The murder mysteries always arouse our curiosity. Maybe it’s a matter of curiosity, wanting to know who the bad guys do pay (even in movies), and the mystery more complicated has an answer and follows the clues find.
In movies and series, murder mysteries and the hunt for the killer have become great movies, from Film Noir that began in the 1930s to the Whodunit mysteries we have today (like Knives Out ), and although they have taken different ways over the years they all have something in common, they always follow a detective (professional or amateur) who struggles with his inner demons while trying to find the culprit of a crime who seems to be smarter than all.
This is one of those genres that everyone seems to like, it has a lot of intrigue, violence, some comedy and even a bit of sex , in addition to giving us the opportunity to put the puzzle together with the protagonists, putting ourselves to the test to see if we are as smart as we think and we can read the subtle clues that the filmmakers leave from the beginning to solve the case.
It is an opportunity to be Sherlock Holmes without having to get up from the seat. In addition to fun, they are stories that make us think a little, and the best ones always surprise us with unexpected endings and crazy twists that make us analyze everything again to see where we went wrong.
Are you one of those who used to play games like Clue as children (or do you still do as adults)? Well, he has his own movie, and after that, you can see many others in which you must sharpen your senses, listen to your instincts and use all your powers of deduction to catch criminals, or simply sit down and discover how the story is unwrap alone.
The best Murder Mysteries you must see:
Clue
Inspired by the legendary game of the same name. Clue (which, by the way you can see on Amazon Prime) stars Tim Curry, Eileen Brennan, and Madeline Kahn and begins when six strangers are invited to a strange mansion for dinner. Still, the evening begins to spiral out of control when their host is murdered, which forces the guests to cooperate with the police to identify the killer before he takes out everyone. Like the game, the idea is to explore some theories until you find the criminal’s true identity, and it will probably not be who you think.
The Maltese Falcon
A classic from Film Noir. The Maltese Falcon stars Humphrey Bogart, who plays private detective Samuel Spade in this story that leads him to meet eccentric criminals, a Femme Fatale with a big problem and a priceless sculpture that has everyone desperate to find her. . The Maltese Falcon is definitely one of Bogart’s films that best represents the style of cinema of the 40s, in addition to telling a story full of intrigue that continues to work today.
Knives Out
Rian Johnson brought together Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer and Chris Evans , among others, in this story similar to the Clue game in which the murder of an elderly millionaire forces a detective to travel to a mansion where he must interrogate a all the members of the family in order to find the murderer, the problem is that they all have a motive, but only one person knows the truth and Benoit Blanc must find it before the will is read and the fortune is distributed.
Gone Girl
Inspired by Gillian Flynn’s novel , Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike , who play a seemingly perfect marriage with a few dangerous secrets. Everything spirals out of control when Amy disappears and her husband becomes the main suspect in her possible murder, but things are not what they seem and Nick’s only option is to find the ultimate proof that his wife is not dead, and convince all of which he did nothing to her.
Memento
Only Christopher Nolan could make a movie like this. Memento begins at the end, with an amnesiac man trying to piece the puzzle together to find his wife’s killer. The clues? A series of tattoos that help you remember all the details and that could be the key to reveal the truth and find the man who left you without memories and with a destroyed life. The ending really is the beginning of the story and has one of Nolan’s craziest twists.
Se7en
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman are in charge of catching a serial killer who kills his victims according to the 7 deadly sins. Each case can have a clue about the next and the perpetrator of the crime, and the mission is to find the person responsible before the game ends. Unknowingly, Pitt and Freeman are part of the cycle, and that is what leads us to one of the best endings in movie history.
Happy death day
Groundhog Day and a murder mystery in one place, what more could you ask for? This is the story of Tree, a university student who is murdered on her birthday, but she does not die, but repeats the day again and is condemned to repeat the cycle until she finds who murdered her and finds out why he wants to kill her. . The film has several possible candidates, but in the end they take a different path to close with a surprise.
scream
This classic from the 90s came to revolutionize the slasher genre and make fun of all stereotypes, while telling the story of a group of teenagers who are harassed by a mysterious murderer who wears a white mask and is a fan of horror movies. The movie applies an Alfred Hitchcock by murdering one of its main stars at first, but that’s just to show that nothing here is as you expect it to be.
Death on the Nile / Death on the Orient Express
Agatha Christie is the queen of murder mysteries in literature, and her books have become some of the best movies in the genre. Death on the Nile, 1978, follows the passengers on a Nile cruise after a millionaire heiress is murdered on board, leading Detective Poirot to suspect everyone. Death on the Orient Express, 2017, is a similar story, but it takes place on a train where murder is committed, and Poirot must solve it before they reach the station and everyone gets off.
The Nice Guys
There can also be comedy in murder, and that’s the case with The Nice Guys with Ryan Gosling and Rusell Crowe. Shane Black’s film follows two private detectives who are hired to solve a missing girl’s case and the death of a porn star. The people involved in the case begin to be murdered one by one, so the detectives are in a race against time and quickly realize that the case is much more complicated than they thought.
LA Confidential
Curtis Hanson directs this film with Kim Basinger, Rusell Crowe, and Guy Pearce that takes place in the Los Angeles of the 50s. This neo-noir thriller follows three policemen who are investigating a series of murders connected to a network of corruption in the city, which leads them to discover a crime hidden within another. The film garnered 9 Oscar nominations and Kim Basinger ended up winning one for Best Actress.
Fargo
The Coen brothers’ classic is definitely one of the best movies in the history of cinema and one of the best murder mysteries, and for that reason, it received 7 Oscar nominations. Frances McDorman won an Oscar for playing a pregnant police officer investigating a murder mystery that turns out to be connected to a man who planned the kidnapping of his own wife in order to collect the ransom.
The Bone Collector
Inspired by Jefferey Deaver’s books, The Bone Collector stars Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, a rookie cop and a veteran detective who must work together to catch a serial killer who leaves behind clues at each crime scene. The killer returns to the scene and is watching every move, so the agents must do their best to beat him at his own twisted game before more victims fall for his trap.
