Last updated March 2024
On the hunt for sensationally awesome Best Mystery Movies 2009 ? See our compilation of 30 marvelous, universally beloved Best Mystery Movies 2009 handpicked for your viewing pleasure. Critically celebrated by revered IMDB reviewers and widely adored by our own legion of savvy users, these world-class titles simply have no equal. Lend fellow viewers a hand by voting up the titles you feel are keepers. We appreciate your stellar contributions showcasing the finest entertainment available!
The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
Plot Summary:
A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 219000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: Argentina, Spain
Plot tags: investigation, twists and turns, rape, murder, lawyer, plot twist, investigator, serial killer, revenge, evidence, homicide, vengeance, murder mystery, writers, obsession, murderer, police, haunted by the past, puzzle, suspect, uncover truth, corruption, police investigation, love and romance, crime and punishment
About Elly (2009)
Plot Summary:
The mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers
Duration: 119 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: Iran, France
Plot tags: missing person, matchmaking, friendship, family relations, guilt, journey, iranian, parents and children, love and romance, couples, couple relations, teacher, death, father son relationship, husband wife relationship, friends, vacation, wedding planning, arranged marriage, sea, women, mysticism, investigation, art, islam
Moon (2009)
Plot Summary:
With only three weeks left in his three year contract, Sam Bell is getting anxious to finally return to Earth. He is the only occupant of a Moon-based manufacturing facility along with his computer and assistant, GERTY. When he has an accident however, he wakens to find that he is not alone
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 372000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: isolation, moon, outer space, loneliness, space travel, astronaut, space, twists and turns, cloning, solitude, space and aliens, robot, dystopic future, clone, spacecraft, space opera, hopes, dystopia, human clone, artificial intelligence, distopia, science, plot twist, mind game, accident
The White Ribbon (2009)
Plot Summary:
Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. The abused and suppressed children of the villagers seem to be at the heart of this mystery
Duration: 144 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Canada
Plot tags: children, punishment, sexual abuse, priest, village, physical appearance, suicide, small town, death, child abuse, cruelty, family secret, village life, fascism, innocence, world war one, doctor, humiliation, suspicion, parents and children, repression, psychological abuse, protestant, patriarch, class society
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
Plot Summary:
Swedish thriller based on Stieg Larsson's novel about a male journalist and a young female hacker. In the opening of the movie, Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged publisher for the magazine Millennium, loses a libel case brought by corrupt Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerström. Nevertheless, he is hired by Henrik Vanger in order to solve a cold case, the disappearance of Vanger's niece
Duration: 152 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 222000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway
Plot tags: investigation, hacker, twists and turns, rape, journalist, sexual abuse, strong female lead, amateur detective, age difference, violence against women, missing person, lesbian, goth, femme fatale, strong female character, serial killer, disappearance, hacking, revenge, murder mystery, journalism, uncover truth, peril, murder, computer
Mother (2009)
Plot Summary:
A mother lives quietly with her twenty-eight-year-old son, Do-joon, providing herbs and acupuncture to neighbors. One day, a girl is brutally murdered, and Do-joon is charged with the killing. Now, it's his mother's call whether to prove him innocent or to leave him imprisoned
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 70000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: investigation, murder, twists and turns, revenge, family relations, determination, amateur detective, uncover truth, murder mystery, asian, mother, mentally challenged, character study, police investigation, police brutality, medieval, life is a bitch, mother and son, whodunit, relationships, plot twist, great ending, single parent, prison, violence
Watchmen (2009)
Plot Summary:
In a gritty and alternate 1985 the glory days of costumed vigilantes have been brought to a close by a government crackdown, but after one of the masked veterans is brutally murdered, an investigation into the killer is initiated. The reunited heroes set out to prevent their own destruction, but in doing so uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger
Duration: 162 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 574000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, alternate reality, vigilante, distopia, anti hero, heroes, good versus evil, moral dilemma, masked vigilante, cold war, alternate history, conspiracy, mars, parallel world, human nature, dishonesty, comic book, superhuman powers, moral ambiguity, riot, one against many, love triangle, hidden identity, warrior, fight
