Best Whodunit Murder Mystery Movies
Best Whodunit Murder Mystery Movies
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- DirectorBilly WilderStarsTyrone PowerMarlene DietrichCharles LaughtonA veteran British barrister must defend his client in a murder trial that has surprise after surprise.The best Whodunit movie.
- DirectorGlenn JordanStarsJack KlugmanElizabeth AshleyJames FranciscusDaniel Corban's wife Elizabeth disappeared after they had a fight. Then she shows up, yet he insists that the woman isn't actually his wife.“ Written by "Charade" writer Peter Stone, this movie will keep you testing on "What is going on" theories till the end. The Story goes like: When a man calls the police to report his wife missing, nobody is overly concerned. Even when a reluctant Inspector Levine (Jack Klugman) finally drives out to get Daniel Corban's (James Franciscus) statement about how his wife drove off after an argument and hasn't returned since, Levine still maintains that Corban shouldn't worry, she'll probably reappear soon enough. And he appears to be proved right when the local priest, Father Kelleher (Joel Fabiani) visits Corban and tells him his wife wants to come back - but as soon as Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ashley) walks through the door, Corban insists that this woman is NOT his wife! And that's just the very beginning of the movie.
Now Corban tries to prove to Levine and Kelleher that the woman is an impostor, while Elizabeth tries to convince them that her husband is disturbed and potentially in need of psychiatric help. It is up to Levine to find out the truth.
The mystery is extremely well crafted and full of plot twists, until the viewer can no longer be sure as to who is doing what to whom and why. At the same time, it has a great sense of humor, exploring the absurdly comical side of the situation as well as the mystery. Especially Levine has a lot of funny lines, and it is hilarious to watch the couple arguing over whether she is or isn't his wife in front of a rather puzzled-looking Kelleher and Levine as spectators to the domestic drama.
Adapted from a stage play, the teleplay is excellent. The casting is great, and so is the acting. A true masterpiece of hitchcockian elements. If you get a chance, you should definitely watch it! Every once in a while you might catch it on TV. It's around on VHS, and it's also on youtube. - DirectorRené ClairStarsBarry FitzgeraldWalter HustonLouis HaywardSeven guests, a newly hired secretary and two staff are gathered at a manor house on an isolated island by an unknown absentee host and are killed off one-by-one. They work together to determine who the killer is before it's too late.Here's the first and most well-regarded film version of Agatha Christie's most popular tale, "Ten Little Indians," with guests at a mansion on a remote island knocked off one by one by their unknown host for their alleged crimes. Among them are Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Roland Young, and Judith Anderson.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsTony MusanteSuzy KendallEnrico Maria SalernoAn American expatriate in Rome attempts to unmask a serial killer he witnessed in the act of an attempted murder - and is now hunting him and his girlfriend.Ominous music and lush cinematography override a sparse script to create a Jack-the-Ripper type thriller, which is deeply introspective, moody, and haunting.
Indeed, the script can be interesting if used to try and solve this whodunit puzzle, which is best handled by removing psychological assumptions rather than by piecing together logical clues.
The strength of the film though lies in its suspense, which is almost unbeatable. It rivals any of Hitchcock's works, to which it is repeatedly compared. The scene showing a knife chipping away at a wooden door is reminiscent of, and more frightening than, scenes showing bird beaks chipping away at a farmhouse door in Hitchcock's "The Birds".
I like the film because it is so nostalgic. The reel-to-reel tape recorder and dozens of other props and visual cues, the references to philosophy and mysticism, the Morricone film score which at times sounds like the film scores from his spaghetti Westerns, all conspire to transport the viewer back to the Age of Aquarius. - DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsMichael DouglasSharon StoneGeorge DzundzaA violent police detective investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist.Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas (who went on to pull the same trick in "Jade") came up with a so-stupid-it's-brilliant notion: the killer who's so blatantly obvious that it can't possibly be that person – could it? Sharon Stone does the honors this time, in the performance that made her a star. Poor Michael Douglas, as the hapless cop, never stands a chance.
