Private detective movies and TV shows

The list contains the best, new and most relevant private detective movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out detective, serious, suspenseful, realistic, neo noir and clever films and TV shows about / with investigation, private detective, private investigator, murder, deadly, police, murder mystery, whodunit, dishonesty and police detective plots mostly in Mystery, Drama and Crime genres shot in USA, UK, Canada and other countries.
private detective
 1196
private detective movies
TOP 10 movies tagged as private detective: Knives Out (2019), Strike (2017), Gone Baby Gone (2007), A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001), A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014), The Nice Guys (2016), Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989), Chinatown (1974), Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997), Elementary (2012).

List of private detective movies

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 7.9
 766K
Knives Out (2019)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story: When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's dysfunctional family to his ...
Style: atmospheric, exciting, captivating, detective, witty ...
Audience: chick flick, family friendly, kids, teens, boys' night ...
Plot: murder mystery, investigation, whodunit, murder, death, murder investigation, mansion, mystery killer, eccentric family, large family, plot twist, suspect ...
Time: 2010s, year 2019, future, 21st century
Place: usa, new england, massachusetts
Is relevant ?
 7.9
 24K
Strike (2017)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: A war veteran turned private detective operates out of a tiny office in London’s Denmark Street. Although wounded both physically and psychologically, his unique insight and background as a military police investigator prove crucial in solving ...
Style: detective, tense, suspenseful, serious, talky ...
Plot: investigation, private detective, multiple suspects, female partner, mind game, private investigator, danger, antisocial behavior, police investigation, riddles and clues, misfit, alienation ...
Time: future, 2010s
Place: oxford university, united kingdom, britain, london, england
Is relevant ?
 7.6
 291K
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story: When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that ...
Style: twist ending, suspense, detective, thought provoking, surprise ending ...
Audience: kids, adult
Plot: kidnapping, investigation, private detective, twists and turns, moral dilemma, police investigation, missing child, moral ambiguity, tragic event, murder mystery, immorality, mother daughter relationship ...
Time: year 2007, 20th century, 2000s, 21st century
Place: boston, massachusetts, usa
Is relevant ?
A Nero Wolfe Mystery (2001)
Genre: Action, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min.
TV show
Story: Genius detective Nero Wolfe and his right-hand man, Archie Goodwin, solve seemingly impossible crimes.
Style: realistic, detective, clever, serious, suspenseful
Plot: investigation, private detective, who done it, partners against crime, whodunit, police detective, mysterious character, murder, riddles and clues, private investigator, supernatural, spy ...
Time: 20th century, 1950s, 50s
Is relevant ?
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A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story: Private investigator Matthew Scudder is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.
Style: suspense, neo noir, psychological, tense, bleak ...
Audience: teens, boys' night
Plot: private detective, murder, serial killer, kidnapping, drug dealer, secrets, murder of wife, investigation, violence, faked death, home invasion, hostage ...
Time: year 2014, 2010s, 20th century, year 1991, year 1999 ...
Place: usa, new york, brooklyn new york city
Is relevant ?
 7.4
 369K
The Nice Guys (2016)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story: A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
Style: neo noir, entertaining, buddy comedy, detective, suspense ...
Plot: private detective, investigation, corruption, conspiracy, father daughter relationship, private investigator, bare breasts, buddy cop, buddy, single father, murder, justice ...
Time: year 2016, 2010s, 70s, 90s, year 1977 ...
Place: los angeles, california, usa
Is relevant ?
Agatha Christie's Poirot (1989)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min.
TV show
Story: From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.
Style: clever, detective, realistic, captivating, serious ...
Audience: kids
Plot: private detective, investigation, whodunit, murder, murder mystery, who done it, private investigator, murder investigation, danger, multiple suspects, uncover truth, riddles and clues ...
Time: 1930s, 20th century
Place: england, united kingdom, london
Is relevant ?
 8.1
 347K
Chinatown (1974)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story: Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double ...
