400 Best Mystery Movies to Watch (Page 21)

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.

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301. My Home Hero, 2023

The love parents have for their child is powerful, but most parents normally don’t resort to murder for them. Of course, most families don’t actually need to, but like Tetsuo Tosu, they might if their daughter’s yakuza boyfriend plans to murder her first. My Home Hero depicts this scenario, slowly going into the potential sequence of events that could happen, realistically portrayed by Kuranosuke Sasaki, Tae Kimura, and Asuka Saito as the loving family. The family might be a bit cookie-cutter – we’ve seen similar characters in other series before – but they’re relatable enough to make My Home Hero a fairly decent, though generic, crime drama.

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Actor: Asuka Saito, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Kyohei Takahashi, Tae Kimura, Yasushi Fuchikami

Director: Daisuke Yamamoto, Takahiro Aoyama, Takashi Tanazawa

Rating: TV-14

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302. Khufiya, 2023

If you’re looking for exotic locations, glamorous spies, and dramatic shoot-outs, Khufiya is not the espionage film you’re looking for. Like the original novel it’s based on, the film adaptation is a complex, intricate spy story where countries try to interfere with each other’s affairs, and agents handle the dry and dirty work to achieve this. With the true-story-based details of the source material, writer-director Vishal Bhardwaj keeps the story’s historical accuracy, but also adds a personal revenge subplot through the addition of a female main protagonist. The result of the changes complicates the film’s introduction, but if you have the patience, Khufiya still has what makes a spy drama compelling– the double-agent turns, the doubts and mistrust, and a satisfying resolution to the operation.

Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Actor: Alexx O'Nell, Ali Fazal, Ashish Vidhyarthi, Atul Kulkarni, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Disney James, Jan Graveson, Lalit Parimoo, Navnindra Behl, Priyanka Setia, Purnendu Bhattacharya, Rahul Vohra, Shashi Bhushan, Shataf Figar, Tabu, Wamiqa Gabbi

Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Rating: R

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303. Ghoul, 2018

Though relatively low on scares, this three-episode Indian miniseries fully believes in horror of a different kind: governments that indiscriminately call anybody terrorists if they try to think for themselves. Set almost entirely in a military interrogation facility, Ghoul wastes no time telling us who the real monsters are, never making the mistake of making the victims appear morally questionable. When the horror finally kicks in, it feels like satisfying karma—but always with a lingering reminder that a greater evil is still out there. So while its runtime may be perhaps too short, its promise of righteous revolution is something many people around the world just might need to hear.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Manav Kaul, Radhika Apte

Director: Patrick Graham

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304. Frequencies, 2013

I loved this movie. It starts a bit weird but gets so good. In a parallel world where human frequencies determine luck, love, and destiny, Zak, a young college student, must overcome science in order to love Marie, who emits a different frequency than his own. In an attempt to make their love a reality, Zak experiments on the laws of nature, putting in danger the cosmic equilibrium of fate and everything he holds dear. This unique and experimental drama blends science fiction and romance to create a futuristic tale where love, science, and fate collide.

Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction

Actor: Daniel Fraser, David Barnaby, David Broughton-Davies, Dylan Llewellyn, Eleanor Wyld, Georgina Minter-Brown, Joanna Hole, Lily Laight, Owen Pugh, Ria Carroll, Timothy Block

Director: Darren Paul Fisher

Rating: Not Rated

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305. Files of the Unexplained, 2024

	
It's refreshing being able to satisfy an appetite for mystery without grisly crime stories being the focus all the time (on Netflix no less).  The series does a fine job humanizing and fleshing out these stories, spending ample time on interviewees who speak with conviction and betrayal in their eyes, those who struggle with the toll that skeptical media has had on them. At the same time, when the "logical" perspectives are brought in, it adds intrigue and layers to each episode, leaving viewers to play a social deduction game by themselves with all the information given. With a tone as friendly as eerie stories will allow, and to varying degrees of success, the show delivers on its promise of intrigue.Genre: Crime, Documentary, Mystery
Actor: Tijuana Ricks
Rating: TV-14