- DirectorHoward HawksStarsHumphrey BogartLauren BacallJohn RidgelyPrivate detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a wealthy family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail and what might be love.The plot of this Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) mystery is so convoluted that even Raymond Chandler couldn't figure out who killed one of the victims – and he wrote the story. What's important is that the movie features Bogart as the cynical Marlowe, his wife Lauren Bacall as his heiress client, and chemistry and atmosphere to burn.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsJack NicholsonFaye DunawayJohn HustonA private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.Director Roman Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne invented the modern film noir with this unusually sun-drenched drama of a 1930s Los Angeles private eye (Jack Nicholson) whose investigation of a murder mystery leads him to a haunted femme fatale (Faye Dunaway), a vast conspiracy, and a confrontation with evil (in the form of John Huston) almost beyond his imagination. The movie's stylish gloom and bleak ending make this film a trendsetting landmark.
- DirectorDario ArgentoStarsDavid HemmingsDaria NicolodiGabriele LaviaA jazz pianist and a wisecracking journalist are pulled into a complex web of mystery after the former witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic.As with other giallos, the accent in "Deep Red" is on the visuals: the artsy sets, the garish lighting, the tendency for the camera to dwell on brutal details. Images are stark, with high contrast in lighting. And there's lots of visual symmetry. Emotionally, "Deep Red" is cold, entirely appropriate, given that the theme relates to the psychological coldness of a killer.
But unlike "Suspiria", wherein the story is almost irrelevant, "Deep Red" has an intriguing premise, with a plot that, although slow to get going, is nevertheless coherent, and builds to a riveting finale. I was quite surprised at who the killer was. Clues are very subtle, but they're there, if you know where to look. There's a nifty plot twist toward the film's end. I like the visuals in all of the Argento films I have seen. But "Deep Red", more than others, has a better developed story line. - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsSamuel L. JacksonKurt RussellJennifer Jason LeighIn the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.Best approach this film as you would theater; for that's what 'The Hateful Eight' really is: a stage play disguised as a movie. A stage play of a "Who-Done-It" murder mystery with a touch of Agatha Christie. But then again, that's also a disguise, for the murder mystery is just a ploy to cast a look at a torn society rife with racial tension after the civil war. Which, of course, again serves as an allegory for racial relations in modern-day America and as the director's angry commentary on how hateful that situation still is today, on all sides. Now that sounds awfully serious, but don't worry; despite some hard-to-stomach ugliness and the highly political undercurrent, there is plenty of Tarantino's trademark humor throughout the whole film.
- DirectorJonathan LynnStarsEileen BrennanTim CurryMadeline KahnSix guests are anonymously invited to a strange mansion for dinner, but after their host is killed, they must cooperate with the staff to identify the murderer as the bodies pile up.This drawing-room mystery, based on the beloved board game, brings together the six colorful suspects (played by the likes of Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, and Michael McKean), along with a sneaky butler played by Tim Curry. The film was famous for having three alternate endings, a gimmick that was supposed to triple the box office but backfired. Still, cultists swear that Jonathan Lynn's whodunit parody is an underrated gem.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsPeter UstinovMia FarrowSimon MacCorkindaleAs Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board. Can Poirot identify the killer before the ship reaches the end of its journey?Peter Ustinov's first go as Hercule Poirot takes place aboard an Egyptian river cruise. Those trapped on the steamer while Poirot solves an onboard murder include Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Mia Farrow, Jane Birkin, Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Jack Warden, and David Niven. Boatloads of fun. Anthony Powell won an Oscar for the film's ornate costumes.
- DirectorRudolph MatéStarsEdmond O'BrienPamela BrittonLuther AdlerFrank Bigelow, told he's been poisoned and has only a few days to live, tries to find out who killed him and why.In this clever twist on the genre, poor Edmond O'Brien has to solve his own murder. He's dying from a slow acting poison, and he has about two days left to figure out who slipped him the lethal Mickey and why. Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan starred in a not-bad remake, but stick with the bleak original.
