In the history of movies, there are many mystery films that have made a special place in our hearts. Listing some of the best mystery movies, the following article has the information you’re searching for…
A good mystery movie keeps you glued to your seats until the climax. Whether it’s the detective struggling to find the clues of a murder, a sudden twist in the story, or the action sequence between the suspect and the police; watching mystery movies is full of excitement accompanied by extreme level of curiosity. As the plot gets more and more interesting and gripping, the anticipation to know the truth builds tenfold. So to keep the excitement alive, we have compiled a list which has some of the best mystery movies till date.
Mystery Movies to Watch
The list of mystery movies provided below is compiled and updated as of February, 2013.
The Lady Vanishes, 1938
Cast – Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas, and Dame May Whitty
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
The movie is based on the 1936 novel, The Wheel Spins, by Ethel Lina White. This British film is about a young, beautiful, and rich English tourist named Iris Henderson, played by Margaret Lockwood, who is traveling to England by train. As the journey continues, soon Iris realizes that an elderly woman, Miss Froy, played by Dame May Whitty is nowhere to be found on the train. With the help of a young musicologist, Gilbert, played by Michael Redgrave, they both try to find Miss Froy on the train.
The Third Man, 1949
Cast – Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard
Director – Carol Reed
Holly Martins, played by Joseph Cotten, is an American pulp Western writer. He is searching for his childhood friend, Harry Lime, played by Orson Welles, in Post-WWII Vienna. Harry offered Holly a job, but when Holly arrives, he finds out that Harry was killed by a car as he was crossing the street. Knowing this, Holly begins investigating his friend’s mysterious death through various clues.
Rear Window, 1954
Cast – James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, and Raymond Burr
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
L.B. ‘Jeff’ Jefferies is a professional photographer but is bound to a wheelchair after a tragic accident. He lives in his Greenwich Village apartment that overlooks a few apartments and a courtyard through his rear window. As he recovers, he likes to look through the window into his neighbors’ homes. But soon, his casual pastime turns into a conviction that one of his neighbors has committed a murder.
Dial M for Murder, 1954
Cast – Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, and John Williams
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Dial M for Murder is a movie adapted from Frederick Knott’s stage play of the same name. Tony Wendice, played by Ray Milland, is an ex-professional tennis player. He is married to Margot Mary Wendice, played by Grace Kelly, who is quite rich. Margot is having an affair with an American crime-fiction writer Mark Halliday, played by Robert Cummings. Tony, after getting retired, finds out about his wife’s affair and becomes jealous and greedy. He then decides to blackmail a guy named C.A. Swann so that he would murder Tony’s wife for him.
Witness for the Prosecution, 1957
Cast – Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton
Director – Billy Wilder
This English courtroom drama movie is based on Agatha Christie’s short story, The Witness for the Prosecution. Sir Wilfrid Robarts, played by Charles Laughton, is a brilliant barrister; but, he isn’t keeping all that well. He has been asked by his doctor not to take up any criminal cases. However, he takes on a client named Leonard Vole, played by Tyrone Power. Leonard is accused of murdering a rich, old widow Mrs. Emily French, played by Norma Varden. As all the evidence point to Leonard as being the killer, Robarts is trying to prove otherwise.
Vertigo, 1958
Cast – James Stewart, Kim Novak, and Barbara Bel Geddes
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
This psychological thriller movie is based on a novel D’entre les morts by Boileau-Narcejac. John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson, played by James Stewart, is a former police detective but now works as a private investigator. He was forced to retire early as he was suffering from acrophobia. After being hired by his old friend as a private investigator, he is asked to follow his friend’s wife Madeleine Elster, played by Kim Novak.
Psycho, 1960
Cast – Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, and Janet Leigh
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock brings yet another thriller, suspense movie which is based on the novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. Marion Crane, played by Janet Leigh, embezzles money from her boss and runs. After driving for a while, she checks into a motel near the highway owned by Norman Bates, played by Anthony Perkins. She is brutally murdered in the shower by someone. Lila Crane (sister), Sam Loomis (boyfriend), and Milton Arbogast (private detective), all try to find out where Marion has disappeared.