Style: neo noir, detective, atmospheric, twist ending, bleak ...
Audience: date night
Plot: private detective, corruption, investigation, femme fatale, rape, police, murder, conspiracy, domestic violence, father daughter incest, incest, investigator ...
Time: 20th century, 1930s, year 1974, year 1937
Place: los angeles, california, usa, eastern europe, america ...
Is relevant ?
Mike Hammer, Private Eye (1997)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Mike Hammer, Private Eye is an American syndicated television program based on the adventures of the fictitious private detective Mike Hammer, created by novelist Mickey Spillane. The show starred Stacy Keach and was seen as an attempt to revive the ...
Style: detective, realistic, serious, neo noir, rough ...
Plot: private detective, private investigator, investigation, nypd, partner, law enforcement, partners against crime, riddles and clues, pulp fiction, hard boiled
Time: 80s, 90s
Is relevant ?
 7.9
 118K
Elementary (2012)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: A modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with ...
Style: detective, witty, talky, intellectual, suspenseful ...
Audience: adult
Plot: investigation, sherlock holmes, private detective, talented, female partner, prodigy, mind game, riddles and clues, unconventional method, mastermind, law enforcement, friendship ...
Time: 2010s, victorian era, 21st century
Place: new york, usa
Is relevant ?
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 112 min.
Story: Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
Style: neo noir, detective, noir, dark, cynical ...
Audience: manly
Plot: private detective, murder, cat, betrayal, whodunit, investigation, mental institution, beach, alcoholic, private investigator, loneliness, gangster ...
Time: 70s, year 1973, 20th century
Place: malibu california, california, los angeles, mexico, usa ...
Is relevant ?
Under Suspicion (1991)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 99 min.
Story: In the late 1950s, British police officer Tony Aaron resigns from the force after sleeping with Hazel, wife of the man whose house he was supposed to guard. In his new job as a fake private investigator, he helps couples get divorces by ...
Style: neo noir, serious, psychological, realistic, clever ...
Plot: private detective, adultery, divorce, murder, investigation, law enforcement, betrayal, uncover truth, police investigation, vengeance, who done it, male pubic hair ...
Time: year 1991, 20th century, year 1959, year 1960, year 1957 ...
Place: england, brighton, europe
Is relevant ?
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 7.1
 6K
Take Two (2018)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min.
TV show
Story: Sam Swift, the former star of a hit cop series whose epic breakdown is broadcast to the public and sends her to rehab. Desperate to restart her career, she talks her way into shadowing lone-wolf private investigator Eddie Valetik as research for a ...
Style: feel good, light, captivating, sweet, detective
Plot: private detective, investigation, private investigation, private investigator, crime investigation, partners against crime, celebrity, couples, woman with a gun, whodunit, actress, new job ...
Place: los angeles
Is relevant ?
Remington Steele (1982)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Remington Steele is an American television series co-created by Robert Butler and Michael Gleason. The series, starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan, was produced by MTM Enterprises and first broadcast on the NBC network from 1982 to 1987. ...
Style: detective, soap opera, hilarious, semi serious, realistic ...
Audience: kids
Plot: private detective, investigation, private investigator, team, 007, christmas, undercover, colleague, spy, nature, police, murder mystery ...
Time: 20th century, 80s
Place: usa
Is relevant ?
 7.1
 18K
Night Moves (1975)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story: Private detective and former football player Harry Moseby gets hired on to what seems a standard missing person case, as a former Hollywood actress whose only major roles came thanks to being married to a studio mogul wants Moseby to find and return ...
Style: neo noir, suspense, tense, psychological, detective ...
Audience: manly
Plot: private detective, investigation, murder, missing person, espionage, infidelity, female nudity, manipulation, loneliness, complex characters, crime gone awry, uncover truth ...
Time: 20th century, year 1975, 70s
Place: florida, usa, los angeles, key west florida
Is relevant ?
Andy Barker, P.I. (2007)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min.
