Investigation Mystery backdrop

Investigation Mystery movies

Process-driven mystery: leads, interviews, contradictions, and evidence pressure solved through reasoning.

191. National Treasure

National Treasure
Adventure Action Thriller Mystery Treasure Hunt
6.9
20042h 11minUnited States
Director: Jon Turteltaub

Overview

Modern treasure hunters, led by archaeologist Ben Gates, search for a chest of riches rumored to have been stashed away by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War. The chest's whereabouts may lie in secret clues embedded in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and Gates is in a race to find the gold before his enemies do.

Themes

Father son relationship, Secret history, Ambition vs ethics, Identity vs legacy, Treasure vs public good, Trust vs deception

Available on

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

192. Shutter

Shutter
Horror Mystery Thriller Haunting Horror Investigation Mystery
7.0
20041h 36minThailand
Director: Parkpoom Wongpoom

Overview

When Jane and Tun run over a girl in a car accident, they speed away immediately from the crime scene. However, Tun, a photographer, soon discovers strange shadows in his photos, which unsettles them.

Themes

Peer pressure and complicity, Secret relationship consequences, Revenge beyond the grave, Haunting memories and guilt, Bystander accountability and shame, Obsession with photographs

Available on

Kanopy
Hoopla
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

193. In My Father's Den

In My Father's Den
Drama Mystery Thriller Investigation Mystery Relationship Drama
7.4
20042h 6minNew Zealand, United Kingdom
Director: Brad McGann

Overview

War journalist Paul Prior returns to his New Zealand hometown after his father’s death, rekindling strained relationships with his brother and memories of a troubled past. He befriends Celia, a curious and aspiring writer, who shares a fascination with his world. When Celia mysteriously disappears, Paul becomes the prime suspect, forcing him to confront buried secrets and uncover the dark truths of his family and community.

Themes

Trauma and memory, Buried family past, Guilt and secrecy, Small-town suspicion, Family legacy, Sibling tension

Available on

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

194. Paycheck

Paycheck
Action Adventure Mystery Science Fiction Thriller
6.3
20031h 59minCanada, United States
Director: John Woo

Overview

Michael Jennings is a genius who's hired – and paid handsomely – by high-tech firms to work on highly sensitive projects, after which his short-term memory is erased so he's incapable of breaching security. But at the end of a three-year job, he's told he isn't getting a paycheck and instead receives a mysterious envelope. In it are clues he must piece together to find out why he wasn't paid – and why he's now in hot water.

Themes

Memory manipulation corporate power, Trust under corporate manipulation, Future seeing technology risks, Ethical boundaries memory erasure, Weaponization of invention, Surveillance and escape dynamics

Available on

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

195. Wonderland

Wonderland
Crime Mystery Drama Organized Crime Investigation Mystery
6.5
20031h 44minCanada, United States
Director: James Cox

Overview

On the afternoon of July 1, 1981, Los Angeles police responded to a distress call on Wonderland Avenue and discovered a grisly quadruple homicide. The police investigation that followed uncovered two versions of the events leading up to the brutal murders - both involving legendary porn actor John Holmes.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Desperation and debt, Violence and retaliation, Crime group dynamics, Illusion of control, Consequences of illicit crime

Available on

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

196. I'm Not Scared

I'm Not Scared
Mystery Drama Thriller Crime Investigation Mystery
7.4
20031h 48minItaly, Spain
Director: Gabriele Salvatores

Overview

In a tiny community enclosed by wheat fields, the adults shelter indoors, while six children venture out on their bikes across the scorched, deserted countryside. Exploring a dilapidated and uninhabited farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele discovers a secret so momentous, so terrible, that he dares not tell anyone about it …

Themes

Moral ambiguity, Power and control, Group pressure and obedience, Familial complicity, Childhood curiosity vs danger, Collective silence

Available on

Amazon Video
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

197. Solaris

Solaris
Drama Science Fiction Mystery Psychological Drama Investigation Mystery
6.2
20021h 39minUnited States
Director: Steven Soderbergh

Overview

A troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.

Themes

Perception vs reality, Grief and memory, Artificial companionship, Haunted memory and guilt, Isolation and lack of agency, Ethics of scientific experimentation

Available on

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

198. The Ring

The Ring
Horror Mystery Supernatural Horror Investigation Mystery
7.1
20021h 55minUnited States
Director: Gore Verbinski

Overview

Rachel Keller is a journalist investigating a videotape that may have killed four teenagers. There is an urban legend about this tape: the viewer will die seven days after watching it. Rachel tracks down the video... and watches it. Now she has just seven days to unravel the mystery of the Ring so she can save herself and her son.

Themes

Paranormal investigation pressure, Urban legend fear, Psychic imagery influence, Miscarriage trauma, Copied media cycles, Family secrecy and guilt

Available on

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

199. City by the Sea

City by the Sea
Crime Drama Mystery Police Procedural Tragic Drama
6.1
20021h 48minUnited States
Director: Michael Caton-Jones

Overview

Vincent LaMarca is a dedicated and well-respected New York City police detective who has gone to great lengths to distance himself from his past, but then makes the terrible discovery that his own son has fallen into a life of crime.

Themes

Legacy of violence, Loyalty under pressure, Family duty vs career, Toll of crime on kin, Protective instincts vs duty, Estranged kin dynamics

Available on

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

200. Possession

Possession
Drama Mystery Romance Professional Drama Investigation Mystery
6.3
20021h 42minUnited Kingdom, United States
Director: Neil LaBute

Overview

Maud Bailey, a brilliant English academic, is researching the life and work of poet Christabel La Motte. Roland Michell is an American scholar in London to study Randolph Henry Ash, now best-known for a collection of poems dedicated to his wife. When Maud and Roland discover a cache of love letters that appear to be from Ash to La Motte, they follow a trail of clues across England, echoing the journey of the couple over a century earlier.

Themes

Hidden romance, Academic rivalry, Ideological tension, Cross era ties, Collaboration vs rivalry, Literary legacy

Available on

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