Feeling investigative? If you’re not sure which movie to go for, allow us to clue you in. From detective stories and whodunnits to suspenseful dramas, here are the best mystery-themed movies and shows to stream now.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Charles Hallahan, Deborah Offner, Gerry Bamman, Graham Beckel, James Woods, Joel Polis, John Snyder, Kurt Fuller, Kurtwood Smith, Luis Guzman, Margaret Colin, Miguel Fernandes, Richard Fancy, Robert Downey Jr., Sully Díaz, Thomas Wagner, Tom Bower, Woody Harrelson, Yuji Okumoto, 柯特伍德·史密斯
Director: Joseph Ruben
This movie will first confuse your perception of the narrative with a feud involving the two magicians (played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale), but you will soon be hooked by the twists and turns of the plot. The unveiling of the mystery will leave you in awe, however it is the storytelling and the process that Christopher Nolan puts together so beautifully that is the greatest thing about this movie.
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Andy Serkis, Anthony De Marco, Brian Tahash, Chao Li Chi, Chi Chaoli, Chris Cleveland, Christian Bale, Christopher Neame, Daniel Davis, David Bowie, Edward Hibbert, Enn Reitel, Erin Cipolletti, Ezra Buzzington, Gary Sievers, Hugh Jackman, James Lancaster, James Otis, Jamie Harris, Jim Piddock, Jodi Bianca Wise, John B. Crye, Johnny Liska, Kevin Will, Mark Ryan, Michael Caine, Monty Stuart, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, Ricky Jay, Robert W. Arbogast, Rock Anthony, Roger Rees, Ron Perkins, Russ Fega, Samantha Mahurin, Scarlett Johansson, Tim Pilleri, William Morgan Sheppard
Director: Christopher Nolan
This is a fun genre mashup B-movie, in the vein of old John Carpenter films or those movies you used to run across on late-night cable in the 80s and early 90s. Dan Stevens (that handsome chap from Downton Abbey) gives a knock-out performance as the titular guest (David), who in the movie’s beginning has just shown up on the doorstep of the Peterson family. He says he’s there to pay his respects to the family -- he served with their son, who died in action -- but there is something just a little bit off about him. Everyone in the family is charmed by David except for daughter Anna (Maika Monroe), who approaches him with extreme caution even though she’s clearly impressed by his six-pack abs. The films starts at a slow burn before devolving into nutty, violent chaos, but maintains a dark cheeky sense of humor throughout. The goth pop soundtrack is also killer.
Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Adam Wingard, AJ Bowen, Alex Knight, Brendan Meyer, Brenden Wedner, Candice Patton, Chase Williamson, Chris Ellis, Dan Stevens, Darlene Kellum, Ethan Embry, Frank Bond, J. Nathan Simmons, Jesse Luken, Joel David Moore, Justin Yu, Katie Anne Mitchell, Lance Reddick, Leland Orser, Lonnie Lane, Maika Monroe, Matthew Page, Mike Miller, Nancy Jeris, Sheila Kelley, Steven John Brown, Tabatha Shaun, Tina Borek
Director: Adam Wingard
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Western
Actor: Aaron McGregor, Alex MacQueen, Andrew Robertt, Andy McPhee, Aorere Paki, Ben Mendelsohn, Brian Sergent, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius, David T. Lim, Eddie Campbell, Edwin Wright, Hayden Frost, Jeffrey Thomas, Kalani Queypo, Karl Willetts, Ken Blackburn, Kieran Charnock, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Madeleine Sami, Michael Fassbender, Michael Whalley, Rory McCann, Stuart Bowman, Stuart Martin, Tawanda Manyimo
Director: John Maclean
A splendid animated movie by the legendary animator and director Satoshi Kon. A team of scientists and psychologists have created a device allowing them to enter someone else's dreams. Even if the usage of this device is not allowed outside of her facility, Doctor Atsuko Chiba is using it to cure patients from depression. Things start to get complicated when a stolen device is being used by someone to implement confusing dreams in various victims, causing them to mentally break down.