The Manchurian Candidate, 1962
Cast – Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, Henry Silva, and James Gregory
Director – John Frankenheimer
An American platoon has been captured by the Soviets during the Korean War. The platoon is taken to Manchuria in Communist China. After the war is over, the platoon returns to the United States. Upon arrival, Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw, played by Laurence Harvey, is given a Medal of Honor by Captain Bennett Marco, played by Frank Sinatra. However, no one knows that Shaw had been brainwashed by the communists while he was a POW and has been turned into a political assassin.
Woh Kaun Thi? (Who Was She?), 1964
Cast – Sadhana, Manoj Kumar, K.N. Singh, Helen, and Prem Chopra
Director – Raj Khosla
This Indian movie depicts the story of a young and respected doctor, Dr. Anand, played by Manoj Kumar. His girlfriend has passed away and he is suffering the loss quietly. One stormy night, as Dr. Anand is returning from home from the hospital, he finds a woman dressed in a white sari. He gives the woman a ride in his car and she introduces herself as Sandhya, played by Sandhana. She tells him to drop her off outside a cemetery and then disappears in a matter of minutes. Dr. Anand goes a little further and is stopped by a man who asks Dr. Anand to save his daughter. When Dr. Anand goes to see the girl, he sees that she’s already dead and is Sandhya.
Chinatown, 1974
Cast – Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston
Director – Roman Polanski
Set in 1937, the movie was inspired by the California Water Wars, the disputes which lasted during the 1910s and 1920s. The story begins with J.J. “Jake” Gittes, a private investigator, played by Jack Nicholson, who is hired by a woman named Evelyn Mulwray. She asks him to perform a surveillance on her husband Hollis I. Mulwray, played by Darrell Zwerling. Later on, Jake finds out that it wasn’t Evelyn Mulwray who hires him in the first place as a few days later, Hollis Mulwray’s body is found from a freshwater reservoir. Now Jake needs to find out who hired him and set him up, and how did Hollis Mulwray die.
The Conversation, 1974
Cast – Gene Hackman, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Michael Higgins, Cindy Williams, and Frederic Forrest
Director – Francis Ford Coppola
The Conversation tells the story about a surveillance expert named Harry Caul, played by Gene Hackman. He likes his privacy, doesn’t like dense crowds, triple-locks his apartment along with a burglar alarm, and makes phone calls using pay phones. During one job, Caul, his colleague, and some associates are supposed to bug a couple’s conversation. After the tap, Caul finds out that the couple he has been bugging may get murdered soon.
The Shining, 1980
Cast – Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers
Director – Stanley Kubrick
The movie is based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. This psychological horror, mystery movie depicts the story of Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, who is a writer. He takes an off-season job at an isolated hotel as a caretaker and moves in with Wendy Torrance (wife) and Danny Torrance (son). Jack’s son has psychic abilities and can see things from both the past and the future. He can also see the ghosts that dwell in the isolated hotel. After a snowstorm traps the family inside the hotel, Jack soon begins to act weird as he becomes possessed by the ghosts who force him to want to kill his family.
Blue Velvet, 1986
Cast – Kyle MacLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Dennis Hopper, Laura Dern, Hope Lange, George Dickerson, and Dean Stockwell
Director – David Lynch
Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Kyle MacLachlan, is a college student who comes to visit his sick father in Lumberton. After the visit, he finds a human ear in a field and begins to investigate as to whose ear it is. Sandy Williams, played by Laura Dern, is a high school student who helps him with the investigation by bringing information and leads from her father who is a local police detective. As the investigation progresses, what Jeffrey finds is that in his hometown, there is another world filled with dangerous people who engage in drugs, kidnapping, and sexual violence.
JFK, 1991
Cast – Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Jay O. Sanders, and Sissy Spacek
Director – Oliver Stone
This political thriller movie was adapted from two books – On the Trail of the Assassins by Jim Garrison and Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy by Jim Marrs. The movie tells the events that lead to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Reservoir Dogs, 1992
Cast – Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Eddie Bunker, Quentin Tarantino, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, and Michael Madsen
Director – Quentin Tarantino
Six men plan and attempt a diamond heist. None of them use their real names. However, after the heist, things go completely out of hand and they have run for their lives before they get caught. They arrive at an abandoned warehouse where quickly tension and doubt escalates as everybody thinks that one of them is actually a cop.
