Summary
- Detective movies need to shake things up to keep audiences engaged. Exploring new angles and narrative twists can lead to more intriguing stories.
- Fargo and Inherent Vice challenge the typical detective movie formula, showcasing unique characters and dark humor that enhance the overall mystery.
- Zodiac proves that not all mysteries have clear answers, keeping audiences engaged by presenting a real-life case that remains unsolved to this day.
Detective movies often follow the same playbook, but some of the best mysteries shake things up. Since the dawn of cinema, detective movies have been popular. Filmmakers have frequently borrowed from mystery novels to create interesting criminal cases for the big screen. People have a fascination with crime, and the appeal of detective movies lies in seeing a capable investigator untangle a cunning plot, especially if audiences are encouraged to look for their own solutions.
While the classics are the classics for a reason, it can be refreshing to see mystery movies which think outside the box. This often leads to more interesting stories which are harder to predict. The best detective movies need to be one step ahead of the audience, so experimenting with the form can yield good results. Different detective movies have surprised audiences by obscuring the facts, delivering ambiguous endings, or looking at a crime from a different angle.
Related 10 Best Mystery Movie Franchises, Ranked
Mystery is one of the most popular genres in film, which is why it often spawns lengthy franchises — but which ones are the best to watch?
10 Fargo (1996)
Fargo’s By-The-Book Detective Breaks The Mold
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Fargo Where to Watch
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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
Fargo‘s Marge Gunderson is one of the most interesting movie detectives of all time, specifically because there is nothing about her that stands out. It’s an overused trope in detective movies for the main character to have some defining quirk, whether it’s a rare condition, a unique method or even an exotic accent. Marge is a morally sound, intelligent, tenacious detective.
Fargo
‘s dark humor is also a major positive, but the comedy never impedes the pace or the intrigue of the detective story.
Fargo is one of the best Coen brothers movies. It weaves a complex tale of criminal deceit and greed, and it places an honest, selfless woman at the center. Fargo‘s dark humor is also a major positive, but the comedy never impedes the pace or the intrigue of the detective story. Despite the many laughs, it fits the tone of the movie perfectly to see a thug feeding his partner into a wood chipper.
9 Inherent Vice (2014)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Thomas Pynchon Adaptation Is A Hazy Jumble
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Inherent Vice Where to Watch
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Director Paul Thomas Anderson Release Date December 12, 2014 Cast Joaquin Phoenix , Owen Wilson , Katherine Waterston , Benicio Del Toro , Reese Witherspoon , Josh Brolin
Fans of mystery movies often like to ride along with the detective and try to solve the case at the same time. This is impossible in Inherent Vice, a drugged up tangle of different crimes. Doc Sportello is a flighty hippie, still reeling from the 1960s as he tries to earn his living as a private investigator. Inherent Vice‘s complex narrative reflects the frantic chaos inside his own mind. Being knocked out with a baseball bat doesn’t help him.
Fans of mystery movies often like to ride along with the detective and try to solve the case at the same time. This is impossible in
Inherent Vice,
a drugged up tangle of different crimes.
Some of the cases Doc juggles come together in the end, while others seem to fizzle out or shoot off on tangents. This is a more accurate representation of real life than the color-by-numbers approach that many mystery movies adopt. The mystery is just one aspect of Inherent Vice, which is also loaded with dark humor and social commentary. Pynchon hasn’t had any of his other novels adapted for the big screen, and Inherent Vice is a singular movie that shows what it takes.
8 Knives Out (2019)
Knives Out Sets Up Like A Traditional Murder Mystery, But It Conceals A Big Twist
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Director Rian Johnson Release Date November 27, 2019 Cast Chris Evans , LaKeith Stanfield , Katherine Langford , Daniel Craig , Toni Collette , Jamie Lee Curtis , Ana De Armas , Michael Shannon , Christopher Plummer , Don Johnson , Riki Lindhome
With a flamboyant detective, a large mansion and a list of suspects with equally compelling motives, Knives Out lays the table for a throwback murder mystery. Rian Johnson’s detective drama pays homage to the tropes of the detective genre, but it also parodies them in interesting ways. Ultimately, Knives Out reveals plenty of surprises, and not just in the investigation.
