A good mystery / thriller is supposed to satisfy one's desire of playing detective. Whether to solve a murder, disappearance or any crime for that matter. Or just simply arriving at answers, piecing together puzzle like pieces to satisfyingly reach the only conclusion that one can draw given all the puzzle pieces.
But alas, it is so hard to find a good mystery. Then when you add the thriller aspect to it - where there is some element of danger to the character/s in the film, it makes it near impossible to find!
So it's a good thing we have the following 10 movies that allows you to don your best Hercule Poirot's hat while working your way through to the final conclusion. But remember this is no cozy mystery - there are stakes here. After all we do so want to be thrilled.
1. The Prestige (2006)
The Prestige portrays the rivalry of two fellow magicians as they try to outdo each other at increasingly personal costs. At every turn their obsession getting so overwhelming that it seems like one is bound to cause the death of the other. Oh wait... it does get there actually. And that's no spoiler. Within five minutes into the movie you get to that point.
Now I feel I must add, lest your expectations starts careening out of proportion, that while solving the question of the murder might be intriguing, it is by no means the primary goal of the movie.
It takes you on a journey of two very obsessed men and the various sacrifices they made to get to their current points in life. The movie answers the hows and the whys. Satisfyingly or not, that's for you to decide.
But maybe for this one, you don't have to quite put on the hat. Just let the movie take you on a ride...
2. Memento (2000)
Memento follows a guy with retrograde amnesia, unable to form new short term memories. Unable to remember anything new for more than a few minutes at a time. But remember he must - To avenge the rape and murder of his wife.
Another Christopher Nolan film that is directed in a way that seeks to give us a little idea of what Guy Pearce's character might be feeling. The scenes are choppy, each lasting for barely more than a few minutes before moving on to the next thoroughly confusing us, just as how the protagonist probably feels.
The whole jumbled up, choppy scenes does come together brilliantly at the end, occupying your thoughts as the end credits roll and I bet you will be wanting a second go at it.
3. Vertigo (1958)
Another film that takes on the theme of obsession. This time we have a former police detective, afraid of heights, hired by an old friend to investigate his wife. As he tracks the wife's strange behaviour, he become increasingly obsessed with her and increasingly determined to stop her from her suicidal tendencies.
Halfway through the movie when the 'crucial moment' happens is when you could start donning the hat. Alfred Hitchcock has always made such compelling thrillers with an air of mystery around them and Vertigo stands up as one of his best works.
In equal parts thrilling and mysterious as it is heartbreaking, Vertigo makes sure you feel for its characters, makes you obsess over their choices and acts. Long after the movie is over, Vertigo stays with you.
4. Shutter Island (2010)
Two U.S. marshals are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from an asylum for the criminally insane. The asylum is located at a well guarded remote island and is where most of the movie is set.
And while it starts off as any regular dark mysterious movie does, the stakes gets higher as things gets stranger on the island. With a violent hurricane brewing in the background and one of the marshals seemingly having his own mental breakdown, it becomes all the more urgent to solve the investigation.
And guess what? There are enough clues peppered throughout the movie to help the detective in you solve the mystery! The movie confuses and paranoids you just as it does the lead protagonist but it never lies and that's why it stands as a great mystery/thriller.
Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't solve it though. I will admit here that I didn't. Be sure to watch out for that last line. Actually the second last line to be more precise. It's amazing how one sentence delivered so innocuously can leave your mind churning for so long after.
5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Here we have a disgraced journalist hired by the patriarch of a wealthy Swedish family to investigate the disappearance of his niece almost forty years later. Is she dead? Or still alive and in hiding? If she is then why is she hiding? Just some of the questions to prepare you in solving the big mystery.
Just be warned that the film is overall quite dark. The mystery aspect while present is often overshadowed by the thriller aspects. The characters are constantly in situations that are less than ideal and yes, dangerous.
Some themes, like abuse, might be disturbing. I was quite honestly very disturbed during my watch and more than scared to carry on watching. But the thing with mysteries - you need to see them through to the very end no matter how bloody or gory the path might be (not saying it is all that bad here). And as endings go, this one wasn't too shabby.
6. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Okay if The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is dark and broody, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is its more light-hearted counterpart. We have a murder mystery here and thrown into the mix is a thief masquerading as an actor, a private eye and a struggling actress.
It all starts one fine night when a lesson in detective work is underway. What do they find? Duh, a dead body. What do they do? Chuck the body away of course. But then it just won't go away so easily. I guess solving it becomes imperative.
Whether you solve the mystery on your own or not, it was one heck of an enjoyable ride. And it was great to watch Robert Downey Jr. in his pre-iron man days!
And then we have The Usual Suspects. I am sure many will disagree with my placement of this movie so low on this list and it might be a fair point. Don't get me wrong. The Usual Suspects is a good movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ranking is just a very subjective opinion of where it belongs in a list of the mystery/thriller genre.