The Fugitive, 1993
Cast – Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Julianne Moore, Sela Ward, and Andreas Katsulas
Director – Andrew Davis
The movie is based on a television series from the 60s of the same name. Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, is a surgeon in Chicago and is wrongly accused of murdering his wife, Helen Kimble, played by Sela Ward. Dr. Kimble is convicted of first degree murder but escapes while he’s on his way to death row aboard a bus. He tries to find out who killed his wife and why would someone want to frame him. On his tail is Deputy U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones, whose mission is to catch the fugitive.
Se7en, 1995
Cast – Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, R. Lee Ermey, Daniel Zacapa, and Andrew Kevin Walker
Director – David Fincher
David Mills, played by Brad Pitt and William Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman are homicide detectives. Their next case is finding a sadistic serial killer who is relating all his murders to the seven deadly sins. Now it is up to the detectives to find out who this killer is, and in time.
The Usual Suspects, 1995
Cast – Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne, Benicio del Toro, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Pollak, Pete Postlethwaite, and Kevin Spacey
Director – Bryan Singer
In San Pedro Bay, a ship with many criminals aboard is destroyed. There are only two survivors from the boat – Roger “Verbal” Kint, played by Kevin Spacey, who is a con artist, and Hungarian criminal named Arkosh Kovash, played by Morgan Hunter. The FBI and U.S. Customs Service agents interrogate both the survivors to know what happened. But who’s telling the truth?
Twelve Monkeys, 1995
Cast – Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer, and David Morse
Director – Terry Gilliam
This sci-fi, thriller movie is inspired by a 1962 short film La jetée. James Cole, played by Bruce Willis, is a convicted criminal. The movie begins with Cole shown living in a post-apocalyptic future. He is sent back in time in 1990 where he is supposed to find out about how in 1996-97, the Earth’s surface was contaminated by a deadly virus.
Primal Fear, 1996
Cast – Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Edward Norton, and Frances McDormand
Director – Gregory Hoblit
Martin Vail, played by Richard Gere, is a brilliant defense attorney. On the news report, Vail sees that an altar boy Aaron Stampler, played by Edward Norton, is being arrested for murdering Archbishop Rushman, played by Stanley Anderson. He takes the case and represents Stampler pro-bono as he loves fighting high-profile cases so that he can stay in the limelight.
L.A. Confidential, 1997
Cast – Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, and David Strathairn
Director – Curtis Hanson
The movie is based on James Ellroy’s novel of the same name. The movie tells the story of 3 LAPD officers in 1953 – Detective Sergeant Jack Vincennes, played by Kevin Spacey, Officer Wendell “Bud” White, played by Russell Crowe, and Detective Lieutenant Edmund “Ed” Exley, played by Guy Pearce. The story revolves around how these 3 officers get caught up in corruption, sex, and murder, and how they investigate a series of murders using their own methods.
Lost Highway, 1997
Cast – Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Loggia, and Robert Blake
Director – David Lynch
The movie tells the story of Fred Madison, played by Bill Pullman, who is a saxophonist. He is arrested and charged with the murder of his wife Renee, played by Patricia Arquette. In prison, Fred wakes up one day and is completely morphed into Pete Dayton, played by Balthazar Getty, who is a young auto mechanic.
The Devil’s Advocate, 1997
Cast – Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Connie Nielsen, and Craig T. Nelson
Director – Taylor Hackford
The movie is based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman of the same name. The film depicts the story of Kevin Lomax, played by Keanu Reeves, who is a defense attorney. He has never lost a case in the past. Due to his popularity, Lomax is approached by a representative of Milton, Chadwick & Waters, a New York law firm to represent John Milton, played by Al Pacino. After Lomax saves Milton, Lomax is offered all the perks he can handle. But what he didn’t know was that he’s working for the devil.
