Detective Mystery Crime backdrop

Detective Mystery Crime movies

Case-solving is the engine: clues, suspects, interviews, and the final reveal inside a criminal context.

21 Bridges

21. 21 Bridges

Crime Action Drama Detective Mystery Crime Epic Action
6.7

20191h 39min

United States, China

Director: Brian Kirk

Detective Andre Davis leads a massive manhunt for the criminals who killed two police officers. As tensions rise, the authorities order all bridges out of Manhattan to be shut down to keep the killers from escaping the island.

Themes

Police corruption networks, Citywide power struggles, Institutional distrust and secrecy, Loyalty versus duty under pressure, Accountability through exposure, Urban violence and pursuit ethics

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Conspiracy of Faith

22. A Conspiracy of Faith

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller Detective Mystery Crime
7.0

20161h 48min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Hans Petter Moland

Denmark, 2016. A blurred note is found in a bottle that has traveled across the ocean for a long time. After deciphering the cryptic note, Department Q follow a sinister trail that leads them to investigate a case that occurred in 2008. At the same time, new tragic events take place that test their faith and deepest beliefs.

Themes

Faith vs atheism, Secrecy within insular communities, Unreported disappearances, Insular religious networks, Cold case investigation, Ethical strain on investigators

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Hard Day

23. A Hard Day

Crime Thriller Mystery Action Detective Mystery Crime
7.2

20141h 51min

South Korea

Director: Kim Seong-hun

After trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.

Themes

Loyalty under threat, Police corruption, Deception under pressure, Moral compromise under pressure, Bureaucratic coverups, Greed and collateral damage

Available on

Apple TV
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

24. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Drama Thriller Crime Mystery Investigation Suspense
7.8

20092h 32min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Niels Arden Oplev

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

Themes

Female empowerment, Abuse and guardianship, Legacy and accountability, Antisemitism and family secrecy, Corruption and exposure, Investigative collaboration under pressure

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

25. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Adventure Action Crime Mystery Epic Action
7.4

20112h 9min

United States

Director: Guy Ritchie

There is a new criminal mastermind at large (Professor Moriarty) and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil and lack of conscience may give him an advantage over the detective.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under pressure, Betrayal and trust, War profiteering motive, Power through control, Intellectual duel

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

City of Lies

26. City of Lies

Crime Thriller Drama Detective Mystery Crime Investigation Suspense
6.5

20181h 52min

United States

Director: Brad Furman

Los Angeles Police Department detective Russell Poole has spent years trying to solve his biggest case -- the murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur -- but after two decades, the investigation remains open. Jack Jackson, a reporter desperate to save his reputation and career, is determined to find out why. In search of the truth, the two team up and unravel a growing web of institutional corruption and lies.

Themes

Racial tensions in policing, Collaboration under pressure, Legal battles and settlements, Deception and cover-ups, Media frenzy manipulation, Institutional pressure from leadership

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Hot Fuzz

27. Hot Fuzz

Crime Action Comedy Buddy Action Detective Mystery Crime
7.8

20072h 1min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Edgar Wright

Former London constable Nicholas Angel finds it difficult to adapt to his new assignment in the sleepy British village of Sandford. Not only does he miss the excitement of the big city, but he also has a well-meaning oaf for a partner. However, when a series of grisly accidents rocks Sandford, Angel smells something rotten in the idyllic village.

Themes

Parody of authority, Community image vs reality, Rural policing pressure, Bureaucratic priorities, Property and development, Internal conspiracies

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Mr. Holmes

28. Mr. Holmes

Drama Crime Family Mystery Historical Drama
6.8

20151h 44min

United Kingdom, United States

Director: Bill Condon

In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement.

Themes

Memory loss, Loneliness and isolation, Detective role, Based on novel, Memory vs narrative construction, Domestic duty and care

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Sherlock Holmes

29. Sherlock Holmes

Action Adventure Crime Mystery City Adventure
7.5

20092h 9min

United States, Germany

Director: Guy Ritchie

After a series of ritual murders, the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson track down Lord Blackwood. The criminal is captured and later executed, but the case does not end there, and the mystery is only beginning to gain momentum.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Secret power networks, Science versus superstition, Illusion and manipulation, Authority and secrecy, Ambition and conquest

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Murder on the Orient Express

30. Murder on the Orient Express

Mystery Drama Crime Whodunit Detective Mystery Crime
6.5

20171h 54min

United States

Director: Kenneth Branagh

During an urgent journey aboard the Orient Express, the famous detective Hercule Poirot becomes involved in the mysterious murder of one of the passengers. The investigation is complicated by the fact that almost everyone on the train has a motive for the crime.

Themes

Class tension, Moral ambiguity, Deception and complicity, Collective guilt, Justice under constraint, Family tragedy

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.