Tales of suspense captivated audiences long before the invention of film, so it's entirely understandable why the best mystery movies have kept cinema-goers on the edge of their seats for years now. It's a genre that allows for a myriad of tones. Some are funny, some are dark, but all mysteries are ultimately defined by one thing: the unknown. Yes, whether it's a classic tale of a grizzled detective desperately trying to solve an even grislier murder or a modern thriller about missing family members, these films are all fuelled by the incredible catharsis of solving a puzzle.
But where would a novice detective looking to solve their first mystery begin? Well, you don't need to be Sherlock Holmes or Poirot to solve this case because you're already in the right place. We've put together a list of the 10 best mystery movies ever made, so you don't waste time chasing down any false leads or red herrings. So what are you waiting for? Let's get sleuthing.
10. Gone Girl
Director: David Fincher
Released: 2014
Adapted from Gillian Flynn's novel of the same name and directed by David Fincher, Gone Girl is a smartly written and incredibly slick murder mystery that plays with the audience's preconceived notions of gender and genre. Despite its inherent darkness (and trust me, it gets pretty dark and violent), Gone Girl, like so many of Fincher's films, has a sardonic edge and sense of humor about itself that elevates it above its grisly contemporaries. A lot of that humor comes from Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck, who are both in top form as the toxic couple at the heart of the story.
RELATED: Gone Girl review: "An American crime story with specificity to its geography and psychopathology"
9. Knives Out
Director: Rian Johnson
Released: 2019
In 2019, director Rian Johnson took a break from making one of the best Star Wars movies to prove mystery movies don't have to be grim and gritty. The result was Knives Out, a love letter to the mystery shows of yesteryear (Columbo and Murder She Wrote's fingerprints are all over this film) that made morning television such a delight. Good-humored and gripping throughout, Knives Out is a truly sensational mystery movie that embraces the genre's inherent silliness and makes it its own. The true strength of the film, though, is in its impressive all-star cast (this might be the best Chris Evans has ever been) and in Daniel Craig's charmingly odd detective Benoit Blanc, who may just be the finest fictional sleuth since Peter Falk slipped on Columbo's rumpled mac.
RELATED: Knives Out review: "An irresistible whodunnit from Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson"
8. The Conversation
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Released: 1974
While Francis Ford Coppola is probably best remembered for making some of the best gangster movies – introducing the world to Michael Corleone with The Godfather – you shouldn't sleep on what's arguably his finest film, The Conversation. Starring the one and only Gene Hackman in what some have called a career-best performance, The Conversation is a tightly told, atmospheric, and ever so slightly paranoid tale of a man struggling with his own mortality after uncovering a possible murder. Come for the murder; stay for scenes of a man rewinding a tape repeatedly, which have no right to be as exciting as they are.
7. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Released: 1988
On paper, a film about a cartoon rabbit teaming up with a washed-up detective to prove he's not a murderer reads like a recipe for disaster. Still, director Robert Zemeckis managed to turn the ridiculous into the sublime with Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a groundbreaking film that merged live-action and animation together in ways previously thought impossible. Technical achievements aside, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a wildly funny movie that deftly balances the contrary tones of a goofy cartoon and a macabre murder mystery. It's technically one of the best fantasy movies around although be warned: Roger Rabbit isn't for the faint of heart, and Christopher Lloyd's Judge Doom will likely live on in your nightmares long after you've stopped watching.
6. Zodiac
Director: David Fincher
Released: 2007
A sensitive and character-driven thriller, Zodiac tells the real-life story of the hunt for the eponymous Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco in the '70s. While the film never shies away from the terror this murderer inspired, director David Fincher (him again!) cleverly eschews gory spectacle or over-the-top action to instead focus on the impact the murders have on the city and our central cast. The result is a meditative and gripping mystery that's as tense and exciting as any big-budget action movie.