Contact, 1997
Cast – Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, James Woods, Tom Skerritt, William Fichtner, John Hurt, Angela Bassett, and David Morse
Director – Robert Zemeckis
The movie is adapted from Carl Sagan’s novel of the same name. The film tells the story of Dr. Eleanor “Ellie” Arroway, played by Jodie Foster, who is a SETI scientist. After years of research, she finally finds strong evidence that extraterrestrial life exists and is chosen to make the first human contact with them.
The Sixth Sense, 1999
Cast – Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, and Toni Collette
Director – M. Night Shyamalan
The movie tells the story of Dr. Malcolm Crowe, played by Bruce Willis and Cole Sear, played by Haley Joel Osment. Dr. Crowe is a child psychologist and Cole is a troubled boy who can see and talk to the dead. The story shows how both the characters help each other out as the mystery of the movie is presented in the climax.
Sleepy Hollow, 1999
Cast – Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Casper Van Dien, and Jeffrey Jones
Director – Tim Burton
The movie is loosely based/inspired by Washington Irving’s short story,The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane, played by Johnny Depp, is a police constable sent to the village of Sleepy Hollow. There, he has to investigate a series of murders committed by the legendary Headless Horseman.
Fight Club, 1999
Cast – Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter
Director – David Fincher
The movie is based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel of the same name. Edward Nortan plays an unnamed narrator of the movie where he is shown to form a “fight club” along with a man named Tyler Durden, played by Brad Pitt who is a soap maker. The narrator is an insomniac who has a regular job which he detests. The movie shows how both the characters’ paths cross and how the fight club evolves.
Unbreakable, 2000
Cast – Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright Penn, and Spencer Treat Clark
Director – M. Night Shyamalan
The movie revolves around two characters – David Dunn, played by Bruce Willis and Elijah Price, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Dunn is a Philadelphia security guard and Price has Type I osteogenesis imperfecta. In the movie, after a devastating accident, Dunn discovers that he is a superhero.
Memento, 2000
Cast – Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Jorja Fox
Director – Christopher Nolan
The movie is adapted from Jonathan Nolan’s short story, Memento Mori. The movie is about a man named Leonard Shelby, played by Guy Pearce, who has anterograde amnesia. Throughout the entire movie, he reminds himself that he has to kill Teddy, played by Joe Pantoliano, who raped and murdered his wife. He remembers all the information through handwritten notes, tattoos, and Polaroid photos.
Donnie Darko, 2001
Cast – Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Holmes Osborne, James Duval, Beth Grant, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze, and Noah Wyle
Director – Richard Kelly
A giant, monster-looking figure in a rabbit’s suit meets Donnie Darko, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. He tells him that the world is going to end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. The rabbit, named Frank, influences Donnie to commit a series of crimes.
The Others, 2001
Cast – Nicole Kidman, Fionnula Flanagan, Christopher Eccleston, Elaine Cassidy, Eric Sykes, Alakina Mann, and James Bentley
Director – Alejandro Amenábar
The movie is partly adapted from Henry James’ novella, The Turn of the Screw. In the aftermath of WWII, a Catholic woman named Grace Stewart, played by Nicole Kidman, lives in a remote country house with her 2 kids. There are 3 servants with her, an old nanny, an old gardener, and a young mute girl that take care of the house and them. The kids have a rare disease, xeroderma pigmentosa; which means they can’t be exposed to sunlight. After living in the country house for some time, Grace starts to think that the house may be haunted.
Gosford Park, 2001
Cast – Eileen Atkins, Alan Bates, Charles Dance, Stephen Fry, Michael Gambon, Richard E. Grant, Derek Jacobi, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren, Jeremy Northam, Clive Owen, Ryan Philippe, Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Emily Watson
Director – Robert Altman
The movie is set in 1932, which shows a group of wealthy Britons and an American who come to an English country house for a shooting weekend. One night, after dinner, a murder occurs at Gosford Park. The guests, along with the servants try to investigate what could’ve happened and find the killer.
Minority Report, 2002
Cast – Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, and Max von Sydow
Director – Steven Spielberg
The movie is loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, The Minority Report. The movie is set in 2054, a future world where with the help of “precogs”, mutated humans with precognitive abilities, can see crimes happening before they are actually committed. The story follows the main character Captain John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, who is the chief of PreCrime police force. However, the precogs predict that Anderton will murder a man named Leo Crow. Was this future vision false? Is Anderton guilty?