Knives Out
is an unusual whodunnit, in that it reveals who did it and why all before the third act.
Knives Out is an unusual whodunnit, in that it reveals who did it and why all before the third act. Detective Benoit Blanc then has to deal with the fallout from the mystery. By solving its initial mystery fairly early on, Knives Out leaves enough room for an intriguing game of cloak-and-dagger between the family members squabbling over their inheritance. The third Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man, promises another unorthodox mystery.
7 Prisoners (2013)
Prisoners Shows The Way That Detectives Have To Interact With The Families Of Victims
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Prisoners Where to Watch
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Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date September 20, 2013 Cast Hugh Jackman , Jake Gyllenhaal , Viola Davis , Maria Bello , Terrence Howard , Melissa Leo , Paul Dano
Detective movies don’t always feature the families of the victims involved. When they do, the family members often shoot to the top of the list of suspects in whatever crime is being investigated, or they are there to remind the detective of the human element. Prisoners is different, as the parents of two missing children become just as involved in investigating a case as the lead detective.
Prisoners
doesn’t give definitive answers to most of its interesting ethical dilemmas, asking the audience to make up their own minds.
Prisoners suggests that traditional law enforcement may not be up to certain tasks. Through the vigilantism of the families, the case progresses in ways that could never be achieved via legal methods. The movie also questions the morality of unlawful interrogation techniques. It doesn’t give definitive answers to most of its interesting ethical dilemmas, asking the audience to make up their own minds.
6 Heat (1995)
Heat Is A Heist Movie And A Detective Movie All At Once
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Heat Where to Watch
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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
In detective movies, the audience is usually rooting for the detective. In heist movies, the audience is usually rooting for the criminals. Michael Mann’s Heat sways its audience into supporting both at the same time, despite their diametrically opposed goals. Neil McAuley and Vincent Hanna are both troubled, principled men, and they develop a mutual respect that proves they might even be friends in another life.
In detective movies, the audience roots for the detective. In heist movies, the audience roots for the criminals.
Heat
sways its audience into supporting both at the same time.
There are times when the two men show glimmers of remorse for the fact that they are fated to duel each other to the death. Neil might sabotage his perfect escape by going after Waingro because he’s bitter and full of rage, but he might do it because he doesn’t want the game between him and Vincent to be over. Heat‘s ending shows that the two men are both winners and losers.
5 Chinatown (1974)
Chinatown Updates Film Noir With A Cynical Twist
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Director Roman Polanski Release Date June 20, 1974 Cast Jack Nicholson , Faye Dunaway , John Huston , Perry Lopez , John Hillerman , Darrell Zwerling
On the surface, Chinatown looks and sounds like a traditional detective movie from the classic era of film noir, but it’s really a synthesis of the old and the new. Chinatown has a femme fatale, a complex, confusing plot, and an honest, troubled detective at the heart of it all. However, this is far from the kind of movies Humphrey Bogart or James Cagney starred in decades earlier.
Following the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal,
Chinatown
came at a time when America’s trust in its institutions had reached breaking point.
Following the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, Chinatown came at a time when America’s trust in its institutions had reached breaking point. Chinatown‘s dark, cynical ending shows the greedy, corporate industrialist winning, while the detective has to walk away. The famous final line sums up the inherent nihilism of the movie. After trying to do the right thing, Jake has to simply forget the whole episode. Nobody can beat the power and influence of the wealthy ruling class.
4 Zootopia (2016)
Zootopia’s Cuddly Critters Mask A Surprisingly Effective Mystery Plot
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Director Jared Bush , Rich Moore , Byron Howard Release Date March 4, 2016 Cast Octavia Spencer , Bonnie Hunt , Maurice LaMarche , Idris Elba , John DiMaggio , Jason Bateman , Alan Tudyk , Nate Torrence , Katie Lowes , Ginnifer Goodwin , Tommy Chong , Shakira , J. K. Simmons , Jenny Slate , Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister Expand
Detective movies aimed toward younger audiences are nothing new, but it’s uncommon to see one dealing with the kind of dark topics that Zootopia does. The Disney animated movie features a lot of cute characters living together in a bustling metropolis, so there are a lot of lighthearted jokes and animal puns. However, the movie’s child-friendly visual appeal doesn’t detract from its compelling mystery.
