Best American Mystery Movies
This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best American Mystery Movies" contains films with the following parameters. Style: suspense, surprise ending, entertaining, clever, tense and interesting. Plot: murder, twists and turns, gun, death, plot twist, investigation, storytelling, corpse, dialogue and flashback. Genre: Mystery, Thriller and Drama. Country: USA, UK and Canada.
Best American Mystery Movies
TOP Movies: Gone Girl (2014), Seven (1995), Memento (2000), Jack Reacher (2012), L.A. Confidential (1997), Prisoners (2013), Zodiac (2007), Fractured (2019), The Sixth Sense (1999), The Hateful Eight (2015), Arrival (2016), Knives Out (2019), Primal Fear (1996), Shutter Island (2010), The Nice Guys (2016), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Green Mile (1999), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Identity (2003).
List of Best Movies
1.2M
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 149 min.
Story:
With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Style:
psychological, suspense, surprise ending, twist ending, clever ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, date night, teens, boys' night ...
Plot:
twists and turns, psychology, murder mystery, missing person, manipulation, infidelity, investigation, marriage, femme fatale, revenge, missing wife, adultery ...
Time:
year 2014, 2010s, 2000s, year 2012, 21st century
Place:
peru, america, usa, manhattan new york city, new york ...
Is relevant?
2.0M
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the "seven deadly sins" in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. ...
Style:
suspenseful, surprise ending, neo noir, detective, bad ending ...
Audience:
chick flick, adult
Plot:
serial killer, investigation, twists and turns, psychopath, psychology, mind game, police investigation, police, police detective, sin, maniac, murder ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1995
Place:
los angeles, usa, persia, iran, america ...
Is relevant?
1.4M
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
Suffering short-term memory loss after a head injury, Leonard Shelby embarks on a grim quest to find the lowlife who murdered his wife in this gritty, complex thriller that packs more knots than a hangman's noose. To carry out his plan, Shelby ...
Style:
psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, neo noir, confusing ...
Audience:
teens, adult
Plot:
memory, vengeance, memory loss, plot twist, revenge, murder, amnesia, whodunit, twists and turns, paranoia, murder mystery, manipulation ...
Time:
year 2000, year 2001, future, 90s, 20th century ...
Place:
los angeles, california, iran, america, usa ...
Is relevant?
389K
Genre: Action, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: "Get Jack Reacher!" So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher ...
Style:
detective, exciting, suspenseful, serious, saga ...
Audience:
girls' night, family friendly, teens, chick flick, boys' night
Plot:
loner, sniper, one man army, investigation, murder, vigilante, vigilantism, lone hero, hitman, tough guy, expert, gunfight ...
Time:
2010s, year 2012, 21st century
Place:
pittsburgh, iraq, seattle, pennsylvania, usa ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.
Style:
neo noir, tense, suspense, captivating, atmospheric ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
corruption, police corruption, organized crime, police, murder, police detective, twists and turns, murder mystery, police brutality, justice, shootout, gunfight ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, year 1997, 90s, 20th century ...
Place:
los angeles, california, usa, arizona, persia ...
Is relevant?
920K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 153 min.
Story:
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Style:
twist ending, psychological, suspenseful, atmospheric, neo noir ...
Audience:
teens, family friendly, adult
Plot:
kidnapping, investigation, revenge, serial killer, torture, twists and turns, vigilantism, police investigation, plot twist, brutality, vigilante, cop ...
Time:
year 2013, 2010s, future, 21st century
Place:
pennsylvania, bolivia, georgia, usa, boston
Is relevant?
665K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 157 min.
Story:
The true story of the investigation of the "Zodiac Killer", a serial killer who terrified the San Francisco Bay Area, taunting police with his ciphers and letters. The case becomes an obsession for four men as their lives and careers are ...
Style:
atmospheric, tense, suspense, neo noir, stylized ...
Audience:
chick flick, adult
Plot:
serial killer, investigation, murder, journalism, maniac, murder mystery, mind game, journalist, true crime, paranoia, killer, uncover truth ...
Time:
70s, year 2007, year 1971, year 1969, year 1979 ...
Place:
san francisco, california, bay area, usa, oakland california ...
Is relevant?
111K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Driving cross-country, Ray and his wife and daughter stop at a highway rest area where his daughter falls and breaks her arm. After a frantic rush to the hospital and a clash with the check-in nurse, Ray is finally able to get her to a doctor. While ...
Style:
surprise ending, psychological thriller, bleak, suspenseful, captivating ...
Plot:
hospital, paradox, riding accident, loss of control, organ trafficking, disappearance, desperation, rescue, insanity, missing child, loss of family, tragedy ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
A psychological thriller about an eight year old boy named Cole Sear who believes he can see into the world of the dead. A child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe comes to Cole to help him deal with his problem, learning that he really can see ghosts ...
Style:
psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, suspenseful ...
