Whodunit backdrop

Whodunit movies

A closed question drives the plot—who did it? Built on clues, suspects, alibis, and a final reveal.

The Reckoning

1. The Reckoning

Crime Drama Mystery Historical Drama Whodunit
6.4
20041h 52min

Overview

In 14th Century England, this tale of murder and mystery follows a fugitive priest who falls in with a troupe of actors. As they arrive in a small town, the actors encounter a woman being sentenced to death for practicing witchcraft and murder. Discarding the expected bible stories, the actors now stage a performance based on the crime. Through the performance of the play, they discover a mystery.

Themes

Class inequality, Public spectacle, Unreliable testimony, Mob justice, Art as inquiry, Power and revolt

Available on

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

One Missed Call

2. One Missed Call

Horror Mystery Fantasy Supernatural Horror Whodunit
6.2
20031h 52min

Overview

People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, in the form of the sound of them reacting to their own violent deaths, along with the exact date and time of their future death, listed on the message log. The plot thickens as the surviving characters pursue the answers to this mystery which could save their lives.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Media sensationalism, Intergenerational trauma, Fear of the unseen, Technological hauntings, Family abuse dynamics

Available on

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

Identity

3. Identity

Mystery Thriller Whodunit Mindfuck Thriller
7.3
20031h 30min

Overview

Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.

Themes

Deception and betrayal, Survival under pressure, Isolation under siege, Distrust among strangers, Dissociative identity conflict, Power dynamics in crisis

Available on

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

Basic

4. Basic

Action Drama Mystery Thriller Crime
6.4
20031h 38min

Overview

When a hurricane hits a US Army base on the edge of the Panama Canal, an elite covert operations team of US Army Rangers recruits are on a routine jungle training exercise that goes horribly awry. Only two recruits are rescued, one of which is badly injured, but both have different accounts regarding the fate of their leader, legendary and ruthless Army Ranger Drill Sergeant Nathan West, and the rest of their platoon. Tom Hardy, an ex-army Ranger turned maverick DEA agent is brought in to solve the mystery and uncover what really happened out there.

Themes

Loyalty and deception, Covert military operations, Interrogation under pressure, Institutional complicity and coverups, Drug trafficking within ranks, Abusive leadership and power

Available on

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

Final Destination 2

5. Final Destination 2

Horror Mystery Supernatural Horror Whodunit
6.2
20031h 30min

Overview

When Kimberly has a violent premonition of a highway pileup she blocks the freeway, keeping a few others meant to die, safe...Or are they? The survivors mysteriously start dying and it's up to Kimberly to stop it before she's next.

Themes

Protective deception, Survival under fate, Birth as loophole, Collateral consequences of actions, Interventions to alter fate, Recalibrated death order

Available on

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

Bubba Ho-tep

6. Bubba Ho-tep

Comedy Horror Thriller Mystery Fantasy
6.9
20021h 32min

Overview

Bubba Ho-tep tells the "true" story of what really became of Elvis Presley. We find Elvis as an elderly resident in an East Texas rest home, who switched identities with an Elvis impersonator years before his "death," then missed his chance to switch back. He must team up with JFK and fight an ancient Egyptian mummy for the souls of their fellow residents.

Themes

Deception and imposture, Companionship under pressure, Aging and dignity, Belief and superstition, Communal vulnerability, Mortality and courage

Available on

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

8 Women

7. 8 Women

Comedy Thriller Mystery Whodunit Domestic Thriller
7.0
20021h 51min

Overview

Eight women gather to celebrate Christmas in a snowbound cottage, only to find the family patriarch dead with a knife in his back. Trapped in the house, every woman becomes a suspect, each having her own motive and secret.

Themes

Appearances vs reality, Wealth and inheritance pressure, Intimate relationships and power, Class dynamics and secrecy, Hidden motives and manipulation, Confinement and social performance

Available on

Rakuten TV
Amazon Video
blue TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Gosford Park

8. Gosford Park

Drama Mystery Thriller Whodunit Historical Drama
7.2
20012h 17min

Overview

In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.

Themes

Deception and blackmail, Master servant dynamics, Money and inheritance pressures, Dark secret and family ties, Class tensions in country estate, Appearance versus reality in high society

Available on

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

The Cat's Meow

9. The Cat's Meow

Drama Mystery Thriller Crime History
6.4
20011h 54min

Overview

Semi-true story of the Hollywood murder that occurred at a star-studded gathering aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924.

Themes

Deception and reputation, Ambition and risk, Power dynamics under glamour, Blackmail pressure, Gossip economy, Loyalty versus self-interest

Available on

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

Joy Ride

10. Joy Ride

Mystery Thriller Drama Kidnapping & Captivity Thriller Whodunit
6.6
20011h 37min

Overview

Three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer.

Themes

Risk under pressure, Family loyalty under threat, Cb radio surveillance, Gas station tension, Pursuit and deception, Safety in motion

Available on

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