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306. Eric, 2024

	
Backed by Netflix’s deep pockets, Eric looks as good as any prestige miniseries out there. As a portrait of pre-gentrified New York, it feels so detailed and lived in you can almost smell the garbage cans collecting in the corner. And this seedy atmosphere ties well with the show’s dark themes and complicated mysteries, making Eric far from the worst thing you could watch on the platform. But there’s something about Cumberbatch’s Vincent that makes him difficult to follow. Perhaps his performance is more excessive than the script calls for, or perhaps his anti-hero character is too underwritten to sympathize with. Or maybe it’s both. Whatever it is, he’s not a strong enough lead to pull the series through, though thankfully, he’s surrounded by far more interesting and involving characters, particularly Hoffman’s Cassie and Belcher III’s Ledroit. If you’re looking for a serious thriller filled with compelling (if at times overdramatic) performances, Eric is your weekend show.Genre: Drama, Mystery
Actor: Alexis Molnar, Bamar Kane, Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Dan Fogler, David Denman, Gaby Hoffmann, Ivan Morris Howe, McKinley Belcher III, Phoebe Nicholls, Roberta Colindrez
Director:  Lucy Forbes
Rating: TV-MA

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307. Dr. Brain, 2021

	
With the success of Korean dramas in international streaming services, it made sense for Apple TV+ to jump into the Hallyu wave, especially when they started to introduce their service to the Korean market. Dr. Brain was Apple TV’s first foray into the genre, and while the premise sounds something akin to modern day Frankenstein, the freaky sci-fi thriller grounds itself with its mystery, that of the disappearance of the doctor’s son, and the humanity slowly blooming in Sewon Koh’s normally stoic demeanor. It’s a drama that’s sometimes uneven, one that might be divisive to some viewers as the doctor breaks ethics for his experiments, but Dr. Brain is never boring, delving deep into a surprising drama behind the emotionless doctor.Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Lee Jae-won, Lee Sun-kyun, Lee You-young, Park Hee-soon, Seo Ji-hye
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Rating: TV-MA

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308. Detective Forst, 2024

Detective Forst isn’t a mindbending, totally original crime thriller that would revolutionize the detective genre, but sometimes we just want something familiar. The thriller adaptation of Remigiusz Mróz’s book series mostly sticks to the classic tropes, with eerily strung up bodies being investigated by the gruff, hardened detective, portrayed well by Borys Szyc. It’s not immediately clear what brought Forst to the mountains– whatever it was, it’s enough to gain the mistrust of his new station, and it’s possibly the reason behind his splitting migraines– but that’s part of the fun, as an additional mystery alongside who is behind the murders. That being said, the show plans to depict a whole series, so the ending of its first season might exasperate viewers who just want a complete story. Still, with the striking scenery of the Tatra Mountains, Detective Forst is at least stunning enough to watch, even with all the moody murder mystery tropes onboard.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery

Actor: Aleksandra Grabowska, Borys Szyc, Kamilla Baar, Szymon Wróblewski, Zuzanna Saporznikow

Director: Daniel Jaroszek

Rating: TV-MA

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309. Constellation, 2024

	
A lot goes on in Constellation, Apple TV+’s latest addition to its growing collection of sci-fi shows. It begins as a survival space thriller, then it evolves into a conspiracy mystery with hints of supernatural horror, all while being a family drama centered on the elusive mother-daughter bond. For all that hoopla, however, Constellation moves at a very languid place. It can also get very confusing very fast as it attempts to be all the abovementioned things and juggle multiple possibilities (relating to quantum physics, mind you) at the same time. To quote series creator Peter Harness’ other credited show, Doctor Who, it’s all very wibbly wobbly timey wimey. If you’re one to dive into a sci-fi story’s heady and complex world, however, then Constellation comes highly recommended.Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Barbara Sukowa, James D'Arcy, Jonathan Banks, Julian Looman, Noomi Rapace, William Catlett
Rating: TV-MA

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310. Closet Monster, 2016

	
The divorce of one’s parents can be difficult, but more so when that relationship is messy and emotionally fraught. And when the parent one ends up living with turns out to be homophobic, it’s so much harder to accept the possibility of not being straight. Stephen Dunn’s film feature debut Closet Monster is centered around this experience, one inspired by Dunn growing up in Canada, and while the symbolism is on the nose, the emotions feel real, maybe even too real. On top of the fear of not being accepted, there’s the resentment of being left behind, the disdain towards the adults who should know better, and the fear of becoming exactly like them. Closet Monster doesn’t shy away from these difficult feelings, even when it does so through the whimsical way Oscar imagines talking to his pet hamster.Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Actor: Aaron Abrams, Aliocha Schneider, Connor Jessup, Isabella Rossellini, Jack Fulton, James Hawksley, Joanne Kelly, Jonathan Watton, Marthe Bernard, Mary Walsh, Sofia Banzhaf
Director: Stephen Dunn

