Highest-Rated Movies about 'Murder Mystery'

This Gun for Hire (1942), Insomnia (1997), Brick (2005), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), Ringu (1998), A Soldier's Story (1984), Jack Reacher (2012), Cutter's Way (1981) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Murder Mystery movies.

#1. This Gun for Hire (1942)

Storyline: Hit man Philip Raven, who's kind to children and cats, kills a blackmailer and is paid off by traitor Willard Gates in "hot" money. Meanwhile, pert entertainer Ellen Graham, girlfriend of police Lieut. Crane (who's after Raven) is enlisted by a Senate committee to help investigate Gates. Raven, seeking Gates for revenge, meets Ellen on the train; their relationship gradually evolves from that of killer and potential victim to an uneasy alliance against a common enemy.—Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Plot Keywords: hitman, magic trick, clothing store, child abuse, captive, blackmail, propaganda ...

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#2. Insomnia (1997)

Storyline: In a Norwegian city with a 24-hour daylight cycle, a Swedish murder investigator is brought in to find an elusive killer. But when the officer accidentally kills his own partner and covers it up, a double sided game of cat-and-mouse ensues.

Plot Keywords: fog, police chase, police detective, sex in bed, police officer killed, insomnia, murder investigation ...

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#3. Brick (2005)

Storyline: The lonely teenager Brendan finds his former girlfriend Emily dead in the entrance of a tunnel of sewage and recalls her phone call two days ago, when she said to him that she was in trouble. Brendan, who still loved Emily, met bad elements of his high-school trying to contact her, and when he succeeded, she told him that she was OK. He hides her body in the tunnel and decides to investigate the meaning and connection of four words, including "brick" and "pin", that Emily told him to find who killed her. Using the support of his nerd friend Brain, he successively meets the small time drug dealers Kara, Dode, Brad Bramish, Laura and Tugger, to reach the teenager powerful drug dealer The Pin. Slowly, Brendan unravels the motives why Emily was killed and plots a revenge.

Plot Keywords: neo noir, crime boss, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, teenage boy, teenage girl, telephone call, blood ...

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#4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

Storyline: After an explosion on their moon, the Klingons have an estimated 50 years before their ozone layer is completely depleted, and they all die. They have only one choice - to make peace with the Federation, which will mean an end to 70 years of conflict. Captain James T. Kirk and crew are called upon to help in the negotiations because of their experience with the Klingons. Peace talks don't quite proceed, and Kirk and McCoy are convicted of assassinating the Klingon High Chancellor, and imprisoned on Rura Penthe, a snowy hard-labor prison camp. Will they manage to escape? And will there ever be peace with the Klingons?

Plot Keywords: future war, sniper, reference to william shakespeare, roman numeral in title, roman numbered sequel, colon in title, six word title ...

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#5. Ringu (1998)

Storyline: Reiko Asakawa is researching into a 'Cursed Video' interviewing teenagers about it. When her niece Tomoko dies of 'sudden heart failure' with an unnaturally horrified expression on her face, Reiko investigates. She finds out that some of Tomoko's friends, who had been on a holiday with Tomoko the week before, had died on exactly the same night at the exact same time in the exact same way. Reiko goes to the cabin where the teens had stayed and finds an 'unlabeled' video tape. Reiko watched the tape to discover to her horror it is in fact the 'cursed videotape'. Ex-Husband Ryuji helps Reiko solve the mystery, Reiko makes him a copy for further investigation. Things become more tense when their son Yoichi watches the tape saying Tomoko had told him to. Their discovery takes them to a volcanic island where they discover that the video has a connection to a psychic who died 30 years ago, and her child Sadako...

Plot Keywords: videotape, vhs tape, well, telephone, long hair, ghost, investigation ...

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#6. A Soldier's Story (1984)

Storyline: A black soldier is killed while returning to his base in the deep south. The white people of the area are suspected at first. A tough black army attorney is brought in to find out the truth. We find out a bit more about the dead soldier in flashbacks - and that he was unpopular. Will the attorney find the killer ?—Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>

Plot Keywords: based on play, assignment, barracks, army sergeant, platoon, jeep, reference to franklin d. roosevelt ...

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#7. Jack Reacher (2012)

Storyline: In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest the culprit, and build a slam-dunk case. But instead of confessing, the accused man writes the words, "Get Jack Reacher." Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved, but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.

Plot Keywords: pittsburgh pennsylvania, sniper, coma, quarry, construction site, kicked in the crotch, defense attorney ...

