Crime mystery movies are a great way to engage an audience with the story that it is trying to tell. Bringing viewers to the edge of their seats, having them pay attention to every little detail, trying to pick up any clue to figure out who the criminal is, is an effective way to keep watchers invested. Whether it is a dark, grimy story about the criminal underworld or a less serious, more wacky film that takes advantage of the mystery genre, there is a kind of mystery movie that anyone can enjoy.
While there are many different kinds of mystery movies, many of them keep viewers in the dark until the big reveal in the final act of the movie. Here are six of those crime movie mysteries that any viewer can solve along with the detective.
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6 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Walt Disney Pictures
Seen as one of the first as well as one of the most iconic movies to have both 2D animation and live action acting, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is also an engaging mystery movie as private detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) tries to figure out who murdered the mayor of Toontown. One of the main draws to this film is the list of iconic animated characters to make appearances, with this film being the only time that animated characters from both Disney and Warner Bros appear on-screen together. Characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Betty Boop, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, and more all make appearances in the film. However, while the audience comes for the characters, they stay to find out who really murdered the mayor of Toontown and who framed Roger Rabbit.
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5 Knives Out
T-Street
Knives Out brings together a star-studded cast and thrusts viewers into a murder case of epic proportions. Greedy family members fight for a massive inheritance after a mysterious death, all while a young housekeeper (played by Ana De Armas) is forced into the middle of it. Knives Out is filled with twists and turns that are guaranteed to keep viewers on their toes as they navigate the Thrombey family and their secret intentions. The audience follows along with Ana De Armas’s character as well as Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as the mystery of who killed famed author Harlan Thrombey (Cristopher Plummer) unravels before their very eyes. Knives Out is a perfect crime mystery film for anyone that is trying to get into the mystery genre, with fascinating twists and a fantastic cast to support the narrative that director Rian Johnson wrote.
4 The Nice Guys
Ratpac-Dune Entertainment, Silver Pictures, Waypoint Entertainment
The Nice Guys takes viewers to 1977 Los Angeles, where we find Ryan Gosling as a private eye and Russell Crowe as hired muscle working together in an unlikely partnership. When a young woman named Amelia goes missing, the two must work together to find out what happened to her. Along the way, they get mixed up with some dangerous people who are also searching for the missing Amelia. The Nice Guys brings the audience back in time along with the unlikely duo as they reveal the shocking truth behind the missing woman and other people that start turning up dead.
3 Zodiac
Phoenix Pictures
Zodiac is based upon the true story of the Zodiac killer, a brutal murderer that both terrorized and taunted the city of San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s. The story follows the real detectives and reporters that chased after the Zodiac killer, trying to solve ciphers that the killer left as well as trying to determine the motive of all the killings that took place. Zodiac immerses viewers into the lives of the detectives and reporters that chased after the killer, and brings the audience deeper and deeper into the obsession that took hold of them for over a decade as they tried everything to solve the unsolvable case.
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2 Sherlock Holmes
Warner Bros.
When a person thinks of the most famous detective in pop culture, the name Sherlock Holmes immediately comes to mind. So, 2009’s Sherlock Holmes is a perfect addition to this list. When a series of murders in London catches the eye of the famed Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.), he and his right-hand man Dr. Watson (Jude Law) spring into action. A battle of wits unfolds with an intimidating enemy as Holmes and Watson fight to protect the rest of London from the danger that looms.
1 Shutter Island
Paramount Pictures
Shutter Island is a movie that only gets better with every watch, as new details are recognized and revealed with each viewing. However, a first-time viewing takes the audience along with U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Di Caprio) and his partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) as they investigate the Ashecliffe Hospital and the horrible things that take place on Shutter Island. Viewers pick up bits and pieces of what is really going on behind the scenes, before it all quickly unravels and reveals what Teddy Daniels is really doing on the island. Shutter Island is a perfect example of a mystery movie done right, and its mystery is fascinating to solve along with the main characters.
