodunits you'll ever see.

Zodiac

Director David Fincher's 2007 film was about the then officially unsolved Zodiac Killer murders. The movie is long and complicated, but it doesn't sound that way. If you are afraid of seeing it because of the lack of resolution, don't let that stop you. The movie is as riveting as it gets.

Chinatown

The Private Eye of LA J.J. "Jake" Gittes (Nicholson) is recruited by a woman named Evelyn Mulwray to investigate the alleged infidelity of her husband. But the case took a sharp turn when Jake encounters the real Mrs. Mulwray (Dunaway played this one and finds himself investigating the unexpected death of Mr. Mulwray. At any level of culture, it's a multilayered tale about greed, brutality, and deceit.