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A personal list of favorite detective movies from various genres, countries and decades, compiled by a user on IMDb. See the titles, ratings, summaries and cast of each movie, from Vertigo to Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
100 titles. Sort by List order. 1. Se7en. 1995 2h 7m R. 8.6 (1.8M) Rate. 65 Metascore. Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives. Director David Fincher Stars Morgan Freeman Brad Pitt Kevin Spacey. 2. Zodiac. 2007 2h 37m R. 7.7 (602K) Rate. 79 Metascore.
- The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo
- Dirty Harry
- The Thin Man
- Insomnia
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
- Zodiac
- Brick
- L.A. Confidential
- The Third Man
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Few detective stories are as brutally aberrant as Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and for that reason, perhaps it was more than appropriate that David Fincher helm the English adaptation. The material provided to Fincher is bleak, which he certainly isn’t a stranger of, and the vision he’s provided in past efforts (which we'll ge...
If you think about it, there aren’t many discernible qualities that separate Clint Eastwood’s Harry Callahan from his ‘Man with No Name’ in Sergio Leone’s Dollars trilogy; just trade in the Western garb and a regular six-shooter for suits and a .44 Magnum that could blow your head clean off. Even in the final shootout with Scorpio, the dilapidated ...
In a list mixed with archetypal and unconventional personalities, these two detectives Charles, Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy), find themselves straddling the line between both. On the one hand, they both, especially Nick, exemplify how a charismatic Hollywood actor is to present himself or herself. Like many an actor in his era, Powell...
Christopher Nola has made himself a reputation for his unique vision, especially with regards to his projects outside of his Dark Knight trilogy. For that reason, he joins David Fincher as a director with multiple films on this list, and it starts with the film that got him Batman Begins: Insomnia. Many films on this list stand apart in one way or ...
Roger Rabbit is potentially one of the last fictional talking mammals anyone would expect to intentionally commit a crime, and yet he found himself at the center of a story of “greed, sex and murder,” as Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) puts it. With Who Framed Roger Rabbit, director Robert Zemekis and company created an innovative amalgamation of live-...
Most recently, Shane Black used Hollywood’s peculiar history in the seventies as part of the narrative in The Nice Guys, but with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, he completely lampoons conventional filmmaking and film industry culture -- while providing a decent mystery along the way. Much of the focus here is on the comedy, as Harry (Robert Downey, Jr.) and ...
The identity of the Zodiac killer is one of America’s greatest, most haunting mysteries, quite like the identity of Jack the Ripper for England. Though much like the latter’s film From Hell, David Fincher’s Zodiac seems to have its own ideas about who the culprit was, even if the case is never fully resolved. Speculation aside, Fincher can help spi...
Rian Johnson’s indie starlet Brick is one of those movies that feel like a dream. It isn’t dream-like in a visual sense, but rather through the dialogue, characterization and events that take place. For those who imagine themselves as a Humphrey Bogart detective-type, it’s how Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) carries himself in what can only be ...
Film noir doesn’t need the lowly lit, smoky atmosphere alluded to earlier or calmly cool detectives getting amongst the seedy underbelly of society. As L.A. Confidential reminded us nearly two decades ago, the brutality can be unchecked and the violence can have an exuberant punch. Additionally, with a genre that has given us hard-boiled private ey...
One high praise many have given Carol Reed’s The Third Manis its atmospheric cinematography, and how could it not be against the glorious backdrop of Vienna? Post-war Vienna seems a timely setting for the glass half empty mentality filling all film noir. The scope is ambitious and as grand as the locale, but Reed’s film isn’t always atmospheric in ...
A list of the best detective movies ever made, from film noir classics to modern thrillers. Find out which films made the cut and why, from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to Chinatown.
- William Penix
May 27, 2024 · The crime detective genre puts thrilling criminal investigations on the big screen. These movies follow a detective – who could be a hired private investigator, a member of law enforcement, or a complete amateur – as they attempt to uncover the mysteries of a crime.
- Murder on the Orient Express. Sidney Lumet's 1974 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1934 novel might be the golden standard by which all other detective movies must be measured.
- The Long Goodbye (1973) Robert Altman's "The Long Goodbye" is based on the famed 1953 novel by Raymond Chandler, but it's perhaps the least hard-boiled detective movie one might encounter.
- Se7en. David Fincher's 1995 noir masterpiece "Se7en" is one of those rare timeless films you can confidently share with younger thriller fans. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as police detectives tracking down an Old Testament-inspired serial killer have such a tense and conflict-ridden chemistry that their contentious bromance blooms right to that legendary twist ending.
- The Silence of The Lambs. In "The Silence of the Lambs," Jodie Foster's slightness of frame is one of many features that made Clarice Starling the perfect FBI trainee to help track down Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), a serial killer who skins his victims in a twisted quest for self-transcendence.
2 days ago · The allure of a mystery, the thrill of the chase, and the satisfaction of a puzzle solved; detective movies have captivated audiences for generations, offering a blend of suspense, drama, and intricate storytelling that few other genres can match.
A list of 130 movies that feature detectives, crimes, mysteries, and thrillers, ranked by user ratings and popularity. Browse titles, genres, directors, stars, and summaries of each movie, from High and Low to Zodiac.