Genre: Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Akiko Kawase, Akio Otsuka, Anri Katsu, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Eiji Miyashita, Hideyuki Tanaka, Katsunori Kobayashi, Katsunosuke Hori, Koichi Yamadera, Kouichi Yamadera, Kozo Mito, Megumi Hayashibara, Mitsuo Iwata, Rikako Aikawa, Satomi Koorogi, Satomi Korogi, Satoshi Kon, Seiko Ueda, Shinichiro Ohta, Shinya Fukumatsu, Tohru Emori, Tôru Emori, Toru Furuya, Yasutaka Tsutsui
Director: Satoshi Kon
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Baek Bong-ki, Byun Hee-bong, Byun Heebong, Choi Jong-ryul, Go Seo-hee, Hae-il Park, Hie-bong Byeon, Jae-ho Song, Jeon Mi-seon, Jo Deok-jae, Jong-ryol Choi, Jung In-sun, Kang-ho Song, Kim Joo-ryoung, Kim Joo-ryung, Kim Roe-ha, Kim Roi-ha, Kim Sang-kyung, Ko Seo-hie, Kwon Byung-gil, Kwon Hyeok-Pung, Lee Dong-yong, Lee Jae-eung, Lee Kang-san, No-shik Park, Oh Yong, Park Hae-il, Park Hyun-young, Park Jin-woo, Park No-shik, Park Tae-kyeong, Roe-ha Kim, Ryu Tae-ho, Sang-kyung Kim, Seo Young-hwa, Seo-hie Ko, Shim Sung-bo, Shin Hyeon-jong, Shin Hyun-jong, Shin Woon-seob, Son Jin-ho, Son Jin-hwan, Son Kang-gook, Song Jae-ho, Song Kang-ho, Woo Go-na, Yeom Hye-ran, Yoo Seung-mok, Yoon Ga-hyun
Director: Bong Joon-ho, Joon-ho Bong
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Actor: Alexyss Spradlin, Bailey Spry, Carollette Phillips, Charles Gertner, Claire Sloma, Daniel Zovatto, Ele Bardha, Heather Fairbanks, Jake Weary, Keir Gilchrist, Kourtney Bell, Leisa Pulido, Lili Sepe, Linda Boston, Loren Bass, Maika Monroe, Mike Lanier, Olivia Luccardi, Rich Vreeland, Ruby Harris, Scott Norman
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Robert Duvall...Bill Murray...need I say more? This popped up in my Netflix feed as a suggestion. Almost skipped over it, but my husband and I were up late and took a chance. WHOA! The acting is superb and what we thought would be a movie about revenge is unexpectedly about redemption. Robert Duvall is a hermit, looking forward to death. Bill Murray is a funeral home director looking for someone to bury. It's subtle, very subtle, comical and heartbreaking. Y'all will love it.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Andrea Powell, Andy Stahl, Arin Logan, Bill Cobbs, Bill Murray, Blerim Destani, Chandler Riggs, Danny Vinson, Gerald McRaney, Linds Edwards, Lori Beth Sikes, Lucas Black, Marc Gowan, Robert Duvall, Scott Cooper, Sissy Spacek, Tomasz Karolak
Director: Aaron Schneider
Ethan Hawke, Uma Therman and Jude Law star in this film, set in the not-so-distant future, where humans are genetically engineered to be as close to perfect as possible. Any child who is conceived in the traditional fashion is labeled inferior and is discriminated against by the rest of society. The movie follows the life of Hawke's character who, although looked down upon and considered genetically inadequate, attempts to break free from the tethers his peers have placed on him to pursue his lifelong dream of traveling to outer-space.
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Alan Arkin, Blair Underwood, Carlton Benbry, Chad Christ, Cynthia Martells, Dean Norris, Elias Koteas, Elizabeth Dennehy, Ernest Borgnine, Ethan Hawke, Gabrielle Reece, George Marshall Ruge, Gore Vidal, Greg Sestero, Jayne Brook, Jude Law, Ken Marino, Lindsey Ginter, Loren Dean, Mason Gamble, Maya Rudolph, Russell Milton, Ryan Dorin, Steve Bessen, Susan Jennifer Sullivan, Tony Shalhoub, Uma Thurman, Una Damon, Vincent Nielson, William Lee Scott, Xander Berkeley
Director: Andrew Niccol
Sometimes all a movie needs to be entertaining is a character having a really bad day. Breakdown might not have the most story or thematic depth to it, but having Kurt Russell try to track down the men who kidnapped his wife leads to one tension-filled scene to the next. It's a great showcase for the small towns and empty stretches of highway that make up so much of America, lending to the film the feel of a western, with violence and stuntwork that feel edgier than most '90s action fare. There are no guarantees here that our hero will win the day, which makes the danger he's in that much more exciting.
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Ancel Cook, Gene Hartline, Helen Duffy, J.T. Walsh, Jack McGee, Jack Noseworthy, Jonathan Mostow, Kathleen Quinlan, Kim Robillard, Kurt Russell, M.C. Gainey, Moira Sinise, Rex Linn, Rick Zieff, Ritch Brinkley, Thomas Kopache, Vincent Berry
Director: Jonathan Mostow
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star in this crime-comedy as two opposite mom personalities: one a stay-at-home food vlogger, and the other an upper-class businesswoman.
Kendrick’s character (Stephanie, the vlogger mom) agrees to pick up her new friend’s kid from school. However, the kid’s mom disappears, leaving Stephanie to lead an investigation on her own into what happened.
This is a funny no-brainer carried by the two leads’ unlikely but genuine chemistry.
