There's no shortage of great mystery movies, since the cinematic bench is deep with classics. Where the work of classic mystery writers like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie ends, the work of great screenwriters and directors begins, adapting many of those classic works, along with the works of many other authors, and churning out seminal originals of the silver screen. The medium is well-suited to the genre, with an ability to visualize all the elements that make mysteries such potent entertainment.
Mysteries are meant to be intriguing — a good mystery movie should pique your interest and keep you enthralled until it resolves itself. It's what all the best classics and contemporary efforts of the genre do: they tickle our brains and keep our eyes glued to the screen. Whether it's a fun whodunit, a bleak noir or a blockbuster thriller, some mystery movies keep us hooked from start to finish, and these ten do exactly that.
'The Big Sleep' (1946)
Adapted from the classic hardboiled novel by Raymond Chandler and directed by Howard Hawks, The Big Sleep is an essential film noir with a plot so complex and confusing that even those involved in its production didn't fully understand it. It's a classic detective story featuring Chandler's iconic character of Philip Marlowe, brought to life by the inimitable Humphrey Bogart, who has white-hot chemistry with co-star and future wife Lauren Bacall, in the second of six films the two legendary actors appeared in together.
The Big Sleep is the perfect example of a mystery movie that keeps you hooked even if its plot doesn't exactly hold together. In it, private eye Marlowe is hired by the wealthy General Sternwood (Charles Waldron), who asks him to help settle the debts of one of his daughters, though the General's other daughter (Bacall) suspects he has other motives. So ensues a deadly game of double crosses, multiplying murders and steamy romance. It's perfect pulp with some of the punchiest dialogue you'll ever hear, from a script co-written by William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman. The script was unfinished when the film went into production, which contributed to its confusing convolution.
'Bad Day at Black Rock' (1955)
A neo-Western with a heavy dash of noir thrown into the mix, Bad Day at Black Rock is a blistering mystery that bakes under the sun of its desert location. Based on the short story Bad Time at Honda written by Howard Breslin, the movie is searing in its portrayal of small-town secrets and post-war pessimism and features a commanding cast of hard-faced professionals, including Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin. Bad Day at Black Rock is a mystery masterpiece made with tightly wound suspense.
Tracy plays war veteran John Macreedy, who arrives in the titular California town by rail and has come looking for a man named Komoko. The townsfolk immediately treat Macreedy with apprehension, and his search for Komoko only inspires more hostility toward him. Macreedy's investigation uncovers the dark secrets of the small town that have been buried deep, along with all sorts of ugliness. Bad Day at Black Rock doesn't pull its punches and offers a revisionist Western mystery that will sink its teeth into you.
'Bunny Lake is Missing' (1965)
Otto Preminger's Bunny Lake is Missing is a twisted psychological thriller with a classic premise that's been dramatized in a number of films and television series, but never quite as luridly. The urban legend of the Vanishing Lady has inspired many works of mystery fiction, thanks to its inherent intrigue. The legend follows a woman traveling with her mother. After leaving her ill mother in their hotel room to retrieve some medicine. The woman returns to find that both the hotel room and her mother have vanished into thin air, with no one having any memory of her.
In the version of the story presented in Bunny Lake is Missing, based on the novel of the same name by Merriam Modell, an American woman living in London named Ann Lake (Carol Lynley) goes to pick up her daughter Bunny from preschool. The child has disappeared, of course, and Ann struggles to find any evidence to convince the police inspector Newhouse (Laurence Olivier) that she ever existed. The change of making the missing person a child instantly raises the stakes of the story, and the reveal is more unsettling than anyone might expect from a film over sixty years old.
'Murder on the Orient Express' (1974)
Few mystery writers are more notable and influential than Agatha Christie, and her greatest protagonist is the mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot, who appeared in over 30 novels and has been adapted multiple times in film and television. The most effective of these adaptations is the Sidney Lumet-directed version of the most famous Poirot mystery, Murder on the Orient Express. With an all-star and stylish production design, the film is a vibrant adaptation of the Christie character and one of the most essential whodunits ever made.
Set on the titular train, the film brings Poirot, played here by Albert Finney, on board along with an international cast of characters, featuring stars like Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, and Vanessa Redgrave. When one of the passengers is murdered in their sleep, it's up to Poirot to solve the mystery before the train reaches its destination. The film is sharply written and handsomely produced, sucking you in with its atmosphere and austere cast, and the effectiveness of Christie's mystery is preserved on screen.
'Blow Out' (1981)
Brian De Palma's Blow Out reimagines the Michelangelo Antonioni classic Blowup through the director's sleazier sensibilities. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock and Italian Giallo films, De Palma's political thriller is a masterclass in suspense. The film follows a sound effects technician (John Travolta) who accidentally records evidence of a car accident that may actually be a murder. As he digs deeper, he uncovers a conspiracy that puts his own life at risk. With its stunning set pieces and a haunting ending, Blow Out is a mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
For more gripping mysteries, check out our list of 10 Miniseries That Deliver Pure Perfection From Start to Finish and The Best 90s Thriller Movies: One Unforgettable Film Per Year.