To begin with, let's summarize the plot.
A violent encounter on a boat left all dead except for one sole survivor who tells a tale. A tale that begins a few weeks earlier when a group of five suspects were picked up for a police lineup. There, they begin planning for another crime which then leads to another which then leads to Keyser Soze.
Keyser Soze, one greatly feared and legendary criminal mastermind who no one can actually positively identify. Is he real or myth? And how is he connected to the boat encounter?
Now the reason why it is here on the list despite being an enjoyable watch is because there is really nothing much to solve. We get an answer at the end, one that might surprise or blow your mind away but there is very little that guides us the audiences to that conclusion logically. Even so, you might actually be able to deduce the ending. Might...
But alas, it is so hard to find a good mystery. Then when you add the thriller aspect to it - where there is some element of danger to the character/s in the film, it makes it near impossible to find!
So it's a good thing we have the following 10 movies that allows you to don your best Hercule Poirot's hat while working your way through to the final conclusion. But remember this is no cozy mystery - there are stakes here. After all we do so want to be thrilled.
1. The Prestige (2006)
The Prestige portrays the rivalry of two fellow magicians as they try to outdo each other at increasingly personal costs. At every turn their obsession getting so overwhelming that it seems like one is bound to cause the death of the other. Oh wait... it does get there actually. And that's no spoiler. Within five minutes into the movie you get to that point.
Now I feel I must add, lest your expectations starts careening out of proportion, that while solving the question of the murder might be intriguing, it is by no means the primary goal of the movie.
It takes you on a journey of two very obsessed men and the various sacrifices they made to get to their current points in life. The movie answers the hows and the whys. Satisfyingly or not, that's for you to decide.
But maybe for this one, you don't have to quite put on the hat. Just let the movie take you on a ride...
2. Memento (2000)
Memento follows a guy with retrograde amnesia, unable to form new short term memories. Unable to remember anything new for more than a few minutes at a time. But remember he must - To avenge the rape and murder of his wife.
Another Christopher Nolan film that is directed in a way that seeks to give us a little idea of what Guy Pearce's character might be feeling. The scenes are choppy, each lasting for barely more than a few minutes before moving on to the next thoroughly confusing us, just as how the protagonist probably feels.
The whole jumbled up, choppy scenes does come together brilliantly at the end, occupying your thoughts as the end credits roll and I bet you will be wanting a second go at it.
3. Vertigo (1958)
Another film that takes on the theme of obsession. This time we have a former police detective, afraid of heights, hired by an old friend to investigate his wife. As he tracks the wife's strange behaviour, he become increasingly obsessed with her and increasingly determined to stop her from her suicidal tendencies.
Halfway through the movie when the 'crucial moment' happens is when you could start donning the hat. Alfred Hitchcock has always made such compelling thrillers with an air of mystery around them and Vertigo stands up as one of his best works.
In equal parts thrilling and mysterious as it is heartbreaking, Vertigo makes sure you feel for its characters, makes you obsess over their choices and acts. Long after the movie is over, Vertigo stays with you.
4. Shutter Island (2010)
Two U.S. marshals are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from an asylum for the criminally insane. The asylum is located at a well guarded remote island and is where most of the movie is set.
And while it starts off as any regular dark mysterious movie does, the stakes gets higher as things gets stranger on the island. With a violent hurricane brewing in the background and one of the marshals seemingly having his own mental breakdown, it becomes all the more urgent to solve the investigation.
And guess what? There are enough clues peppered throughout the movie to help the detective in you solve the mystery! The movie confuses and paranoids you just as it does the lead protagonist but it never lies and that's why it stands as a great mystery/thriller.
Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't solve it though. I will admit here that I didn't. Be sure to watch out for that last line. Actually the second last line to be more precise. It's amazing how one sentence delivered so innocuously can leave your mind churning for so long after.
5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Here we have a disgraced journalist hired by the patriarch of a wealthy Swedish family to investigate the disappearance of his niece almost forty years later. Is she dead? Or still alive and in hiding? If she is then why is she hiding? Just some of the questions to prepare you in solving the big mystery.
Just be warned that the film is overall quite dark. The mystery aspect while present is often overshadowed by the thriller aspects. The characters are constantly in situations that are less than ideal and yes, dangerous.
Some themes, like abuse, might be disturbing. I was quite honestly very disturbed during my watch and more than scared to carry on watching. But the thing with mysteries - you need to see them through to the very end no matter how bloody or gory the path might be (not saying it is all that bad here). And as endings go, this one wasn't too shabby.
6. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Okay if The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is dark and broody, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is its more light-hearted counterpart. We have a murder mystery here and thrown into the mix is a thief masquerading as an actor, a private eye and a struggling actress.
It all starts one fine night when a lesson in detective work is underway. What do they find? Duh, a dead body. What do they do? Chuck the body away of course. But then it just won't go away so easily. I guess solving it becomes imperative.
