Last updated March 2024
On the hunt for acclaimed Best Mystery Movies worth watching now? We assembled 30 incredible Best Mystery Movies praised by both IMDB reviewers and our own discerning user community. Dive right into these top-tier Best Mystery Movies picked especially for quality and broad appeal. Cast your vote to help surface other viewers' next great find. We're grateful when members take the time to highlight stellar Best Mystery Movies!
The Ornate Lock (1993)
Plot Summary:
A young couple, Ganga and Nakulan, arrives at the ancestral home called Madampalli of the latter. Hailing from a family that follows tradition and superstitions, Nakulan's uncle Thampi objects to the couple's idea of moving into the allegedly haunted mansion, which Nakulan ignores. The couple moves in anyway following which seemingly supernatural events begin to happen
Duration: 169 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Comedy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: room, murder, ghost, investigation, psychiatrist, dancer, murder mystery, who done it, vengeful ghost, locked room, myth, palace, village, exorcism, cat, castle, jealousy, mansion, mental illness, fear, anger, vengeance, haunted house, husband wife relationship, decapitation
Jai Bhim (2021)
Plot Summary:
A pregnant woman from a primitive tribal community, searches desperately for her husband, who is missing from police custody. So as to find her husband and seek justice for them, as their voice, a High Court advocate rises in support. Will their battle for justice succeed?
Duration: 164 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 213000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: India, USA
Plot tags: lawyer, courtroom, investigation, poverty, theft, crime investigation, criminal, dysfunctional family, poor family, human rights, mission, jury, criminal justice, judgment, trial, biopic, innovation, prison, justice, wife, police brutality, tamil, telugu, bollywood, indigenous
The Green Mile (1999)
Plot Summary:
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cellblock's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution
Duration: 189 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: prison, death penalty, stephen king, death row, magic realism, supernatural, convict, false accusation, life & death, electric chair, life philosophy, psychic, justice, jail, execution, confined, prison life, tragic hero, death sentence, human nature, life is a bitch, good versus evil, prisoner, healing power, supernatural ability
Sita Ramam (2022)
Plot Summary:
Afreen, a rebellious Pakistani student sets ablaze the car of an Indian in London. Angered Afreen returns to Pakistan to ask for money from her grandfather that she has to pay in a month's time as damages. However, she gets to know that he is no more and the only thing he has left for her is a letter-delivering task, written by Ram to Sita. As Afreen sets out to find Ram, there begins her journey of discovering the secret behind the 20-year-old letter
Duration: 163 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 65000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: India
Plot tags: love, orphan, soldier, inheritance, girl, young love, jail, military service, love letter, star crossed lovers, telugu, bollywood
Se7en (1995)
Plot Summary:
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 18000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: serial killer, investigation, twists and turns, psychopath, police, psychology, mind game, macabre, insanity, murder, police investigation, maniac, killings, sin, plot twist, powerful ending, psycho, police detective, murder investigation, serial murder, riddles and clues, violence, killing spree, master criminal, murder mystery
Harakiri (1962)
Plot Summary:
Peace in 17th-century Japan causes the Shogunate's breakup of warrior clans, throwing thousands of samurai out of work and into poverty. An honorable end to such fate under the samurai code is ritual suicide, or hara-kiri
Duration: 133 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 66000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery
Country: Japan
Plot tags: samurai, suicide, poverty, revenge, seppuku, medieval, tragedy, courage, life & death, sword fight, life is a bitch, rivalry, society, death, feudal japan, hara kiri, ninja, japanese culture, tokugawa shogunate, showdown, ronin, loss of daughter, martial arts, ancient, japanese history
The Prestige (2006)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Plot tags: twists and turns, obsession, plot twist, magic, rivalry, uninhibited rivalry, magician, secret, magic trick, illusionist, illusion, deception, secrets, revenge, great ending, nikola tesla, stage magic, teleportation, magical, partner, peril, twins, murder, vengeance, suicide
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Plot Summary:
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess
Duration: 106 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 11000000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Plot tags: twists and turns, plot twist, heist, master criminal, organized crime, criminal, manipulation, caper, gangster, great ending, interrogation, whodunit, investigation, dishonesty, mafia, conspiracy, murder mystery, underworld, mind game, puzzle, boat, psychopath, corruption, mysterious character, criminal heroes
Coco (2017)
Plot Summary:
Despite his family’s baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colorful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 568000
Genere: Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Music, Mystery
Country: USA, Mexico
Plot tags: day of the dead, afterlife, musician, music, life after death, life & death, death, childhood, memory, good versus evil, boy, dog, child protagonist, betrayal, singer, skeleton, ghost, love, fantasy world, murder, twists and turns, father son relationship, customs, singing, cemetery
Memento (2000)
Plot Summary:
Suffering short-term memory loss after a head injury, Leonard Shelby embarks on a grim quest to find the lowlife who murdered his wife in this gritty, complex thriller that packs more knots than a hangman's noose. To carry out his plan, Shelby snaps Polaroids of people and places, jotting down contextual notes on the backs of photos to aid in his search and jog his memory. He even tattoos his own body in a desperate bid to remember