Insomnia, 2002
Cast – Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, and Martin Donovan
Director – Christopher Nolan
The movie is a remake of a Norwegian movie of the same name. The story follows 2 LAPD detectives Will Dormer, played by Al Pacino and Hap Eckhart, played by Martin Donovan. They are sent to Nightmute, Alaska to investigate the murder of a 17-year-old girl. During the investigation, Dormer accidentally shoots and kills Eckhart, and alters the crime scene. A police officer named Ellie Burr, played by Hilary Swank, is sent to investigate Eckhart’s murder. Dormer becomes insomniac as he feels guilty for killing Eckhart and he still has a murderer on the loose.
Phone Booth, 2003
Cast – Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Radha Mitchell, and Katie Holmes
Director – Joel Schumacher
The movie focuses on Stu Shepard, played by Colin Farrell, who is an arrogant publicist living in New York. Even though he is married to Kelly, played by Radha Mitchell, is having an affair with a woman named Pam, played by Katie Holmes. One day, Stu is calling Pam from a phone booth. After completing the call, he immediately gets a call on that same pay phone. He picks up the phone and finds out that the man on the other line knows his name. The caller tells him not to hang up and leave the booth or he will call Pam and Kelly, and tell them both about each other.
Mystic River, 2003
Cast – Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, and Emmy Rossum
Director – Clint Eastwood
The move is based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name. Three friends, Jimmy Markum, played by Sean Penn, Dave Boyle, played by Tim Robbins, and Sean Devine, played by Kevin Bacon, go through a tragic incident when they were kids. After 25 years, they are all grown up and have gone on to living their individual lives. However, another tragedy, Jimmy’s 19-year-old daughter is murdered, occurs and all the three friends get together to find out who is responsible for it.
Identity, 2003
Cast – John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, and Rebecca De Mornay
Director – James Mangold
The movie is inspired by Agatha Christie’s novel, And Then There Were None. The movie follows 10 strangers who find shelter in an abandoned motel during a storm. As time passes, one by one, everyone is getting murdered by an unknown killer.
Salinui chueok (Memories of Murder), 2003
Cast – Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Park Hae-il, and Byeon Hee-bong
Director – Bong Joon-ho
This Korean movie is based on the true story of South Korea’s first known serial murders. The movie follows Detectives Park Doo-man, played by Song Kang-ho and Cho Yong-koo, played by Kim Roe-ha who try to find the killer. After failed attempts, Detective Seo Tae-Yoon, played by Kim Sang-kyung comes in to help them find the serial killer.
Brick, 2005
Cast – Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Emilie de Ravin, Noah Fleiss, Matt O’Leary, Richard Roundtree, and Lukas Haas
Director – Rian Johnson
The movie tells the story of a loner high school student Brendan Frye, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who breaks up with his girlfriend Emily Kostich, played by Emilie de Ravin and turns his friend to the authorities. He receives a distraught call from Emily who says something about a brick (block of heroin) and mentions two other people, and the call ends. After this unusual call, Emily goes missing and it is up to Brendan to find her.
The Prestige, 2006
Cast – Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis, Rebecca Hall, and David Bowie
Director – Christopher Nolan
The movie is adapted from Christopher Priest’s novel of the same name. The movie is set in 19th century London where two rival magicians Robert Angier, played by Hugh Jackman and Alfred Borden, played by Christian Bale try to outdo one another with their stage illusions. As the desire to perform the ultimate illusion heightens, so does the level of danger.
Lucky Number Slevin, 2006
Cast – Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Lucy Liu, Peter Outerbridge, and Stanley Tucci
Director – Paul McGuigan
The movie is set in New York City where the main characters’ lives cross path. A man named Slevin Kelevra, played by Josh Hartnett is mistaken to be Nick Fisher, his friend and is kidnapped by The Boss’s men. In the movie, The Boss is played by Morgan Freeman. Slevin is then ordered to kill the son of his rival, The Rabbi, played by Ben Kingsley. Caught between 2 crime bosses, Detective Brikowski, played by Stanley Tucci, and the assassin Goodkat, played by Bruce Willis, Slevin has to find a way to save himself before any of them gets to him.