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Plot Summary:
Eccentric consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 661000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Mystery
Country: USA, Germany, UK, Australia
Plot tags: sherlock holmes, steampunk, private detective, investigation, intelligence, murder, riddles and clues, prodigy, clue, hotshot hero, master criminal, genius, deduction, talented, twists and turns, partner, buddy, expert, conspiracy, murderer, puzzle, who done it, serial killer, murder mystery, friendship
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
Plot Summary:
As Harry begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as 'Property of the Half-Blood Prince', and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort's dark past
Duration: 153 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 582000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: harry potter, witch, magic, magical, witchcraft, teenager, school, good versus evil, chosen one, wizards and magicians, young heroes, boarding school, boarding school life, danger, supernatural ability, prophecy, secret place, obsessive quest, mentor, curses spells and rituals, supernatural, death, boy hero, magic wand, spell
The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009)
Plot Summary:
Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation
Duration: 129 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 98000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Germany
Plot tags: investigation, murder, journalism, conspiracy, hacker, secret service, dishonesty, strong female lead, lesbian, journalist, friendship, false accusation, twists and turns, amateur detective, serial killer, rape and revenge, murder mystery, police investigation, justice, revenge, feminist, buried alive, sex, adaptation, nordic
State of Play (2009)
Plot Summary:
Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party's contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
IMDB Votes: 158000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, France
Plot tags: conspiracy, political conspiracy, journalism, politics, corruption, journalist, investigation, newspaper, reporter, murder, congress, politician, spy, assassination, twists and turns, espionage, world politics, murderer, plot twist, serial killer, betrayal, justice, conspiracy theory, media, greed
Get Low (2009)
Plot Summary:
A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive
Duration: 103 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA, Germany, Poland
Plot tags: small town, solitude, funeral director, life philosophy, character study, death, haunted by the past, uncover truth, gossip and rumors, life is a bitch, social relations, small town life, oldtimer, unfulfillment, mysterious character, dealing with death, loneliness, aging, redemption, recluse, funeral, storytelling, mysticism, food, obsession
Orphan (2009)
Plot Summary:
A married couple with a rocky past adopt 9-year old, Esther to fill the void created by a recently-stillborn baby. However, Esther is not quite who she seems
Duration: 123 min
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
IMDB Votes: 247000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Germany, France
Plot tags: adoption, orphan, killer child, murder, serial killer, female psychopath, parents and children, fear, mysterious character, twists and turns, murderer, insanity, family in danger, children, creepy child, family problems, domestic disturbance, torture, manipulation, plot twist, macabre, supernatural, childhood, psychopath, family relations
Triangle (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story revolves around the passengers of a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean who, when struck by mysterious weather conditions, jump to another ship only to experience greater havoc on the open seas
Duration: 99 min
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
IMDB Votes: 127000
Genere: Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia
Plot tags: time loop, twists and turns, ship, time travel, supernatural, ghost ship, ocean, insanity, isolation, gory, time paradox, macabre, shipwreck, bermuda triangle, plot twist, deja vu, masked killer, danger, blood, murder, ghost, murder mystery, survival, puzzle, paradox
Exam (2009)
Plot Summary:
The final candidates for a highly desirable corporate job are locked together in an exam room and given a test so simple and confusing that tension begins to unravel
Duration: 101 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 123000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Plot tags: mind game, plot twist, survival, twists and turns, psychology, confinement indoors, surveillance, psychologist, locked in a room, ambition, interrogation, intrigue, rivalry, pandemic, paranoia, human nature, one day, disease, narcissist, race against time, trapped, torture, confined space, escape room, obsession
Ondine (2009)
Plot Summary:
An Irish fisherman discovers a woman in his fishing net believing her to be a mermaid