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#8. Cutter's Way (1981)

Storyline: Alex Cutter (Heard) came back from war minus an eye, a leg, and an arm and mad as hell. He lacks direction, drinks too much, and abuses his wife (Eichhorn). One night his friend Richard Bone (Bridges) witnesses someone dumping something in an alley; it turns out to be the body of a young girl. When Cutter hears about it, he embarks on a crusade to expose the killer, enlisting the help of the murdered girl's sister. Bone reluctantly joins them. Are they right or are they in search of their white whale?—Anonymous

Plot Keywords: parade, open relationship, motel, loss of friend, heavy drinking, country club, beating ...

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#9. Footsteps in the Dark (1941)

Storyline: A high-society gent has a secret life - he writes murder mysteries and hangs out with the police attempting to solve crimes. This causes him no end of problems when his wife wants to know about his little disappearances and exceptionally late nights out.—John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Keywords: murder mystery, false accusation, chorus girl, mother in law, double life, smuggling, private detective ...

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#10. The Scapegoat (1959)

Storyline: On a vacation in France from his nondescript job and life, John Barratt encounters a titled but impoverished French nobleman who looks exactly like him. The nobleman gets John drunk, and switches places with him to take a breather from his failing business and too-complicated life. John tries to convince everyone he is not who they think he is, but he begins to get more and more involved with the count's family, including an unhappy wife, domineering mother, lonely but talented young daughter, bitter spinster sister and the expected mistress. As John gets to know them he feels he can help them with their problems, but is also becoming used to his borrowed life, which has given him a purpose for the first time.—Ron Kerrigan <mvg@whidbey.com>

Plot Keywords: man wears pajamas, restaurant, passport, title based on the bible, look alike, identity swap, impostor ...

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#11. The Honey Pot (1967)

Storyline: Inspired by a performance of his favorite play, "Volpone," twentieth century millionaire Cecil Fox (Sir Rex Harrison) devises an intricate plan to trick three of his former mistresses into believing he is dying. Although the women are wealthy in their own right, all have good reason to covet his fortune. To assist him in his scheme, Fox hires William McFly (Cliff Robertson), a gigolo and sometime actor, to act as his secretary/servant. Fox is soon visited at his "deathbed" by the three former mistresses: Merle McGill (Edie Adams), a fading Hollywood sex symbol; Princess Dominique (Capucine), who once took a cruise on Fox's yacht; and Mrs. Lone Star Crockett Sheridan (Susan Hayward), a Texas hypochondriac who travels with an enigmatic nurse/companion (Dame Maggie Smith). As Fox and McFly act out the charade, things take an unexpected turn from comical farce to full-blown murder mystery.—alfiehitchie

Plot Keywords: murder mystery, greed, fake illness, inheritance, based on novel, based on play, ballet dancer ...

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#12. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

Storyline: Sherlock Holmes (Nicholas Rowe) and John Watson (Alan Cox) meet as boys in an English Boarding school. Holmes is known for his deductive ability even as a youth, amazing his classmates with his abilities. When they discover a plot to murder a series of British business men by an Egyptian cult, they move to stop it.

Plot Keywords: cult film, grief, scare, fear, fright, clue, friend ...

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#13. Thunderheart (1992)

Storyline: An FBI man with Sioux background is sent to a reservation to help with a murder investigation, where he has to come to terms with his heritage. Slowly he rejects the intimidating tactics of his fellow FBI agents, who are not so interested in solving the crime as covering up an incriminating situation with the locals, and as he becomes more tuned to his heritage, the locals begin trusting him. Based on actual Reservation occurrences of the '70s.

Plot Keywords: murder investigation, fbi agent, buddy cop, modern western, native american, repeating rifle, winchester rifle ...

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#14. Phenomena (1985)

Storyline: Jennifer Corvino, the daughter of a famous actor, has had trouble with sleepwalking for some time. Her doctor said that it can develop a split personality. She discovers her alternate personality when she stays at a boarding school that was once the home a Richard Wagner. But someone has been killing the students, and it relates only indirectly to the criminal sanitorium nearby. So it's up to "the two greatest detectives the world has ever known, or should I say, unknown"

Plot Keywords: maggot, side boob, cult director, surrealism, telepathy, insect, held captive ...

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#15. Summer of 84 (2018)

Storyline: After suspecting that their police officer neighbor is a serial killer, a group of teenage friends spend their summer spying on him and gathering evidence, but as they get closer to discovering the truth, things get dangerous.

Plot Keywords: retro horror, invitation, matronizing, character's point of view camera shot, evidence, garage, digging ...

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