The Illusionist, 2006
Cast – Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell, and Eddie Marsan
Director – Neil Burger
The movie is loosely based on Steven Millhauser’s story, Eisenheim the Illusionist. The story begins in turn-of-the-century Vienna, where a magician named Eisenheim, played by Edward Norton is arrested by Chief Inspector Walter Uhl, played by Paul Giamatti. This happens while Eisenheim is performing an act by communicating with the deceased. In the movie, it is shown that Eisenheim is in love with Sophie, played by Jessica Biel, the Duchess von Teschen and he uses his magic to win her over.
The Departed, 2006
Cast – Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmigo, Anthony Anderson, and Alec Baldwin
Director – Martin Scorsese
The movie is a remake of the Hong Kong film, Internal Affairs. Francis “Frank” Costello, played by Jack Nicholson, is an Irish mob boss who sends Colin Sullivan, played by Matt Damon into the Massachusetts State Police department as an informant. On the other hand, from the department, an undercover cop William “Billy” Costigan, Jr., played by DiCaprio, joins the Costello’s gang. After each sides realize that they both have been infiltrated, the informant and undercover cop try to find out each other’s identities before their cover is blown.
Gone Baby Gone, 2007
Cast – Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan, and John Ashton
Director – Ben Affleck
The movie is based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name. The movie focuses on 2 private investigators, Patrick Kenzie, played by Casey Affleck and Angela Gennaro, played by Michelle Monaghan. A 4-year-old girl has been abducted and both the detectives have to find her before it’s too late.
Zodiac, 2007
Cast – Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr., Anthony Edwards, Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney, and Donal Logue
Director – David Fincher
The movie is based on Robert Grasmith’s non-fiction book of the same name. During the late 1960s and 70s, a serial killer named Zodiac committed crimes in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. The Zodiac sends encrypted letters to the San Francisco Chronicle where Robert Graysmith, played by Jake Gyllenhaal is a political cartoonist. He shows interest in trying to decipher the letters and wanting to find the Zodiac.
Eastern Promises, 2007
Cast РViggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Sin̩ad Cusack, and Raza Jaffrey
Director – David Cronenberg
Tatiana is a 14-year-old girl who dies during childbirth and leaves a diary for her British-Russian midwife Anna Khitrova, played by Naomi Watts. In her diary, Tatiana provides clues stating that the child was a result of rape which involves a Russian mob family.
Mr. Brooks, 2007
Cast – Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, William Hurt, Marg Helgenberger, and Danielle Panabaker
Director – Bruce A. Evans
The movie tells the story of Earl Brooks, played by Kevin Costner, a wealthy and successful businessman. He is happily married to Emma, played by Marg Helgenberger. However, in this perfect little life of his, nobody knows that he has an alter ego, Marshall, played by William Hurt, who in fact is a serial killer named Thumbprint Killer.
Michael Clayton, 2007
Cast – George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, and Sydney Pollack
Director – Tony Gilroy
The movie tells the story of Michael Clayton, played by George Clooney, who is a “fixer” in a big NYC law firm. For any client of the law firm, Clayton finds legal loopholes and uses his connections to benefit them. After Arthur Edens, played by Tom Wilkinson, an attorney with the firm has a mental breakdown in the middle of a deposition, Clayton is sent in to fix the situation at hand.
In the Valley of Elah, 2007
Cast – Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, and Frances Fisher
Director – Paul Haggis
The movie is based on actual events and the story is inspired by Mark Boal’s work Death and Dishonor. However the names of the characters and locations have been altered. Hank Deerfield, played by Tommy Lee Jones, is a war veteran and lives with his wife Joan, played by Susan Sarandon. Their son Mike, played by Jonathan Tucker, was supposed to return from the tour of Iraq, but has gone missing. Along with the help of Detective Emily Sanders, played by Charlize Theron, they try to find him.
