The murder mystery, as a genre, is centuries old, and there have been movies made with this general plot for over a century. Murder mysteries aren’t any one thing, but typically, they involve someone trying to get to the bottom of some sort of mysterious death. They can be cozy and sort of fun or much darker and more ruminative. They can be thrillers, or they can be borderline comedies.
Whichever kind you prefer, you should find at least one that suits your fancy on this list. We’ve put together a list of the best murder mystery movies of all time.
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Knives Out (2019)
131m
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Stars
Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas
Directed by
Rian Johnson
Watch on Amazon
Rian Johnson is the master of the modern murder mystery, and Knives Out is all the proof you need. The movie tells the story of a wealthy family whose patriarch is murdered, and the investigator who is called to solve the crime. A brilliant class commentary that also works as a satisfying mystery, Knives Out is beautiful and autumnal and features a crackerjack cast who are all working at the top of their games.
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
128m
Genre
Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Stars
Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam
Directed by
Sidney Lumet
Watch on Amazon
Adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name, Murder on the Orient Express may be the most famous of her adaptations. A Hercule Poirot mystery, the film follows the detective as he finds himself on a train where one of the passengers is murdered. Poirot then takes it upon himself to interview the other passengers, and in the process, discovers the surprising truth behind the murder and who is responsible.
Memories of Murder (2003)
131m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roi-ha
Directed by
Bong Joon-ho
Watch on Apple TV+
Before Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was an international phenomenon, he was already making masterpieces like Memories of Murder. The film is loosely adapted from the story of Korea’s first documented serial murders, and tells the story of the detectives assigned to solve the murders. Memories of Murder is equal parts ruminative and thrilling, and what it has to say about its central detectives and the murders they are trying to solve will leave you contemplating it for days afterward.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
119m
Genre
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Stars
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
Directed by
Jonathan Demme
Watch on Amazon
One of the great thrillers ever made, The Silence of the Lambs tells the story of FBI agent Clarice Starling, a young agent assigned to work on the case of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill. In order to get inside the killer’s mind, she has several conversations with Hannibal Lecter, another serial killer who is already in custody. Thanks to two utterly captivating central performances and a murder mystery that still holds up, The Silence of the Lambs remains at the pinnacle of the murder movie genre.
Memento (2000)
113m
Genre
Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Directed by
Christopher Nolan
Watch on Amazon
Christopher Nolan’s twsity investigative story follows a man with short-term memory loss who is nonetheless determined to track down his wife’s killer. The movie’s innovative storytelling structure (it moves both forward and backward in time) only add to the confusing layers going on here, but Memento works because it comes to a deeply satisfying conclusion. You might have to watch it twice to pick up on everything, but thankfully, that’s no burden with a movie like this.
Gone Girl (2014)
149m
Genre
Mystery, Thriller, Drama
Stars
Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris
Directed by
David Fincher
Watch on Amazon
Adapted from one of the great summer beach reads of all time, Gone Girl tells the story of a woman’s disappearance and its aftermath. The movie’s twists and turns are best left unspoiled, but Gone Girl is as much about the aftermath of a marriage that’s fallen apart as it is about murder itself. Following a husband who slowly convinces the world that he has murdered his wife, viewing Gone Girl will leave you pondering that same question.
Scream (1996)
112m
Genre
Crime, Horror, Mystery
Stars
David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox
Directed by
Wes Craven
Watch on max
A slasher comedy that also doubles as a great murder mystery, Scream is a meta-movie about horror movies themselves. When a horror movie obsessed serial killer begins to take down high school students one at a time, it’s left to the remaining students to figure out who is behind the ghastly crimes. The kills themselves are plenty thrilling here, but what makes the movie work is how smart it is about the tropes of horror as a genre. On top of all that, it comes to a remarkably satisfying conclusion.
Se7en (1995)
127m
Genre
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow
Directed by
David Fincher
Watch on Amazon
One of the darker murder mysteries on this list, Se7en tells the story of a pair of detectives who are hunting a serial killer who murders people to punish them for committing one of the seven deadly sins. Together, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman make for a remarkably effective pairing, and the murders they are tasked with solving are dark and twisted in ways that neither of them have ever seen before. Se7en is grisly, but it’s a thrill ride worth taking.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
138m
Genre
Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Stars
Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey
Directed by
Curtis Hanson
Watch on Amazon
A ’50s-set noir film about the golden age of Hollywood, L.A. Confidential tells the story of three detectives who find themselves circling a series of murders and the police corruption surrounding them. Thanks to an all-star cast, Curtis Hanson’s incredible direction, and lush production design, L.A. Confidential remains a perfectly balanced mystery filled with interesting characters who are all, in one way or another, trying to find their way toward doing the right thing.
Rear Window (1954)
115m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery
Stars
James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock
Watch on Amazon
Alfred Hitchcock was a master of murder stories, and Rear Window is one of his very best. Confined to a wheelchair, the movie follows a photographer who looks out his own window and begins to suspect that one of his neighbors has murdered his wife. As he tries to prove that something terrible has happened, he gets both his nurse and his girlfriend ensconced in the plot, in part because he can’t actually leave the apartment. Rear Window still thrills all these years later, in part because of its remarkably simple premise.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
151m
Genre
Thriller, Mystery, Crime
Stars
Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner
Directed by
Justine Triet
Watch on Hulu
A brilliant murder mystery that doesn’t rely on any easy answers, Anatomy of a Fall tells the story of a man’s death, and the questions about whether the fall that he suffered was caused by a push from his wife or not. Featuring an incredible performance from Sandra Huller and a riveting structure that centers on her character’s trial for murder, Anatomy of a Fall is really about being trapped in a crumbling marriage and the ways in which we can often never know what’s really happening with someone else. Anatomy of a Fall is perfectly structured and features one of the best performances in history.
Shutter Island (2010)
138m
Genre
Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Stars
Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Directed by
Martin Scorsese
Watch on Peacock
Telling the story of a pair of detectives who arrive on an island containing a secluded mental hospital, they begin to investigate the disappearance of a serial murderer from a locked room. As they delve deeper into the case, they realize that sinister things are happening within the walls of the hospital, and the film’s central detective is forced to confront the traumas of his own past. Shutter Island is one of the most commercial movies that Martin Scorsese has ever made, but it’s riveting precisely because he knows exactly how to push our buttons.
