Detective Mystery Crime backdrop

Detective Mystery Crime movies

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

Jack Reacher

31. Jack Reacher

Crime Drama Thriller Action One-Person Army
7.0

20122h 10min

United States

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The interrogation yields one written note: 'Get Jack Reacher!'. Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney. However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears. So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.

Themes

Deception and framing, Family ties under pressure, Lone investigator ethics, Mob influence on justice, Evidence ambiguity, Duty vs accountability

Available on

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

Gone Baby Gone

32. Gone Baby Gone

Crime Drama Mystery Detective Mystery Crime Investigation Mystery
7.6

20071h 53min

United States

Director: Ben Affleck

Police unsuccessfully try to find a four-year-old girl who has gone missing. A frustrated aunt turns to two private detectives, who reluctantly get pulled into a much bigger tangle of lies, drugs, and corruption.

Themes

Deception as survival, Duty versus family, Moral ambiguity in justice, Endangerment of children, Corruption within institutions, Trust vs loyalty

Available on

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

The Unknown Girl

33. The Unknown Girl

Thriller Drama Crime Investigation Suspense Psychological Drama
6.5

20161h 46min

Belgium, France

Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Jenny, a young doctor who feels guilty after a young woman she refused to see winds up dead a few days later, decides to find out who the girl was, after the police can't identify the young woman.

Themes

Identity pursuit, Care under pressure, Duty vs guilt, Surveillance and doubt, Responsibility and accountability

Available on

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

Veronica Mars

34. Veronica Mars

Crime Drama Comedy Detective Mystery Crime Coming-of-Age Drama
6.7

20141h 47min

United States

Director: Rob Thomas

Years after walking away from her past as a teenage private eye, Veronica Mars gets pulled back to her hometown - just in time for her high school reunion - in order to help her old flame Logan Echolls, who's embroiled in a murder mystery.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Accountability under scrutiny, Class bias in policing, Corruption and cover-ups, Blackmail and surveillance, High school reunion pressures

Available on

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

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

35. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Action Thriller Crime Mystery Courtroom Thriller
7.3

20092h 27min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Daniel Alfredson

After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in a hospital and is set to face trial for attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must prove her innocence. In doing this she plays against powerful enemies and her own past.

Themes

Investigative journalism, Institutional complicity, Power and secrecy, Framing and deception, Legal pressure and manipulation, Privacy vs control

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
AMC+ Amazon Channel
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Call

36. The Call

Crime Thriller Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Detective Mystery Crime
6.7

20131h 34min

United States

Director: Brad Anderson

Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.

Themes

Kidnapping dynamics, Torture chamber motif, Gas station violence, Serial killer blueprint, Cell phone leverage, Emergency services pressure

Available on

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

Mystic River

37. Mystic River

Thriller Crime Drama Mystery Investigation Suspense
7.9

20032h 18min

United States

Director: Clint Eastwood

In a neighborhood where one childhood abduction poisons every friendship, three former friends grow into a store owner, a detective, and a haunted factory worker. When a new family tragedy explodes, old scars rip open and the detective’s case drags them all back into the nightmare they never escaped.

Themes

Loyalty under strain, Childhood trauma legacy, Grief and memory, Vengeance and justice, Family ties and secrecy, Hidden past resurfacing

Available on

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

Tell No One

38. Tell No One

Drama Thriller Crime Mystery Mind Game Thriller
7.5

20062h 11min

France

Director: Guillaume Canet

A man receives a mysterious email appearing to be from his wife, who was murdered years earlier. As he frantically tries to find out whether she's alive, he finds himself being implicated in her death.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Memory and trauma, Grief and loss, False accusations, Deception and cover-up, Crime and family secrets

Available on

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

State of Play

39. State of Play

Thriller Crime Mystery Political Thriller Detective Mystery Crime
7.1

20092h 7min

France, United Kingdom

Director: Kevin Macdonald

When a congressional aide is killed, a Washington, D.C. journalist starts investigating the case involving the Representative, his old college friend.

Themes

Corruption and accountability, Corporate influence on policy, Media ethics and transparency, Investigative journalism under pressure, Political power and oversight, Loyalty and betrayal in politics

Available on

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

The Girl Who Played with Fire

40. The Girl Who Played with Fire

Drama Action Thriller Crime Mystery
7.1

20092h 9min

Denmark, Germany

Director: Daniel Alfredson

Mikael Blomkvist, publisher of Millennium magazine, has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation.

Themes

Power dynamics, Investigative persistence, Institutional corruption, Sex trafficking exposure, Surveillance and privacy, Domestic abuse aftermath

Available on

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