Whether you solve the mystery on your own or not, it was one heck of an enjoyable ride. And it was great to watch Robert Downey Jr. in his pre-iron man days!
7. Identity (2003)
While mystery/thrillers tend to slowly build up the plot to allow the suspense to thicken, Identity gets right into it from the get-go. The movie is fast pace and never quite lets up with the shortest running time of all the movies on this list.
A group of ten strangers gets stranded at an out of the way motel during a torrential rainstorm. That is all fine and good except that one by one they start turning up dead with each new death getting stranger and stranger.
Identity is another movie with more than ample clues spread throughout the scenes to give you an inkling as to the identity of the perpetrator (clever use of the title word here if I do say so myself). So prepare that keen mind of yours and get started working on this mystery!
While mystery/thrillers tend to slowly build up the plot to allow the suspense to thicken, Identity gets right into it from the get-go. The movie is fast pace and never quite lets up with the shortest running time of all the movies on this list.
A group of ten strangers gets stranded at an out of the way motel during a torrential rainstorm. That is all fine and good except that one by one they start turning up dead with each new death getting stranger and stranger.
Identity is another movie with more than ample clues spread throughout the scenes to give you an inkling as to the identity of the perpetrator (clever use of the title word here if I do say so myself). So prepare that keen mind of yours and get started working on this mystery!
8. Les Diaboliques (1955)
Les Diaboliques is the oldest movie on this list, the only one in French and shot in black and white. But all that aside, it is a really good mystery/thriller in my opinion though it is not often touted as one.
Let's see... The movie is about the wife and mistress of a sadistic school principal planning to murder him which they did to great success. But then the body disappears. Tell me how this is not a mystery. Solving the question of how the body disappears qualifies as a very intriguing mystery in my opinion.
And with a second half that gets more and more puzzling, we are slowly but surely guided to that last ten minutes of the film. Possibly one of the greatest thrilling moments shown with such simplicity! Les Diaboliques definitely deserves a watch if you are a fan of this genre.
Les Diaboliques is the oldest movie on this list, the only one in French and shot in black and white. But all that aside, it is a really good mystery/thriller in my opinion though it is not often touted as one.
Let's see... The movie is about the wife and mistress of a sadistic school principal planning to murder him which they did to great success. But then the body disappears. Tell me how this is not a mystery. Solving the question of how the body disappears qualifies as a very intriguing mystery in my opinion.
And with a second half that gets more and more puzzling, we are slowly but surely guided to that last ten minutes of the film. Possibly one of the greatest thrilling moments shown with such simplicity! Les Diaboliques definitely deserves a watch if you are a fan of this genre.
9. The Usual Suspects (1995)
And then we have The Usual Suspects. I am sure many will disagree with my placement of this movie so low on this list and it might be a fair point. Don't get me wrong. The Usual Suspects is a good movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ranking is just a very subjective opinion of where it belongs in a list of the mystery/thriller genre.
To begin with, let's summarize the plot.
A violent encounter on a boat left all dead except for one sole survivor who tells a tale. A tale that begins a few weeks earlier when a group of five suspects were picked up for a police lineup. There, they begin planning for another crime which then leads to another which then leads to Keyser Soze.
Keyser Soze, one greatly feared and legendary criminal mastermind who no one can actually positively identify. Is he real or myth? And how is he connected to the boat encounter?
Now the reason why it is here on the list despite being an enjoyable watch is because there is really nothing much to solve. We get an answer at the end, one that might surprise or blow your mind away but there is very little that guides us the audiences to that conclusion logically. Even so, you might actually be able to deduce the ending. Might...
10. The Game (1997)
The Game starts with a loner and wealthy investment banker receiving a unique gift from his brother on his 48th birthday. A voucher for a game provided by a company called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Very little detail is provided about the game but a lot of information is extracted from the participants of the game who are required to spend a day getting screened for suitability.
And then the game begins... Or does it? The lines between reality and the world of the game is blurred. Strange things start happening to Michael Douglas's character, posing increasingly more danger for him each time.
We are left as baffled as his character trying to make sense of what is happening to him and why. Will we solve the mystery in time before something very wrong happens? Well, take a stab at it...
**And that's it! The 10 movies that tickled my detective bones. I hope they will provide you with a satisfying mystery to solve while keeping you on the edge of your seats. And while we are at it, do check out my post on Disappointing Mystery/Thrillers.
And then the game begins... Or does it? The lines between reality and the world of the game is blurred. Strange things start happening to Michael Douglas's character, posing increasingly more danger for him each time.
We are left as baffled as his character trying to make sense of what is happening to him and why. Will we solve the mystery in time before something very wrong happens? Well, take a stab at it...
**And that's it! The 10 movies that tickled my detective bones. I hope they will provide you with a satisfying mystery to solve while keeping you on the edge of your seats. And while we are at it, do check out my post on Disappointing Mystery/Thrillers.
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