The 1990s produced some of the best detective movies of all time, with twisty psychological dramas and hilarious crime comedies. Filmmakers like Michael Mann, John Woo and the Coen brothers all brought their unique style to detective stories in the 1990s, resulting in a variety of great movies which pushed the boundaries of the genre. Many of the best detective movies from the 1990s have gone down as classics.
A good detective movie can take many different forms, depending on whether it chooses to focus on the mystery or the action. In either case, it’s important to have compelling detective characters for the audience to spend time with. Fortunately, the 1990s produced plenty of brilliant on-screen investigators. Whether they kick-started new franchises or stuck to brilliant standalone movies, these characters made the 1990s a golden age for detective movies.
Related 10 Best ’80s Detective Movies
The 1980s introduced compelling detective stories that spanned a variety of genres, from gritty thrillers to influential buddy cop films.
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10 Rush Hour (1998)
Chris Tucker And Jackie Chan’s Odd Couple Act Is A Treat
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Director Brett Ratner Release Date September 18, 1998 Cast Ken Leung , Chris Tucker , Tzi Ma , Tom Wilkinson , Jackie Chan , Mark Rolston , Rex Linn , Elizabeth Peña
Rush Hour is one of the best buddy cop movies of the 1990s, sticking to the genre’s winning structure while adding in some brilliant twists. Rush Hour is a culture clash comedy about an American cop who is saddled with a detective from Hong Kong as they team up to investigate a kidnapping in Los Angeles. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan make the perfect duo, with Chan often playing the straight man.
The plot is mostly a means of propelling the lead duo from one humorous interaction to another, as well as providing some fun action sequences.
Rush Hour presents a compelling mystery, but the plot is mostly a means of propelling the lead duo from one humorous interaction to another, as well as providing some fun action sequences. Chan has always had a reputation for audacious stunts, and Rush Hour sees him jumping onto a moving bus, falling through a cavernous hotel lobby and beating up wave after wave of criminal goons. He mixes in plenty of great physical humor too, and Tucker gets his own chance to try and mimic Chan’s heroics.
9 Point Break (1991)
Kathryn Bigelow Crafts An Intoxicating Game Of Bluff
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Director Kathryn Bigelow Release Date July 12, 1991 Cast Patrick swayze , Keanu Reeves , Gary Busey , Lori Petty , John C. McGinley , James LeGros , John Philbin
Kathryn Bigelow’s heist classic stars Keanu Reeves as FBI agent Johnny Utah, a former college football star tasked with infiltrating a gang of bank robbers drawn together by their love of surfing. Although it’s a slightly ridiculous premise, Point Break is convincing enough to make its audience believe in the incalculable importance of surfing, and the twisted philosophy of Patrick Swayze’s Bodhi.
Although it’s a slightly ridiculous premise,
Point Break
is convincing enough to make its audience believe in the incalculable importance of surfing.
Reeves and Bodhi are a compelling pair in Point Break‘s ongoing push-and-pull. As Bodhi tests Johnny’s loyalty to the gang, he pushes past the point of merely sussing out whether he is a cop or not. This is where Point Break gets the most interesting, when both men have their cards laid out on the table, and they are waiting to see who blinks first. Bigelow packs in more than a few explosive action scenes, but there is just as much tension in the final scene, as the two men simply talk to one another beneath the dome of a thunderstorm.
8 Hard Boiled (1992)
John Woo’s Action Classic Is Thrilling From The Very Beginning
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Director John Woo Release Date April 16, 1992 Cast Chow Yun-Fat , Tony Leung Chiu-wai , Anthony Wong Chau-Sang , Teresa Mo , Philip Chan , Phillip Chung-Fung Kwok , Kwan Hoi-San , Stephen Tung Wai , Bowie Lam , Bobby Au-Yeung , Lau Kong , John Woo , Keith Ng Shui-Ting , Michael Dinga , Perrie Lai Hoi-San , Kenny Wong Tak-Ban , Lo Meng , Lam Kai-Wing , Jun Kunimura , Lee Yiu-King , Benny Lam , Wai-Sun Lam Expand
John Woo’s Hard Boiled is a must-watch for action fans, as it has inspired countless imitators over the years. From the teahouse shootout at the beginning to the final showdown amid the burning rubble of the hospital, Hard Boiled showcases Woo’s mastery of spectacular action. Chow Yun-fat is a commendable hero as the rogue detective who goes after a violent Triad leader.