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 13000000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: memory loss, amnesia, plot twist, vengeance, twists and turns, memory, murder, revenge, psychology, paranoia, whodunit, haunted by the past, investigation, trippy, photograph, uncover truth, hidden truth, life is a bitch, murder mystery, identity, insanity, existentialism, great ending, mental disorder, life changing
High and Low (1963)
Plot Summary:
An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom
Duration: 143 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 51000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Plot tags: police, ransom, samurai, tragedy, secrets, visceral, character study, psychopath, mistaken identity, chauffeur, missing person, rescue, class differences, child kidnapping, chase, law enforcement, disorder, dishonesty, investigation, police investigation, kidnapping, drug addiction, police officer, sacrifice, police procedural
Gentlemen of Fortune (1971)
Plot Summary:
A kindergarten director Troshkin is a dead ringer for a criminal nicknamed "Docent" who stole the priceless
Duration: 88 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Soviet Union
Plot tags: lookalikes, criminal heroes, cons and scams, disguise, petty criminal, secret agent, kindergarten, chess, russian mafia, art theft, escape, undercover, chases and races, disorder, dishonesty, love, prison, prison escape, children, teacher, desert, criminal, journey, school teacher, road trip
The Lives of Others (2006)
Plot Summary:
A tragic love story set in East Berlin with the backdrop of an undercover Stasi controlled culture. Stasi captain Wieler is ordered to follow author Dreyman and plunges deeper and deeper into his life until he reaches the threshold of doubting the system
Duration: 137 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 405000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, France
Plot tags: surveillance, cold war, berlin wall, spy, stasi, communism, iron curtain, secrets, loneliness, voyeurism, interrogation, politics, suicide, secret police, life philosophy, murder, corruption, espionage, paranoia, conspiracy, propaganda, fighting the system, writers, tragedy, moral dilemma
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Plot Summary:
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory
Duration: 147 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 698000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: USA
Plot tags: vietnam war, insanity, jungle, mission, anti war, army, violence, military, secret mission, soldier, violent, war, river, losing-it hero, jungle warfare, american soldier, war criminal, nihilism, u.s. military, photojournalist, animal abuse, assassination, madness, chaos, u.s. army
Oldboy (2003)
Plot Summary:
With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate businessman seeks revenge on his captors
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 619000
Genere: Action, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: South Korea
Plot tags: revenge, incest, vengeance, older man younger woman relationship, psychopath, plot twist, hypnosis, mind game, psychological torture, kidnapping, confined, torture, loneliness, great ending, brother sister relationship, imprisonment, brother sister incest, sin, captive, father daughter incest, notebook, incestuous relationship, violence, humiliation, mysterious villain
Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019)
Plot Summary:
Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya is a brilliant, underrated detective from Nellore who runs an agency called FBI which sees no business. He gets more than what he asked for when a case happens to fall right into his lap out of nowhere
Duration: 148 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: murder, murder mystery, detective agency, murderer, murder investigation, private detective, heroes, investigation, violence, youth, death, investigator, graphic violence, chase, rivalry, society, who done it, interrogation, corpse, weirdo, homicide detective, evidence, testimony, police detective, suspicion
Incendies (2010)
Plot Summary:
A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love
Duration: 131 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 192000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: Canada, France
Plot tags: prison, rape, incest, civil war, last will and testament, torture, pregnant from rape, unwanted pregnancy, unknown father, incest rape, twin brother and sister, psychology, family problems, twins, muslim, university, self discovery, mother son incest, family secret, islam, death, haunted by the past, uncover truth, brutality, family drama
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013)
Plot Summary:
Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman
Duration: 76 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 56000
Genere: Animation, Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, batman, comic book, villain, distopia, heroes, imaginary, fighting crime, good versus evil, protector, rivalry, master villain, society, comeback, mogul, heroic mission, superman, violent, vigilantism, fight, disguise, police officer, police, hostage, police raid
Raatchasan (2018)
Plot Summary:
A serial killer is murdering school girls, and a newbie cop has to track him down before the victim count increases
Duration: 170 min
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
IMDB Votes: 49000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: serial killer, police, spy, life & death, intrigue, hate, murder, psycho, investigation, secret service, murder mystery, entertainment, plot twist, innovation, rookie, police investigation, child kidnapping, school, teacher, schoolgirl, interrogation, rich and poor, fashion, child abduction, tamil
Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016)
Plot Summary:
A former cop looks back on the case which left him disabled and forced him to quit the force