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311. Brand New Cherry Flavor, 2021

1990s Los Angeles was both glamorous and seedy, and it’s this murky territory that filmmaker Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) enters as she tries to make her movie dreams a reality. Lisa is ambitious and polite enough—if not a bit naive—but when she gets screwed over, she enlists the help of a mysterious stranger (played to witchy perfection by Catherine Keener) and, together, they brew their revenge. Things then take a turn for the supernatural in this ambitious, eerie thriller that will surely sate any David Lynch fan’s appetite.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Catherine Keener, Daniel Doheny, Eric Lange, Hannah Levien, Jeff Ward, Manny Jacinto, Mark Acheson, Rosa Salazar

Rating: 18+

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312. Bordertown, 2020

This cold Finnish series is about a successful detective who moves to a small town seeking calm. But once he settles in a town on the border with Russia, a series of murders ensue.

Because Finnish TV is alien to most of us, the way this detective story is told is so unique. It’s bleak – very bleak – and even when the most intriguing murders take place, the biggest plotlines are the ones that are driven by character development.

Genre: Mystery

Actor: Anu Sinisalo, Matleena Kuusniemi, Ville Virtanen

Rating: TV-MA

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313. Atlantics, 2019

A poetic and peculiar movie from Senegal about a girl who is forced to marry a wealthy businessman instead of her love interest. The latter, a poor construction worker, embarks on a risky journey across the sea to Europe. The story takes a supernatural turn thereafter, one that is unlike anything seen before in stories around immigration, but one which makes sense. Still, the excellent acting and the long takes that immerse you in what life is like in Senegal, both in and out of the margins of society, are the reasons to watch here. Atlantics' characters are believable and will capture your interest throughout the usual and unusual parts of the movie. They provide rare insight into narratives that most of us have never been exposed to.

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance

Actor: Abdou Balde, Amadou Mbow, Amina Kane, Aminata Kane, Arame Fall Faye, Babacar Sylla, Coumba Dieng, Diankou Sembene, Ibrahima Mbaye, Ibrahima Traore, Mama Sane, Mame Bineta Sane, Mariama Gassama, Mati Diop, Nicole Sougou, Traore

Director: Mati Diop

Rating: TV-14

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314. A Tale of Two Sisters, 2003

If this South Korean cult favorite relies a little too much on jump scares and twisty plot developments, its relatively emotionally distant story is nevertheless given a welcome boost in character thanks to an impressive overall look and feel. Shadowy and foreboding from beginning to end, A Tale of Two Sisters seems to be designed for group viewings where friends can spook each other out without losing track of the film's momentum. But it's far from shallow: patient horror fans should enjoy unpacking the movie's densely layered character dynamics, which become all the more disturbing and sorrowful after learning all of the film's secrets.

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Actor: Kim Gap-soo, Kim Kap-soo, Lee Dae-yeon, Lee Seung-bi, Lim Soo-jung, Moon Geun-young, Park Mi-hyun, Seung-bi Lee, Woo Ki-hong, Yum Jung-ah

Director: Kim Jee-woon

Rating: R

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315. A Shop for Killers, 2024

For better or for worse, we don’t know who our guardians really are, whether that be our parents or other older relatives. However, that usually means that we don’t get to know their dreams, not that they are involved with assassins, like the way Ji-an’s uncle is in A Shop for Killers. The action strikes hard and fast, starting the series off with a sniper attempt on Ji-an’s life, but luckily, the surprised girl can fight back, with the eccentric training that she didn’t anticipate she’ll need. While the time jumps can be a bit confusing, A Shop for Killers has a surprising mix of action and mystery that keeps things entertaining, even if it’s unclear for now how it’s a spin-off to The Killer’s Shopping List.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery

Actor: Geum Hae-na, Kim Hye-jun, Lee Dong-wook, Park Ji-bin, Seo Hyun-woo

Director: Lee Kwon, Noh Gyoo-yeob

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