Hard Boiled
showcases Woo’s mastery of spectacular action.
Hard Boiled was Woo’s last movie in Hong Kong before he started working in Hollywood. Some of his American movies have suffered from studio meddling, but Hard Boiled shows what he’s capable of with the handbrake off. His take on a Dirty Harry-style drama about a righteous loose cannon cop is endlessly entertaining. Even if the detective story itself is unremarkable, the action scenes more than make up for it.
7 The Fugitive (1993)
Tommy Lee Jones Is Great At Playing Law Enforcement
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Director Andrew Davis Release Date August 6, 1993 Cast Joe Pantoliano , Sela Ward , Julianne Moore , Tommy Lee Jones , Harrison Ford
The Fugitive stars Harrison Ford as a surgeon falsely accused of killing his wife, and Tommy Lee Jones as the diligent U.S. Marshal tasked with tracking him down. The two men embark on a cross-country manhunt, with a potent mix of action and suspense. Although Ford plays the titular protagonist, The Fugitive follows the story just as much from the perspective of law enforcement.
The two men embark on a cross-country manhunt, with a potent mix of action and suspense.
The genius of The Fugitive is that both characters are equally justified in their actions, so the outcome of their game of cat-and-mouse is always up in the air. Richard Kimble merely wants to find his wife’s killer and clear his name, while Samuel Gerard only wishes to catch the man he has been assigned to catch. They don’t interact often, but they inhabit each other’s minds throughout. Jones turns what could easily be a supporting role into a fascinating character.
6 Men In Black (1997)
Men In Black Puts A Sci-Fi Twist On The Buddy Cop Formula
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Director Barry Sonnenfeld Release Date July 2, 1997 Cast Tommy Lee Jones , Rip Torn , Linda Fiorentino , Will Smith , Vincent D’Onofrio
Although Men in Black features two humans chasing a giant bug around Manhattan to prevent an alien invasion, it’s still a detective movie at its heart. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones play a pair of buddy cops just like Bad Boys or Lethal Weapon. The differences are largely superficial, because their interesting dynamic is just as relatable. Smith plays the brash young rookie with a lot to learn, while Jones plays the more jaded senior detective who has seen half of everything in the galaxy already.
There’s a human element that makes the Arquillian death ship and the giant insectoid invader feel strangely grounded and urgent.
Men in Black is filled with great quotes that emphasize the gulf between the two characters. However, despite their differences, Agents J and K care deeply for one another. There’s a human element that makes the Arquillian death ship and the giant insectoid invader feel strangely grounded and urgent. The incisive sci-fi comedy, tailor-made for conspiracy theorists and believers in extra-terrestrials, is just a delightful bonus.
5 L.A. Confidential (1997)
L.A. Confidential Calls Back To Classic Film Noir Mysteries
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Director Curtis Hanson Release Date September 19, 1997 Cast Russell Crowe , Guy Pearce , Kevin Spacey , Kim Basinger , Danny DeVito
L.A. Confidential features an outstanding cast, all of whom are at the top of their game. The fantastic acting makes the most out of the script, which adapts a James Ellroy novel with just as much criminal intrigue and verve. The story follows three detectives with conflicting styles who compete and collaborate to investigate a massacre which throws up a few inconsistencies.
Throughout some blistering action scenes and plenty of twists in the case,
L.A. Confidential
never loses sight of its characters.
L.A. Confidential is set in the 1950s, and in some ways it’s a throwback to the film noir era of detective movies. What makes L.A. Confidential more modern is its focus on the psychology of its many characters. Those who first appear to be shallow archetypes turn out to be far more nuanced. Throughout some blistering action scenes and plenty of twists in the case, L.A. Confidential never loses sight of its characters.