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Andrew Moodie, Andrew Rannells, Anna Kendrick, Aparna Nancherla, Bashir Salahuddin, Blake Lively, Chris Owens, Corinne Conley, Danielle Bourgon, Domenic Cina, Dustin Milligan, Eric Johnson, Geoffrey Antoine, Gia Sandhu, Glenda Braganza, Henry Golding, Howard Hoover, Ian Ho, Jamie Jones, Jason Oliveira, Jean Smart, Jiah Mavji, Joshua Satine, Jung-Yul Kim, Katherine Cullen, Kelly McCormack, Lauren Peters, Lesleh Donaldson, Lila Yee, Linda Cardellini, Melissa O'Neil, Melody Johnson, Michael Park Ingram, Nicole Peters, Noorin Gulamgaus, Olivia Sandoval, Patti Harrison, Paul Feig, Paul Jurewicz, Roger Dunn, Ronnie Rowe, Rosanna Scotto, Rupert Friend, Sarah Baker, Stacey Coke, Sugenja Sri, Umed Amin, Zach Smadu
Director: Paul Feig
Like the action thriller Cellular (2004), Unseen plays with the idea of saving someone only through a phone. This time, however, Yoko Okumura’s directorial debut has video call instead of just audio, with video used to help nearly blind Emily run away from her kidnapper ex. Through split screen shots, occasional open hazy irises, and tiny phone screens, Unseen takes us on a desperate escape, an escape made possible by Emily’s connection with random stranger Sam. While some parts feel absolutely ridiculous, the thriller still feels like a wild ride, especially when focused on its two leads. It’s still enjoyable, if you can accept its silliness and the shallow way it approaches certain themes.
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Brett Baker, Jolene Purdy, Michael Patrick Lane, Midori Francis, Missi Pyle, Nicholas X. Parsons, Ren Hanami
Director: Yoko Okumura
What seems like The Good Mother's biggest asset is actually its downfall. Yes, the three main actors (Swank, Cooke, and Jack Reynor as the civil servant son, Toby) are all good at what they do, but they're incapable of resuscitating a script that's never truly come to life. These casting choices, obviously made to give some clout to a very mediocre project, feel even more disappointing because the disconnect between actor and character is way too big. For example, Swank is not the alcoholic, fed-up mother we need her to be in this case, and its hard to see this as something else than a derogatory take on her previous more tender and glam roles. Director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte's Sundance-winning As You Are carried a whiff of fresh air, The Good Mother is drained out of all its energy, avoiding reflective depth at all costs, not to mention skirting around the ambivalences of motherhood.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Dilone, Hilary Swank, Hopper Penn, Jack Reynor, Karen Aldridge, Larry Fessenden, Laurent Rejto, Norm Lewis, Olivia Cooke
Director: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte
This a small-town, true-crime thriller that has John Hamm (Mad Men) as the detective, Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso) as the trusty sidekick, and Tina Fey (30 Rock) as the love interest. They’re a charismatic cast helming a bizarro story whose real-life details are already teeming with juicy details, and yet, the resulting film, directed by John Slattery, is as lackluster and forgettable as can be. There is no sense of mystery, the jokes fall flat, and every scene looks like it’s shot from a studio lot. There is plenty of better fare out there for anyone looking for comedy capers, and I bet the true crime documentary of the real-life Maggie Moore case is infinitely more engaging than its filmic counterpart.
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Actor: Allison Dunbar, Bryant Carroll, Christopher Denham, Christopher Kriesa, Debrianna Mansini, Denielle Fisher Johnson, Derek Basco, Happy Anderson, Jodi Lynn Thomas, Jon Hamm, Louisa Krause, Mary Holland, Micah Stock, Nick Mohammed, Oona Roche, Peter Diseth, Richard Lippert, Roni Geva, Sewell Whitney, Tate Ellington, Tina Fey
Director: John Slattery
As a growing number of horror movies are, Influencer is inspired by the fact that we’re increasingly spending our lives in the digital, rather than physical, world. Kurtis David Harder’s film makes some effort to highlight the tension between those two realms: its plot hinges on the idea that vapidly sunny influencer-speak often masks gloomier realities, and suggests that, if your existence is mainly validated through a screen, would anyone really know if something truly dark happened to you?
It’s an interesting premise, to be sure, but Influencer’s critique settles there. Instead of striving for social thriller status by exploring the paradox of social media with any real rigor, the rather broad writing here means it lands as a run-of-the-mill scary movie, one that verges on being a forgettable experience once the credits have rolled. One element saves it from that fate, though: Cassandra Naud, who gives an unnerving performance that brings intriguing psychological depths to the role of CW, the film’s villain. She can only do so much to elevate a script that is shallowly interested in her character, though, meaning Influencer can’t quite transcend its status as a middling social media horror.
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Justin Sams, Paul Spurrier, Rory J. Saper, Sara Canning
Director: Kurtis David Harder