Its mystery features an illegal psychotropic drug and the racial divide that envelops the city after an outbreak of violent crime.
Zootopia treats its young audience with respect. Its mystery features an illegal psychotropic drug and the racial divide that envelops the city after an outbreak of violent crime. These topics are handled with enough delicacy to work for children, but they’re also well-developed enough to read as interesting allegories for adults. The mystery and the twist villain are also far more sophisticated than most animated children’s mysteries. The upcoming Zootopia 2 has a tough act to follow after eight years away.
3 Psycho (1960)
Psycho Is A Great Detective Movie And A Great Horror Movie Rolled Into One
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Psycho Where to Watch
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Director Alfred Hitchcock Release Date September 8, 1960 Cast Janet Leigh , Martin Balsam , Anthony Perkins , John Gavin , Vera Miles
The first half of Psycho is a brilliant horror movie, overflowing with tension and dread. After the famous shower scene, Psycho pivots into being an equally compelling mystery movie without skipping a beat. Detective Milton Arbogast arrives at the Bates Motel to look for Marion Crane and her bag of stolen money, and he and Norman engage in a delicate game of wits.
After the famous shower scene,
Psycho
pivots into being an equally compelling mystery movie without skipping a beat.
Many of Alfred Hitchcock’s best murder mysteries use dramatic irony.Rope and Dial M for Murder are both brilliant detective movies, even though the audience sees the crime unfolding long before the detective character comes into frame. Psycho puts a twist on this technique, as the audience knows that Norman is hiding something, but the particulars of the crime aren’t revealed until the end.
2 Clue (1985)
Clue Provides Three Solutions To Its Mystery
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Director Jonathan Lynn Release Date December 13, 1985 Cast Eileen Brennan , Tim Curry , Madeline Kahn , Christopher Lloyd , Michael McKean , Martin Mull
Although it may look just like a classic Agatha Christie-style mystery, Clue has an inventive approach to the genre. Clue starts off with every character as both a detective and a potential suspect, just like the board game that inspired it. Of course, Clue knows that the audience is playing along as well. Other mystery movies understand this, but few lean into this idea as heavily as Clue.
Clue
knows that the audience is playing along as well. Other mystery movies understand this, but few lean into this idea as heavily as
Clue.
Clue also shows a keen awareness of the fact that no solution can ever be as satisfying as a good riddle. When it was first released in movie theaters, Clue had three different endings, and audiences would only get to see one of these at random. Soon after, the movie was edited so that Clue‘s three endings all play out in succession. This highlights the ambiguity of the mystery, as audiences have to choose for themselves which solution they prefer.
1 Zodiac (2007)
Zodiac Shows That Some Mysteries Don’t Have Answers
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Director David Fincher Release Date March 2, 2007 Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Jake Gyllenhaal , Anthony Edwards , Mark Ruffalo , Brian Cox
David Fincher’s Zodiac is based on one of the most famous unsolved cases in true crime history, and it presents an interesting blend of fact and fiction. Many conversations and a few key characters are invented, but the details of the Zodiac Killer’s crimes are presented faithfully. The movie also retains the most important aspect of the case: the fact that it still hasn’t reached a satisfying conclusion.
Zodiac
isn’t about justice. It’s about the way that a puzzle that doesn’t quite fit together can drive people to madness.
Zodiac breaks the cardinal rule of detective movies, refusing to provide an answer to its central mystery. Zodiac provides some suggestions, but there is just as much evidence to discount its main suspect. By keeping the mystery alive, Zodiac is able to make its audience just as obsessed as the movie’s characters. The story isn’t about justice or the battle between good and evil like so many other detective movies. It’s about the way that a puzzle that doesn’t quite fit together can drive people to madness.