El orfanato (The Orphanage), 2007
Cast – Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger PrÃncep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla, Andrés Gertrúdix, Edgar Vivar, and Geraldine Chaplin
Director – J.A. Bayona
This Spanish movie tells the story of a woman named Laura, played by Belén Rueda, her husband Carlos, played by Fernando Cayo, and their adopted son Simón, played by Roger PrÃncep. The family comes to live at Laura’s childhood home which is an orphanage and she wishes to convert it into a home for disabled kids. But as soon as they live in the house, Simón tells them that he has a new invisible friend named Tomás and he wishes to run away with him. Trouble soon follows when one day Simón is nowhere to be found.
Manorama Six Feet Under, 2007
Cast – Abhay Deol, Sarika, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Vinay Pathak, Raima Sen, and Gul Panag
Director – Navdeep Singh
This Bollywood movie is based on Roman Polanski’s movie Chinatown. The movie tells the story of Satyaveer Randhawa, played by Abhay Deol, who works with Lahkot Municipality Public Works Department. He is married and has a son, but his life isn’t exactly how he imagined it would be. He is out of work and miserable. A woman, claiming to be Manorama, hires him to get photographic evidence that her husband, the local Irrigation Minister is cheating on her. All hell breaks loose after Manorama’s death and the minister’s goons wanting to catch Satyaveer.
Black Swan, 2010
Cast – Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder
Director – Darren Aronofsky
The movie revolves around Swan Lake, a Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s production. A NYC ballet company is searching for a ballerina who can portray the White Swan. In comes dancer Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman. However, the pressure to keep both the roles makes Nina unfocused as she can’t tell the difference between reality and her living nightmare.
Shutter Island, 2010
Cast – Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams, and Emily Mortimer
Director – Martin Scorsese
The movie is based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name. The movie is set in 1954 and shows a U.S. Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels, played by DiCaprio, who investigates the disappearance of Rachel Solando, played by Emily Mortimer, at a psychiatric hospital on Shutter Island.
The Ghost Writer, 2010
Cast – Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, Jon Bernthal, Tim Preece, Robert Pugh, David Rintoul, and Eli Wallach
Director – Roman Polanski
The movie is adapted from a Robert Harris novel called The Ghost. Ewan McGregor plays the unnamed ghostwriter who is hired to finish the memoirs of former Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan. But as he begins work, he soon finds himself caught up in secrets he really shouldn’t have been a part of in the first place.
Inception, 2010
Cast – Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine
Director – Christopher Nolan
Dominick “Dom” Cobb, played by DiCaprio is a dream architect who used to execute espionage in order to penetrate the subconscious of their targets. By invading the target’s dreams, Dom would extract essential information required by whoever hired him. His latest target is Japanese businessman Mr. Saito, played by Ken Watanabe who hires Dom for a mission. The technology is so advanced that Dom can infiltrate into several tiered dreams, dream within a dream, where various strategies and dreamers are used; and the only way to return or wake up is by a kick, such as falling or dying in that particular dream by the dreamer.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, 2011
Cast РDaniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsg̴rd, and Steven Berkoff
Director – David Fincher
The movie is based on Stieg Larsson’s Swedish novel of the same name. Mikael Blomkvist, played by Daniel Craig, is a journalist and is hired by a businessman named Henrik Vanger, played by Christopher Plummer to investigate the disappearance and probable murder of Vanger’s grandniece, Harriet. She disappeared about 40 years ago and Vanger wishes to find out what actually happened to her. Before Vanger hires Mikael, he has Lisbeth Salander, played by Rooney Mara, do an extensive background check on Mikael. She is a brilliant researcher and hacker who helps Mikael find the truth about Harriet.
Hugo, 2011
Cast – Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, and Jude Law
Director – Martin Scorsese
The movie is based on Brian Selznick’s novel, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The story is set in Paris, 1930s where a 12-year-old boy Hugo Cabret, played by Asa Butterfield, is living in the walls of the railway station alone. There he tends to the station clocks. At first, he was raised by his widowed father, played by Jude Law. But after he dies, Hugo has to go live with his alcoholic Uncle Claude, played by Ray Winstone. He is the one who shows him how to maintain the clocks. But there is a mystery behind it all. What is that mystery? Will Hugo find the truth?