4 Heat (1995)
Al Pacino And Robert De Niro Strike Up Intoxicating Chemistry
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Director Michael Mann Release Date December 15, 1995 Cast Al Pacino , Robert De Niro , Val Kilmer , Jon Voight , Tom Sizemore , Diane Venora
Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were both among the biggest stars of the 1980s and 1990s, but they hadn’t worked together since The Godfather Part II, despite working with some of the same directors in the same genres. Heat lived up to their billing, as Michael Mann’s thriller pitted them against each other as a cop and a criminal embroiled in a frantic game of cat-and-mouse with neither one allowing an inch.
Heat
has some hair-raising action sequences, but it’s just as captivating in the quiet moments that reveal more about the two men, and the strange bond between them.
Heat has some hair-raising action sequences, like the shootout on the streets of Los Angeles in broad daylight, but it’s just as captivating in the quiet moments that reveal more about the two men, and the strange bond between them. Pacino’s detective is just as flawed as De Niro’s thief, and there is an unspoken respect between them. Decades later, Michael Mann is now working on Heat 2, which will serve as both a sequel and a prequel.
3 Fargo (1996)
The Coen Brothers Made A Crime Caper For The Ages
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Director Joel Coen , Ethan Coen Release Date April 5, 1996 Cast William H. Macy , Frances McDormand , Steve Buscemi , Peter Stormare , Kristin Rudrüd , Harve Presnell , Tony Denman , Melissa Peterman
The Coen brothers have always been able to put their own spin on familiar genres, and Fargo is their comedic take on a murky detective thriller. Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson is not the typical detective seen in movies with grisly murders and kidnapping conspiracies. She’s positive, well-adjusted and down-to-Earth. One of the central jokes of Fargo is that she is so unlike the typical troubled detective trope, although she probably has a lot more in common with real-life law enforcement.
Frances McDormand’s Marge Gunderson is not the typical detective seen in movies with grisly murders and kidnapping conspiracies.
Fargo is one of the best Coen brothers’ movies, with a hilarious script that balances its dark humor with a genuinely compelling criminal case. McDormand’s supporting cast are all superb, especially William H. Macy as a milquetoast car salesman who gets in over his head with a kidnapping plot, and Steve Buscemi as an irate crook for hire who turns every line into a memorable quote.
2 Seven (1995)
David Fincher Has Always Been Obsessed With Criminal Psychology
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Director David Fincher Release Date September 22, 1995 Cast Brad Pitt , Gwyneth Paltrow , John C. McGinley , Morgan Freeman , Kevin Spacey
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman partner up in Seven as two detectives who must track down an eccentric serial killer who chooses his victims based on the seven deadly sins. David Fincher’s immersive direction brings the audience into the minds of the two detectives, and he hints at the tension between their two perspectives just enough to show why they complement each other so well, but also why they are prevented from fully becoming one.
David Fincher’s immersive direction brings the audience into the minds of the two detectives.
Seven exemplifies the gritty detective thrillers of the 1990s better than any other movie. The premise seems almost impossible, but there is enough detail in both the crimes and the detective work to make it believable. It’s more accurate to say that Seven is only possible in the darkest, direst of circumstances, but John Doe isn’t too dissimilar to some other infamous killers from American history. Seven‘s unforgettable ending has ensured its place as a crime classic, and it also gave a boost to Brad Pitt in the early years of his career.
1 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Jodie Foster And Anthony Hopkins Combine For A Classic Crime Thriller
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Director jonathan demme Release Date February 14, 1991 Cast Jodie Foster , Anthony Hopkins , Scott Glenn , Ted Levine , Anthony Heald , Brooke Smith , Diane Baker , Kasi Lemmons
Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter is often described as one of the great villains in film history, but this restrictive tag doesn’t quite encompass all that Hannibal is in The Silence of the Lambs. More than just a villain, he is an ally and a mentor to Clarice Starling. His fascination with her helps her discover the real villain, a serial killer who wears the skin of his victims in a macabre display of his confused identity.
There are countless threads to tease out from
The Silence of the Lambs,
but it is, first and foremost, an utterly absorbing detective thriller.
Hannibal may enjoy the flickers of fear that he can inspire in Clarice, but there is rarely any real danger that she will become his next victim. The real danger is that he will force her to confront the very real horrors within herself. There are countless threads to tease out from The Silence of the Lambs, such as the movie’s examination of gender dynamics, its view of the criminal justice system, and nuanced approach to trauma, but it is, first and foremost, an utterly absorbing detective thriller.