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: Ireland, USA
Plot tags: mermaid, small town, father daughter relationship, self discovery, secrets, character study, family drama, solitude, adaptation, redemption, love and romance, life is a bitch, stranger, small town life, hopes, mysterious character, magic realism, sailing, unrequited love, legends and myths, folklore, seaside, sexual content, sea, fishing
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Plot Summary:
A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting
Duration: 123 min
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
IMDB Votes: 153000
Genere: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: UK, France, Canada
Plot tags: surrealism, imaginary kingdom, deal with the devil, mysterious character, magic, imagination, destiny, transformation, bet, magical, steampunk, insanity, trippy, immortality, creativity, eccentricity, alternate reality, good versus evil, circus, deal, ancient, chases and races, escapades, choice, danger
Pandorum (2009)
Plot Summary:
Two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone – and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined
Duration: 108 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 158000
Genere: Action, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: Germany, UK, Canada, USA
Plot tags: survival, space travel, outer space, isolation, monster, confined, post apocalypse, memory loss, spacecraft, survival horror, danger, space, end of the world, spaceship, mission, mysterious character, space and aliens, creature, genetics, deadly creature, fear, mutant, alien, apocalypse, alien invasion
Angels & Demons (2009)
Plot Summary:
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon investigates a mysterious symbol seared into the chest of a murdered physicist. He discovers evidence of the unimaginable, the rebirth of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati, the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 6.7/10
IMDB Votes: 306000
Genere: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Italy
Plot tags: conspiracy, twists and turns, illuminati, murder, investigation, catholicism, vatican, riddles and clues, danger, secret society, religions or cults, professor, religion, catholic church, ancient, church, disorder, secret movement, mastermind, expert, symbolism, scientist, treasure hunt, secrets, plot twist
Mystery Team (2009)
Plot Summary:
A group of former Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives struggle to solve an adult mystery
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: friendship, investigation, amateur detective, children, murder, farce, absurdism, school, escapades, friends, bowling, mysticism, satire, strip club, stoned, teenage detective, cocaine, friendship between men, bike, youth, misfit, profanity, teenage life, social misfits, disorder
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009)
Plot Summary:
Terrence McDonagh, a New Orleans Police sergeant, who starts out as a good cop, receiving a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. During his heroic act, McDonagh injures his back and later becomes addicted to prescription pain medication. McDonagh finds himself involved with a drug dealer who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants
Duration: 122 min
IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: police corruption, drug lord, organized crime, drug abuse, corruption, drug, redemption, police, brutality, police brutality, hallucination, drug addiction, gangster, dirty cop, gambling, cop, dark humor, heroin, police officer, corrupt cop, blackmail, police investigation, bad cop, recovery, corrupt
A Perfect Getaway (2009)
Plot Summary:
For their honeymoon, newlyweds Cliff and Cydney head to the tropical islands of Hawaii. While journeying through the paradisaical countryside the couple encounters Kale and Cleo, two disgruntled hitchhikers and Nick and Gina, two wild but well-meaning spirits who help guide them through the lush jungles. The picturesque waterfalls and scenic mountainsides quickly give way to terror when Cliff and Cydney learn of a grisly murder that occurred nearby and realize that they're being followed by chance acquaintances that suspiciously fit the description of the killers
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 76000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: serial killer, murderous pair, twists and turns, psychopath, honeymoon, wilderness, danger, island, paranoia, vacation gone wrong, murder, plot twist, couples, escapades, survival, couple relations, brutality, veteran, expedition, deception, escape, vacation, isolation, characters in danger, whodunit
Triage (2009)
Plot Summary:
The wife of a photojournalist sets out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague
Duration: 99 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: Ireland, Spain, Belgium, France, Austria, Cayman Islands
Plot tags: photojournalist, photograph, war, twists and turns, war correspondent, war photographer, photography, life is a bitch, war crime, haunted by the past, homecoming, war zone, photographer, journalism, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, kurd, therapy, photojournalism, lgbt, iraq war, islam, intrigue, revolution, reporter, sadness