5. The Fugitive
Director: Andrew Davis
Released: 1993
Possibly the greatest 'dad movie' ever made, The Fugitive comes from a time when Hollywood was obsessed with adapting forgotten TV series for the big screen (we have this time period to thank for the Mission: Impossible movies). Yet despite these slightly inauspicious beginnings, The Fugitive is one of the most explosive and exhilarating films ever made. While it can feel a little breathless at times, there's a propulsiveness and innovativeness to The Fugitive, which separates it from lesser thrillers. Still, what really drives the film forward is the superb rivalry between Dr Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) – a man wrongfully accused of killing his wife – and Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones), who's been charged with hunting him down. Ford and Jones just have such an engaging back-and-forth you end up unsure who to root for. Still, Jones gets the best line in the movie, "I don't care". If you know, you know.
4. Memento
Director: Christopher Nolan
Released: 2000
The film that put Christopher Nolan on the map, Memento, is a spellbinding and pulpy mystery that plays out in reverse. The film works as a showcase for Nolan's skills as a director and storyteller, balancing a compelling non-linear narrative (Dody Dorn's impeccable editing helps keep things coherent) with some genuinely stunning twists and turns. Credit must also be given to the superb Guy Pearce, who lends some much-needed authenticity to the amnesia-stricken Leonard Shelby. Nolan supposedly allowed Pearce to improvise during Leonard's neo-noir-inspired narration, which honestly helps to ground the sometimes outlandish memento in something approaching reality. Over two decades later, Memento remains one of the best Christopher Nolan movies to date.
3. Oldboy
Director: Park Chan-wook
Released: 2003
Loosely based on a manga of the same name, Park Chan-wook's Oldboy is an intense and twisted morality tale of sorts that's as brilliant as it is brutal. What drives the whole thing forward, though, is the central mystery of why our lead, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), was imprisoned for more than a decade. It's a quest that takes Dae-su (and his trusty hammer) to some truly dark places, all of which culminate in a reveal so shocking it'll make you want to rush to the hospital to make sure you didn't inadvertently bite into a live wire. If that's not enough to make you want to watch it, Oldboy also features what might be the most extraordinary fight scene ever filmed. Just do yourself a favor and make sure you're watching the original Korean film and not the dreadful American remake; you'll thank me for warning you later.
2. Vertigo
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1958
It took an incredible amount of restraint on my part not to flood this list with Hitchcock's entire filmography (he didn't earn the nickname "Master of Suspense" making rom-coms), but let's be honest if you had to pick one, you'd choose Vertigo. An enthralling psychological thriller and warped romance, Vertigo is an offbeat masterpiece. On a technical level, the film's superbly shot and wildly innovative – Hitchock and cameraman Irmin Roberts pioneered the dolly shot while making Vertigo – yet it's James Stewart's, playing against type, as the obsessive detective John "Scottie" Ferguson that makes this film so memorable. Ironically, while modern critics have praised Hitchcock's clever casting, contemporary writers hated the decision to cast the kindly Stewart as a tormented detective.
1. Seven
Director: David Fincher
Released: 1995
The Mona Lisa of mystery movies and darker than a room painted black at midnight, Seven is simply unforgettable. While there's no denying the film's inherent pulpiness (it's about a serial killer committing murders based on the seven deadly sins), what elevates it beyond entertaining schlock is David Fincher's thoughtful visuals and the sincerity of the storytelling. Never for a second does the film treat its subject matter with irony or scorn; instead, it approaches everything with grim-faced seriousness.
Typically, this would be pretty tedious, but the cast – most notably Morgan Freeman – do such a great job with the material that it's hard not to be drawn into their pitch-black world. While these days, Se7en's fallen victim to memeification ("What's in the box?"), it's important to remember just how shocking and warped the film's cruel ending was when audiences first saw it. So, if you've only ever enjoyed Fincher's greatest film as a GIF on social media, do yourself a favor and give this a watch – you honestly won't regret it, it remains one of the best '90s movies.
Looking for more movie recommendations? Check out our list of the best thrillers, or look into all of the fantastic upcoming movies on the near horizon.