TV show
Story: Certified public accountant Andy Barker reluctantly becomes a private investigator after he is mistaken for the former office tenant, who was a private eye.
Style: humorous, captivating, detective, sitcom, entertaining ...
Plot: investigation, private detective, accountant, mistaken identity, amateur detective, career change, pretense, disorder, dishonesty, escapades, rivalry, outside help ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa
Is relevant ?
Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 56 min.
TV show
Story: After a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint, Jessica Jones is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who gets pulled into cases involving people with extraordinary abilities in New York City.
Style: exciting, serious, neo noir, realistic, semi serious ...
Audience: kids, teens
Plot: female protagonist, superhero, investigation, private detective, strong female character, imaginary, lawyer, strong female lead, super powers, violence, good versus evil, supernatural power ...
Time: 21st century
Place: new york, usa
Is relevant ?
 7.6
 667K
Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery
Country: USA, Germany, UK, Australia
Duration: 128 min.
Story: Eccentric consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.
Style: clever, entertaining, suspense, detective, captivating ...
Audience: boys' night, teens, manly, adult
Plot: sherlock holmes, steampunk, private detective, investigation, intelligence, murder, riddles and clues, prodigy, clue, hotshot hero, master criminal, genius ...
Time: victorian era, year 2009, 19th century, 1800s, 2000s ...
Place: england, london, britain, europe, tower bridge london ...
Is relevant ?
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King & Maxwell (2013)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Sean King and Michelle Maxwell aren't your typical pair of private investigators. As discredited Secret Service agents, their unique skills often give them a leg up on suspects and conventional law enforcement. He's charming and always one ...
Style: exciting, realistic, cliffhanger, captivating, tense ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: private detective, investigation, secret service, partners against crime, suspicion, lawyer, investigator, woman with a gun, fbi, private investigator, detective agency, violent content ...
Time: 21st century
Place: usa, washington d.c., new york
Is relevant ?
The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire (2002)
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada
Duration: 90 min.
Story: The scene of the crime is Whitechapel, the same London district notorious for the recent attacks of Jack the Ripper. Three monks are found dead, the apparent victims of a vampire - now, someone else is out for blood. Or is it something else? As ...
Style: serious, suspenseful, atmospheric, suspense, gothic ...
Plot: sherlock holmes, vampire, private detective, uncover truth, investigation, riddles and clues, curse, escapades, partners against crime, danger, partner, murder ...
Time: 19th century, victorian era
Place: london, europe, england, scotland yard
Is relevant ?
 7.2
 7K
Blood Ties (2007)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance
Country: Canada
Duration: 43 min.
TV show
Story: Blood Ties is a Canadian television series based on the Blood Books by Tanya Huff; the show was created by Peter Mohan. It is set in Toronto, Canada and has a similar premise to an earlier series also set in Toronto, Forever Knight, in which a ...
Style: detective, gothic, cliffhanger, dark fantasy, stylized ...
Plot: vampire, supernatural, investigation, danger, private detective, vampire human love, love and romance, love triangle, murder, immortality, romancing partners, vampirism ...
Time: 21st century
Place: toronto ontario canada, canada
Is relevant ?
Lord of Illusions (1995)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 109 min.
Story: During a routine case in L.A., NY private investigator Harry D'Amour stumbles over members of a fanatic cult who are preparing for the resurrection of their leader Nix, a powerful magician who was killed 13 years earlier.
Style: dark, neo noir, scary, detective, suspenseful ...
Plot: supernatural, magic, investigation, occult, private detective, fanatic, violence, good versus evil, desert, murder, telekinesis, demon ...
Time: 90s, year 1982, 80s
Place: los angeles, new york, mojave desert, usa, california
Is relevant ?
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 144 min.
Story: Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend — a mystery that carries him from the gin-soaked jazz clubs of Harlem to the slums of Brooklyn to the gilded halls of New ...
Style: neo noir, enigmatic, period piece, cult classic, crime drama ...