The International (2009)
Plot Summary:
An interpol agent and an attorney are determined to bring one of the world's most powerful banks to justice. Uncovering money laundering, arms trading, and conspiracy to destabilize world governments, their investigation takes them from Berlin, Milan, New York and Istanbul. Finding themselves in a chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk
Duration: 118 min
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
IMDB Votes: 99000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany, UK, France
Plot tags: conspiracy, interpol, spy, murder, investigation, assassin, intrigue, conspiracy theory, chase, hitman, lawyer, revenge, gunfight, twists and turns, fbi, politics, justice, police investigation, deception, district attorney, law enforcement, special agent, terrorism, chases and races, escapades
The House of the Devil (2009)
Plot Summary:
In the 1980s, college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret
Duration: 95 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: supernatural, ritual, satanic cult, witchcraft, macabre, babysitter, female protagonist, devil, lunar eclipse, satanic ritual, gory, gore, blood, ghost, haunted house, brutality, danger, deathtrap, woman in danger, college, college student, female college student, curses spells and rituals, torture, occult
The Uninvited (2009)
Plot Summary:
Anna returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother's tragic death and discovers that her mother's former nurse, Rachel, has moved into their house and become engaged to her father. Soon after she learns this shocking news, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her that Rachel has evil intentions
Duration: 87 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada, Germany
Plot tags: supernatural, mental illness, ghost, parents and children, family problems, woman in danger, uncover truth, plot twist, family in danger, siblings relations, pretense, sisters, blood, mistrust, revenge, macabre, death of mother, adaptation, evil woman, supernatural horror, bell, nurse, teenager, twists and turns, psychology
Chloe (2009)
Plot Summary:
A doctor hires an escort to seduce her husband, whom she suspects of cheating, though unforeseen events put the family in danger
Duration: 96 min
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
IMDB Votes: 77000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, France, USA
Plot tags: lesbian, infidelity, obsession, couples, older woman younger woman relationship, couple relations, seduction, lesbian sex, adultery, lesbian love, lesbian romance, first lesbian experience, desire, lust, women, mental illness, lesbianism, temptation, dishonesty, sex, borderline personality disorder, cheating wife, prostitute, sex scene, family relations
Knowing (2009)
Plot Summary:
A teacher opens a time capsule that has been dug up at his son's elementary school; in it are some chilling predictions -- some that have already occurred and others that are about to -- that lead him to believe his family plays a role in the events that are about to unfold
Duration: 121 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 245000
Genere: Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Australia
Plot tags: end of the world, disaster, apocalypse, supernatural, catastrophe, prophecy, foreknowledge, code, alien, cataclysm, scientist, professor, air disaster, prediction, save the world, mysterious character, danger, hopes, natural disaster, parents and children, destiny, train crash, single father, chases and races, science
Case 39 (2009)
Plot Summary:
In her many years as a social worker, Emily Jenkins believes she has seen it all, until she meets 10-year-old Lilith and the girl's cruel parents. Emily's worst fears are confirmed when the parents try to harm the child, and so Emily assumes custody of Lilith while she looks for a foster family. However, Emily soon finds that dark forces surround the seemingly innocent girl, and the more she tries to protect Lilith, the more horrors she encounters
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 92000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Plot tags: supernatural, evil child, social worker, demon, mysterious character, supernatural horror, twists and turns, child abuse, creepy child, uncover truth, mental institution, murder, evil force, macabre, family in danger, woman in danger, danger, torture, animal attack, devil, orphan, creepy kid, mysticism, manipulation, fear
The Limits of Control (2009)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious stranger works outside the law and keeps his objectives hidden, trusting no one. While his demeanor is paradoxically focused and dreamlike all at once, he embarks on a journey that not only takes him across Spain, but also through his own consciousness
Duration: 116 min
IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Plot tags: poetry, mysterious character, tai chi, dialogue, desert, murderer, addiction, african, mind control, self control, character study, traveler, sex, loner, trap, architecture, meditation, logic, weirdo, zen, minimal dialogue, hipster, criminal mind, on the road, profanity