- DirectorGuy HamiltonStarsPeter UstinovJames MasonMaggie SmithTrying to find how a millionaire wound up with a phony diamond brings Hercule Poirot to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi.Peter Ustinov is back as Hercule Poirot in a whodunit set at a remote Mediterranean resort. Maggie Smith, Roddy McDowall, Sylvia Miles, James Mason, and TK are among the suspects, but the chief pleasure, of course, is Ustinov as the finicky sleuth. It's worth the price of admission just to see him squeeze his hefty frame into a period swimsuit and dip a toe into the water, more out of obligation than leisure. After all, there is a murder to solve.
- DirectorAlbert HughesAllen HughesStarsJohnny DeppHeather GrahamIan HolmAfter five ritualistic murders are committed in 1888 London, Inspector Abberline's assignment is to investigate the "Jack the Ripper" murders. Along with a string of mutilated prostitutes, he uncovers a conspiracy involving the government.The Hughes brothers' adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel about the Jack the Ripper case is suitably bloody and apocalyptic. Johnny Depp is the opium- and absinthe-addled Scotland Yard man assigned to the case, with Robbie Coltrane his stalwart partner and Ian Holm the creepy royal surgeon who offers his advice. When the search leads Depp to the royal family, paranoia sets in, vast conspiracies are hinted at, and a "Chinatown"-like despair sets in. Underrated and not for everyone, but thoroughly chilling.
- DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsEthan HawkeUma ThurmanJude LawA genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.Andrew Niccol's elegant, austere sci-fi tale of a future where DNA determinism runs rampant is also, at heart, a murder mystery. Ethan Hawke borrows DNA traces from genetically superior Jude Law in order to join an astronaut training program, but when a killer strikes, Hawke knows his impostor status will make him the prime suspect. (Worse, the lead detective is his own genetically-engineered brother.) The unraveling mystery, along with Hawke's own perseverance, is meant to put the lie to the notion that we can only be as good as our genes.
- DirectorSam RaimiStarsCate BlanchettKatie HolmesKeanu ReevesA fortune teller with extrasensory perception is asked to help find a young woman who has mysteriously disappeared.It's more like a curse to Cate Blanchett, playing a Southern widow who's haunted by clairvoyant visions. In this swampy gothic drama (written by Billy Bob Thornton and directed by Sam Raimi), she tries to use her powers to solve the disappearance (and, not a big spoiler, the murder) of local rich girl Katie Holmes, only to open herself up to a host of violent horrors at the hands of various disturbed locals. There's able support from Greg Kinnear (as Holmes' distraught fiancé) Hilary Swank (as an abused wife), Keanu Reeves (a surprisingly scary good ol' boy with a violent temper), and especially Giovanni Ribisi (a haunted young man), but the movie belongs to the versatile Blanchett.
- DirectorNiels Arden OplevStarsMichael NyqvistNoomi RapaceEwa FrölingA journalist is aided by a young female hacker in his search for the killer of a woman who has been dead for forty years.David Fincher did a fine job with the English language version of Steig Larsson's novel, the first of the author's celebrated Millennium trilogy, and Rooney Mara was a revelation as hacker heroine Lisbeth Salander. Nonetheless, the original Swedish version, starring Noomi Rapace, is superior. She's on fire as the vengeful sleuth who, along with journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), investigates the apparent murder of a missing heiress. The two sequels are similarly gripping and horrific.
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsMaggie SmithRyan PhillippeMichael GambonSet in the 1930s, a group of pretentious rich and famous get together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.Julian Fellowes, future creator of "Downton Abbey," is more interested in the intrigues of upstairs/downstairs life than in the murder mystery set at a typical hunting weekend at an English country manor. In Robert Altman's hands, the mystery is the jumping-off point for a perceptive social satire, and the joke is that no one on screen is all that interested in the murder mystery either. No one seems to mourn the dead man, and the fatuous detective (a hilarious Stephen Fry) sent to solve the case seems resigned to the notion that the murder will go unsolved. The only one who figures out what happened is wide-eyed maid Kelly Macdonald, and when she confronts the killers, they freely confess, knowing that she's in no position to blab to anyone. The movie owes a debt to Jean Renoir's classic "The Rules of the Game," whose stated theme was "Everyone has his reasons," but here, the theme seems to be that everyone has his dirty secrets.