Audience: date night, family friendly, adult
Plot: private detective, interracial romance, murder investigation, investigation, murder, social injustice, politics, crime investigation, organized crime, murder mystery, racial segregation, detective agency ...
Time: 50s, 1950s, future, year 2019, 20th century
Place: brooklyn new york city, harlem, usa, new york
Is relevant ?
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Case Histories (2011)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Case Histories is a British drama television series based on the Jackson Brodie detective novels by Kate Atkinson. It stars Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie.
Style: detective, tense, suspenseful, serious, touching ...
Plot: investigation, private detective, investigator, uncover truth, haunted by the past, missing person, suspicion, murder, murder mystery, grief, siblings, who done it ...
Time: 21st century
Place: scotland
Is relevant ?
 7.2
 95K
Angel Heart (1987)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story: The down-and-out private detective Harry Angel is ordered, by a mysterious man named Louis Cyphre, to go on a mission to find a missing person. His routine failure soon leads to a bloody spar with himself as Harry Angel goes on a supernatural ...
Style: psychological, atmospheric, detective, satanic, scary ...
Audience: boys' night, adult
Plot: investigation, twists and turns, private detective, satan, voodoo, devil, amnesia, missing person, incest, supernatural, nudity, plot twist ...
Time: year 1987, year 1955, 50s, 20th century, year 1918 ...
Place: new orleans, southern usa, new york, louisiana, usa ...
Is relevant ?
Evil Under the Sun (1982)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 117 min.
Story: Trying to find how a millionaire wound up with a phony diamond brings Hercule Poirot to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi.
Style: detective, serious, suspenseful, clever, tense ...
Plot: private detective, murder mystery, murder, whodunit, investigation, multiple suspects, hercule poirot, amateur detective, hotel, writers, couple relations, gem ...
Time: year 1982, 1930s, 20th century, 80s
Place: mediterranean sea, greece, england, south of france, albania ...
Is relevant ?
 6.4
 4K
Marlowe (1969)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story: Los Angeles private-eye Philip Marlowe is trying to locate the brother of his new client, a woman named Orfamay Quest. The trail leads to two men who deny any knowledge of the brother's existence. Both are soon killed by an ice pick, so Marlowe ...
Style: neo noir, detective, noir, mind bending, tense ...
Plot: private detective, blackmail, murder, femme fatale, investigation, gangster, missing person, philip marlowe, mysticism, love, private investigator, darkness ...
Time: year 1969, 60s
Place: los angeles, usa
Is relevant ?
 9.1
 990K
Sherlock (2010)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 88 min.
TV show
Story: A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
Style: clever, detective, witty, captivating, serious ...
Audience: teens
Plot: sherlock holmes, investigation, private detective, murder mystery, genius, mastermind, friendship, british, murder, mind game, riddles and clues, prodigy ...
Time: 2000s, 2010s, 21st century
Place: london, england, scotland yard, afghanistan, britain ...
Is relevant ?
 6.5
 3K
Tony Rome (1967)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story: Tony Rome, a tough Miami PI living on a houseboat, is hired by a local millionaire to find jewelry stolen from his daughter, and in the process has several encounters with local hoods as well as the Miami Beach PD.
Style: detective, neo noir, noir, retro, thrilling ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: private detective, private investigator, murder, deep south, sea, mysticism, prostitute, beach, investigation, redheaded woman, boat, violent content ...
Time: year 1967, 60s
Place: miami, florida, usa, miami beach
Is relevant ?
The Rockford Files (1974)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story: The Rockford Files is an American television drama series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980, and has remained in syndication to the present day. Garner portrays Los Angeles-based ...
Style: detective, neo noir, retro, realistic, serious ...
Plot: private detective, ex convict, trailer home, father son relationship, beach, private investigator, cop, police, taxi, car chase, villain, intelligence agency ...
Time: 20th century, 70s
Place: malibu california, los angeles, california
Is relevant ?
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