Source Code, 2011
Cast – Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, and Jeffrey Wright
Director – Duncan Jones
The main character, played by Jake Gyllenhaal is shown being sent back to the commuter train which is traveling to Chicago. He only has 8 minutes because after that time, the train car which he’s traveling in, explodes. Now his job is to go back to those final 8 minutes and find out who e’s inside the “Source Code” which is an experimental device designed for him to experience the final 8 minutes of a person’s life who was on the train that morning. The train car in which the main character is sent, explodes which kills everyone aboard. But through the Source Code, he can be sent back 8 minutes before the train explodes so he can find out who planted the bomb.
Limitless, 2011
Cast – Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel, and Robert De Niro
Director – Neil Burger
The movie is based on Alan Glynn’s novel, The Dark Fields. The movie tells the story of Edward “Eddie” Morra, played by Bradley Cooper, who is a writer struggling with writer’s block and has a deadline to meet. After his girlfriend Lindy, played by Abbie Cornish, dumps him, he meets with his ex brother-in-law Vernon Gant, played by Johnny Whitworth. He gives Eddie a drug which he claims is FDA approved and will help him access 100% of his brain’s capacity. After Eddie takes the pill, he notices he has super human abilities.
Super 8, 2011
Cast – Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, and Ron Eldard
Director – J. J. Abrams
The movie is set in 1979 and tells the story of young teenagers filming a movie named Super 8 in a small town after a train derails. But that’s not all. Some unexplained events occur after the train derails as a dangerous presence is released into their town.
Cloud Atlas, 2012
Cast – Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, Ben Whishaw, James D’Arcy, Zhou Xun, Keith David, David Gyasi, Susan Sarandon, and Hugh Grant
Director – Lana Wachowski, Andy Wachowski, and Tom Tykwer
The movie is adapted from David Mitchell’s novel of the same name. The movie has multiple storyline which shows 6 different eras. What the story portrays is how an individual’s actions and decisions affects the past, present, and future.
Prometheus, 2012
Cast – Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Noomai Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, and Logan Marshall-Green
Director – Ridley Scott
The movie is set in late 21st century where a team of explorers on the spaceship named Prometheus discover a clue that can provide information on the origins of mankind. Their journey to find the truth takes them to the darkest corners of the universe where they have to fight to save the human race.
The Vengeance Trilogy, 2002, 2003, 2005
Cast – Part 1 – Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, and Bae Doona
Part 2 – Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, and Kang Hye-jung
Part 3 – Lee Young Ae, Choi Min-sik, and Kim Shi-hu
Director – Park Chan-wook
These Korean films are not particularly part of a trilogy as they do not follow a chronological order or narrate a connection. They have been presented as a trilogy for their thematic links of revenge, violence, and salvation.
Bourne (series), 2002, 2004, 2007, 2012
Cast – Part 1 – Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen, Brian Cox, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Part 2 – Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Karl Urban, Gabriel Mann, and Joan Allen
Part 3 – Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Édgar RamÃrez, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen
Part 4 – Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Joan Allen, and Albert Finney
Directors – Part 1 – Doug Liman
Parts 2 & 3 – Paul Greengrass
Part 4 – Tony Gilroy
For the first 3 installments, Matt Damon plays the role of Jason Bourne who is a CIA assassin. However, he has suffered extreme memory loss and tries to find out who he is and how he ended up in the situation he is in right now. As for the 4th installment, Jeremy Renner plays the role of Aaron Cross who is a member of Operation Outcome, a U.S. Department of Defense black ops program.
Sherlock Holmes, 2009 & 2011
Cast – Part 1 – Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Strong
Part 2 – Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reilly, and Rachel McAdams
Director – Guy Ritchie
Based on the stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes created by Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, the film series shows how Sherlock Holmes, played by Robert Downey, Jr. and Dr. John Watson, played by Jude Law investigate a series of crime.
Each year, film fraternities from all over the world release mystery movies that make us want more excitement, suspense, and thrills in films. The list may be small, if you look at the film industry as a whole; however, this can be considered as a start to the world movie mystery.