Audience:
teens, date night, girls' night, horror for children, teen drama
Plot:
twists and turns, afterlife, supernatural, psychology, ghost, plot twist, death, psychiatrist, psychic, life & death, supernatural horror, psychologist ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, year 1999, future
Place:
usa, pennsylvania, persia, philadelphia
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Western
Country: USA
Duration: 168 min.
Story:
Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.
Style:
captivating, talky, bloody, stylized, suspense ...
Audience:
boys' night, adult
Plot:
bounty hunter, winter, stagecoach, prisoner, gang, cold weather, old west, murder, snow, dark humor, brutality, twists and turns ...
Time:
19th century, year 2015, 2010s, victorian era, year 2016
Place:
wyoming, usa
Is relevant?
852K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story:
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
Style:
psychological, philosophical, intellectual, reflective, twist ending ...
Audience:
family friendly, teens, adult
Plot:
first contact, alien, female protagonist, linguist, ufo, extraterrestrial, alien contact, time, alien invasion, creature, science, alien race ...
Time:
year 2016, future, 2010s
Place:
montana, china, america, massachusetts, venezuela ...
Is relevant?
867K
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, captivating, exciting, witty, detective ...
Audience:
chick flick, family friendly, kids, teens, boys' night ...
Plot:
murder mystery, investigation, whodunit, death, mystery killer, murder, mansion, murder investigation, eccentric family, large family, private detective, suspect ...
Time:
year 2019, future, 2010s, 21st century
Place:
north america, usa, new england, massachusetts, seattle
Is relevant?
279K
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
An arrogant, high-powered attorney takes on the case of a poor altar boy found running away from the scene of the grisly murder of the bishop who has taken him in. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not ...
Style:
surprise ending, twist ending, psychological, suspense, neo noir ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
twists and turns, mental illness, murder, courtroom drama, plot twist, trial, psychology, courtroom, court case, corruption, lawyer, manipulation ...
Time:
90s, future, year 1996, 20th century
Place:
chicago, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, USA
Duration: 158 min.
Story:
This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist, as he investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, ...
Style:
suspenseful, neo noir, rough, captivating, serious ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
investigation, rape, serial killer, hacker, sexual abuse, missing person, twists and turns, murder mystery, vengeance, murder investigation, journalist, strong female character ...
Time:
year 2011, 60s, 2010s, year 1966, 21st century
Place:
stockholm sweden, scandinavia, europe, london, eastern europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 138 min.
Story:
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by his troubling visions and also by a mysterious doctor.
Style:
psychological, surprise ending, twist ending, suspense, confusing ...
Audience:
chick flick, date night, adult
Plot:
twists and turns, plot twist, investigation, mental illness, insanity, psychology, memory, paranoia, mental institution, schizophrenia, psychiatrist, mental patient ...
Time:
1950s, year 2010, year 1954, 1940s, year 1945 ...
Place:
iran, persia, america, boston
Is relevant?
409K
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, 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, action comedy, funny, buddy comedy, entertaining ...
Plot:
private detective, conspiracy, investigation, corruption, murder, teenage girl, party, private investigator, father daughter relationship, bare breasts, buddy cop, revenge ...
Time:
year 2016, 2010s, 70s, year 1977, 90s ...
Place:
los angeles, california, usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, War
Country: USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story:
At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever exist." His goal is to locate - and eliminate - a mysterious Green Beret Colonel named Walter ...
Style:
bleak, psychological, cult classic, surreal, sexy ...
Audience:
date night, adult
Plot:
vietnam war, jungle, insanity, anti war, military, army, secret mission, violence, mission, soldier, violent, river ...
Time:
20th century, year 1979, 60s, year 1969
Place:
vietnam, cambodia, southeast asia, asia, the philippines ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 189 min.
Story:
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cellblock's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, ...
Style:
touching, emotional, heartbreaking, sentimental, sad ...
Audience:
family friendly, date night, chick flick, girls' night, adult
Plot:
death penalty, prison, stephen king, death row, death sentence, convict, supernatural, false accusation, prison life, life philosophy, electric chair, execution ...
Time:
1930s, year 1999, 20th century, 90s, year 1935
Place:
southern usa, usa, louisiana, america, persia
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when ...
Style:
psychological, surreal, twist ending, futuristic, non-linear ...
Plot:
time travel, post apocalyptic, apocalypse, insanity, virus, post apocalypse, time loop, paranoia, end of the world, psychology, mental institution, dystopia ...
Time:
future, 20th century, year 1990, year 1996, 90s ...
Place:
philadelphia, maryland, pennsylvania, california, baltimore ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 139 min.
Story:
World-famous detective Benoit Blanc heads to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery surrounding a tech billionaire and his eclectic crew of friends.
Style:
exciting, detective, twist ending, tense, captivating ...
Audience:
date night, chick flick
Plot:
whodunit, murder mystery, murder, murder investigation, investigation, racism, criminal, house, killer, plot twist, land, men's rights ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
greece, new york, europe
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Malta
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Genius Belgian detective Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of an American tycoon aboard the Orient Express train.