- DirectorNorman JewisonStarsSidney PoitierRod SteigerWarren OatesA black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.This Best Picture Oscar-winner was seen as a pioneering civil rights parable at the time, but it's also a crackling murder mystery. When a factory owner is killed in a sweltering Mississippi town, the local sheriff (Rod Steiger) immediately suspects black visitor Sidney Poitier, but he turns out to be a visiting big-city detective who helps Steiger track down the real killer. It's no buddy movie, though each cop develops a grudging admiration for the other.
- DirectorShane BlackStarsRobert Downey Jr.Val KilmerMichelle MonaghanAfter being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.The title of Shane Black's shaggy-dog crime tale is taken from an anthology of Pauline Kael's film reviews, a description of the visceral thrills she treasured in movies. Not sure what she would have thought of Black's film, which offers a little kiss kiss, a lot of bang bang, and a heaping helping of WTF? Robert Downey Jr. plays a thief turned sleuth who gets caught up with an eccentric private eye (Val Kilmer) and a dizzy dame (Michelle Monaghan) in a bizarre Hollywood murder mystery. The film wasn't a hit, but it remains a cult favorite for a devoted few.
- DirectorCurtis HansonStarsKevin SpaceyRussell CroweGuy PearceAs corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.Curtis Hanson's majestic adaptation of James Ellroy's novel owes a debt to "Chinatown," a movie it equals in sheer paranoid dread. When the denizens of a late-night diner are massacred, three mid-century Los Angeles detectives (Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey) follow different leads but all stumble upon the same vast conspiracy. The best film of 1997 (sorry, "Titanic" fans), it won an Oscar only for Kim Basinger's performance as a reformed femme fatale.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsRichard BenjaminJames CoburnJames MasonA year after Sheila is killed by a hit-and-run driver, her wealthy husband invites a group of friends to spend a week on his yacht playing a scavenger hunt mystery game. The game turns out to be all too real and all too deadly.Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, who used to host elaborate scavenger-hunt parties for their famous friends, turned the idea into a whodunit set on a yacht during a Mediterranean cruise. Movie producer James Coburn is the host; his guests include industry folk played by the likes of Dyan Cannon, James Mason, Ian McShane, and Raquel Welch. The parlor game on board involves the revelation of embarrassing secrets, finger-pointing over the mysterious death of Coburn's wife (the Sheila of the title) the year before, and fresh murders. Perkins and Sondheim won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for their script.
- DirectorOtto PremingerRouben MamoulianStarsGene TierneyDana AndrewsClifton WebbA police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.Everything about Laura is haunting, from her bewitching beauty (she's played by Gene Tierney) to her theme music on the soundtrack (composed by David Raksin). In Otto Preminger's thriller, when news breaks of Laura's murder, she continues to haunt her fiancé (Vincent Price), her persnickety mentor (Clifton Webb), and even the hard-boiled detective who's never met her (Dana Andrews). The movie's swoony style smooths over an improbable plot; indeed, Joseph LaShelle won an Oscar for his lush black-and-white cinematography.
- DirectorFritz LangStarsPeter LorreEllen WidmannInge LandgutWhen the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.In Fritz Lang's haunting, German-language crime drama, the Berlin police are hunting a whistling killer of children; so is the underworld, since the police manhunt has put a damper on criminal activity. Peter Lorre became an international star as the creepy killer, making him surprisingly human and almost sympathetic in the famous confession speech where he describes with anguish his horrible compulsion.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsHumphrey BogartMary AstorGladys GeorgeSan Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.Dashiell Hammett's mystery had been filmed before, but John Huston's version was the one that stuck. Humphrey Bogart is Sam Spade, a hard-boiled private eye investigating the murder of his partner. At the same time, his life is complicated by the arrival of a group of backstabbing fortune hunters (including femme fatale Mary Astor, weaselly Peter Lorre, and menacing Sydney Greenstreet), all of them in pursuit of the title artifact. The mystery turns out to be secondary to the colorful assortment of low-lifes (Bogart seems to find them more amusing than threatening, but that could be a tough-guy pose) and the fatalistic atmosphere, a blueprint for the entire film noir genre that would soon come to fruition.