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: investigation, murder mystery, police, murder, serial killer, murder investigation, police officer, constable, crime solving, murderer, crime investigation, unsolved crime, police investigation, homicide detective, uncover truth, serial murder, whodunit, secret service, entertainment, wandering, life lesson, plot twist, car accident, double murder, student
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Plot Summary:
At Princeton University, John Nash struggles to make a worthwhile contribution to serve as his legacy to the world of mathematics. He finally makes a revolutionary breakthrough that will eventually earn him the Nobel Prize. After graduate school he turns to teaching, becoming romantically involved with his student Alicia. Meanwhile the government asks his help with breaking Soviet codes, which soon gets him involved in a terrifying conspiracy plot. Nash grows more and more paranoid until a discovery that turns his entire world upside down. Now it is only with Alicia's help that he will be able to recover his mental strength and regain his status as the great mathematician we know him as today
Duration: 135 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 972000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Plot tags: mathematics, mental illness, schizophrenia, genius, paranoia, insanity, scientist, mathematician, imaginary friend, nobel prize, obsession, prodigy, psychiatry, imagination, mental disorder, intelligence, psychiatrist, professor, existentialism, paranoid schizophrenia, biopic, mentally unstable, conspiracy, economics, talented
The Father (2020)
Plot Summary:
A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages and, as he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality
Duration: 97 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 183000
Genere: Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, France, USA
Plot tags: alzheimer's disease, elderly, memory loss, old man, dementia, caregiver, father daughter relationship, destiny, elderly man, human spirit, alone in the world, memory, aging, old age, mental health, terminal illness, dream, self discovery, life & death, acceptance, disability, doubts and hesitations, loneliness, faith, insanity
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Plot Summary:
A psychological thriller about an eight year old boy named Cole Sear who believes he can see into the world of the dead. A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts of dead people
Duration: 107 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 10000000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: twists and turns, supernatural, afterlife, psychology, ghost, plot twist, death, psychiatrist, life & death, psychic, psychologist, boy, child, supernatural horror, psychic power, supernatural ability, seeing dead people, spirit, paranormal phenomena, untimely death, fear, great ending, human relationship, child in peril, single mother
The Thing (1982)
Plot Summary:
Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people it kills
Duration: 109 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 456000
Genere: Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: monster, alien, isolation, survival, fear, creature, paranoia, snow, supernatural, suspicion, ufo, body horror, scientist, alien life-form, mutation, trapped, space and aliens, alien encounter, survival horror, characters in danger, transformation, evil, gory, danger, research
Andhadhun (2018)
Plot Summary:
A series of mysterious events changes the life of a blind pianist who now must report a crime that was actually never witnessed by him
Duration: 139 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 100000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: blind man, musician, blindness, pianist, murder, affair, evidence, love and romance, murder witness, witnessing a crime, blindness and impaired vision, plot twist, dark humor, murder investigation, deception, murder mystery, witness, loss of eyesight, musician's life, visual impairment, characters in danger, blind character, whodunit, heist, investigation
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
It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
Plot Summary:
Bill struggles to put together his shattered psyche, in this new feature film version of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film trilogy
Duration: 62 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: surrealism, illness, mental health, mental illness, dark humor, nightmare, hospital, divorced parents, narration, death, loneliness, depression, destiny, life & death, existentialism, introspection, obsession, art, imagination, self discovery, direction and purpose, hopes, trippy, conversation, love
Shutter Island (2010)
Plot Summary:
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 14000000
Genere: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: twists and turns, plot twist, investigation, mental illness, insanity, psychology, paranoia, memory, schizophrenia, psychiatrist, mental institution, psychiatry, mental disorder, isolation, disorder, losing-it hero, suspicion, mistrust, doubts and hesitations, uncover truth, conspiracy, island, mental patient, obsession, deception
Chinatown (1974)
Plot Summary:
Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together
Duration: 130 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 343000
Genere: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: private detective, corruption, investigation, femme fatale, twists and turns, rape, police, murder, conspiracy, father daughter incest, incest, investigator, domestic violence, plot twist, murder mystery, husband wife relationship, whodunit, unhappy ending, political corruption, gangster, dialogue, threat, cover up, racism, tragedy
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Plot Summary:
Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner
Duration: 138 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 607000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Plot tags: corruption, police corruption, murder, murder mystery, police, gang, police detective, organized crime, fighting the system, call girl, dangerous attraction, police brutality, twists and turns, gunfight, law enforcement, dishonesty, conspiracy, blackmail, whodunit, prostitute, femme fatale, justice, investigation, police procedural, manipulation