Style:
detective, surprise ending, suspense, artsy, costume drama ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
murder mystery, whodunit, investigation, train, murder, private detective, vengeance, snow, conspiracy, suspect, twists and turns, justice ...
Time:
1930s, year 2017, 2010s, 20th century, 1920s ...
Place:
turkey, istanbul turkey, venice, alps, former yugoslavia ...
Is relevant?
290K
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
Complete strangers stranded at a remote desert motel during a raging storm soon find themselves the target of a deranged murderer. As their numbers thin out, the travelers begin to turn on each other, as each tries to figure out who the killer is.
Style:
twist ending, suspense, scary, suspenseful, surprise ending ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
serial killer, twists and turns, murder mystery, whodunit, dissociative identity disorder, psychology, investigation, motel, murder, mental disorder, split personality, mental illness ...
Time:
year 2003, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
usa, florida, nevada
Is relevant?
905K
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story:
After narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.
Style:
psychological, surreal, mind bending, atmospheric, philosophical ...
Audience:
teens, date night, adult, teen drama
Plot:
mental illness, imaginary friend, schizophrenia, psychology, time travel, insanity, parallel universe, suburbs, surrealism, time loop, trippy, schizophrenic ...
Time:
80s, year 2001, 2000s, future, 20th century ...
Place:
los angeles, america, usa, virginia, harvard university
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
When her best friend vanishes during a girls' trip to Croatia, Beth races to figure out what happened. But each clue yields another unsettling deception.
Style:
psychological, tense, disturbing, captivating, suspense ...
Plot:
murder mystery, disappearance, murder, weekend, girlfriend, mysterious disappearance, victim, murder investigation, accused of murder, woman, vacation gone wrong, investigation ...
Time:
2020s
Place:
croatia, london
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min.
Story:
There is a new criminal mastermind at large (Professor Moriarty) and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil and lack of conscience may give him an advantage over the detective.
Style:
clever, entertaining, action thriller, stylized, atmospheric ...
Audience:
boys' night, teens
Plot:
sherlock holmes, steampunk, intelligence, riddles and clues, detective inspector, hotshot, private detective, twists and turns, hotshot hero, mind game, conspiracy, buddies ...
Time:
victorian era, 19th century, year 2011, edwardian era, 2010s ...
Place:
england, london, paris france, britain, europe ...
Is relevant?
300K
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 81 min.
Story:
A slick New York publicist who picks up a ringing receiver in a phone booth is told that if he hangs up, he'll be killed... and the little red light from a laser rifle sight is proof that the caller isn't kidding.
Style:
suspense, suspenseful, tense, psychological, clever ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
hostage, psychopath, sniper, dishonesty, mind game, trapped, cell phone, hopes, plot twist, secret relationship, lone hero, sin ...
Time:
2000s, 20th century, year 2002, 21st century
Place:
new york, usa, manhattan new york city
Is relevant?
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
An African American detective is asked to investigate a murder in a racist southern town.
Style:
suspenseful, thought provoking, suspense, detective, intense ...
Plot:
racism, small town, prejudice, african american, murder mystery, racial tension, police officer, police procedural, civil rights, false accusation, police, murder ...
Time:
20th century, year 1967, 60s, 1930s
Place:
mississippi, southern usa, usa, north carolina, america ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Father and son coroners receive a mysterious unidentified corpse with no apparent cause of death. As they attempt to examine the beautiful young "Jane Doe," they discover increasingly bizarre clues that hold the key to her terrifying ...
Style:
scary, suspense, bad ending, dark, suspenseful ...
Plot:
supernatural, witch, supernatural horror, autopsy, morgue, witchcraft, nudity, mutilation, corpse, dead woman, supernatural power, mysterious death ...
Time:
year 2016, 2010s, year 2017
Place:
new england, salem massachusetts, london
Is relevant?
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
Almost everyone on the S.S.Karnak, cruising the Nile, has a reason to want heiress Linnet Ridgeway dead. Her jewels are coveted by elderly Mrs. van Schuyler, her maid is upset because Linnet won't give her a promised dowry, writer Salome ...
Style:
detective, captivating, costume drama, non-linear, surprise ending ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
murder mystery, whodunit, investigator, murder, honeymoon, murder investigation, private detective, boat, police inspector, justice, investigation, unrequited love ...
Time:
1930s, pre world war two, year 1937, 1910s, 2020s ...
Place:
egypt, belgium, london
Is relevant?
Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 145 min.
Story:
John Anderton is a top 'Precrime' cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they're committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
Style:
futuristic, neo noir, cerebral, suspense, tech noir ...
Audience:
boys' night, date night, chick flick
Plot:
cyberpunk, distopia, dystopian future, dystopia, murder, foreknowledge, precognition, frame up, psychic, murder mystery, time loop, police investigation ...
Time:
future, near future, distant future, 20th century, year 2002 ...
Place:
washington d.c., virginia, usa
Is relevant?
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