TimeOut's 40 Best Murder Mysteries
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It’s safe to say that the murder-mystery is back. After decades of being woefully out of fashion, the classic whodunnit has returned to cultural prominence, thanks in large part to the leftfield success of 2019’s Knives Out and its even bigger follow-up, Glass Onion. Now, it seems like you can’t look through a magnifying glass without seeing a dead body that’s turned up under suspicious circumstances, either in cinemas (the recent remakes of Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile) or on television (Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face).
It’s a welcome return for many reasons. For one thing, murder-mystery movies are one of cinema’s foundational genres, and having them back in style has a way of reconnecting viewers with film history. Also, in the age of streaming, when most of us struggle to pay full attention to whatever’s on television while doomscrolling on Twitter, movies that force us to engage, follow clues and essentially become a participation serve as an ideal antidote to distracted viewing. With a renaissance now in full swing, we felt it was time to round up some of the genre’s classics, along with its hidden gems. Here are 40 of the best.
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1 new
The Hound of the Baskervilles
1959, in 1 top list Check -
2 new
Salinui chueok
2003 — a.k.a. Memories of Murder, in 17 top lists Check -
3 new
Rear Window
1954, in 31 top lists Check -
4 new
Cure
1997 — a.k.a. The Cure, in 7 top lists Check -
5 new
Laura
1944, in 21 top lists Check -
6 new
Zodiac
2007, in 14 top lists Check -
7 new
The Fallen Idol
1948, in 10 top lists Check -
8 new
The Thin Man
1934, in 14 top lists Check -
9 new
Knives Out
2019, in 4 top lists -
10 new
Murder She Said
1961, in 0 top lists Check -
11 new
Farewell, My Lovely
1975, in 2 top lists Check -
12 new
Fargo
1996, in 27 top lists Check -
13 new
Memento
2000, in 27 top lists Check -
14 new
Murder by Decree
1979, in 0 top lists Check -
15 new
Clue
1985, in 2 top lists Check -
16 new
Death on the Nile
1978, in 0 top lists Check -
17 new
Se7en
1995, in 29 top lists Check -
18 new
Young Sherlock Holmes
1985, in 0 top lists Check -
19 new
Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse
1933 — a.k.a. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, in 13 top lists Check -
20 new
Brick
2005, in 8 top lists Check -
21 new
The Nice Guys
2016, in 1 top list Check -
22 new
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1939, in 0 top lists Check -
23 new
The Last of Sheila
1973, in 0 top lists Check -
24 new
Without a Clue
1988 — a.k.a. Sherlock and Me, in 0 top lists Check -
25 new
Gosford Park
2001, in 6 top lists Check -
26 new
Mystic River
2003, in 7 top lists Check -
27 new
Crossfire
1947, in 7 top lists Check -
28 new
The Great Mouse Detective
1986, in 1 top list Check -
29 new
A Shot in the Dark
1964, in 2 top lists Check -
30 new
Sleuth
1972, in 4 top lists Check -
31 new
D.O.A.
1949, in 5 top lists Check -
32 new
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy
2015, in 0 top lists Check -
33 new
Blow Out
1981, in 8 top lists Check -
34 new
Sapphire
1959, in 3 top lists Check -
35 new
And Then There Were None
1945, in 2 top lists Check -
36 new
Missing
1982, in 5 top lists Check -
37 new
The Long Goodbye
1973, in 15 top lists Check -
38 new
Green for Danger
1946, in 4 top lists Check -
39 new
The Canary Murder Case
1929, in 0 top lists Check -
40 new
Electra Glide in Blue
1973, in 2 top lists Check
Last updated on Jun 17, 2023 by Tasselfoot; source