While the appeal of horror films is unquestionable, thrillers with a good mystery are great competition. Not violent or scary enough to be horror, these mystery thrillers always play with viewers' psyches and make us lose a night's sleep or two. In some cases, viewers will try to solve the cases along with the movie and try to come up with the identity of the killer, or guess if the film will even have a conventional ending (they often don't).
Nevertheless, they're still genre films and not the usual favorites of critics worldwide. Often associated with movies of lesser quality because of the experience they represent, mystery thrillers have suffered the wrath of movie critics. But in the cases of the following, our point is proven wrong. These are 10 mystery thrillers that have exceptionally high critic and audiences scores on Rotten Tomatoes.
10 The Third Man (1949)
99% on the Tomatometer - 93% on the Popcornmeter
- Release Date
- February 1, 1950
- Director
- Carol Reed
- Cast
- Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Alida Valli , Trevor Howard , Paul Hörbiger
- Main Genre
- Noir
In The Third Man, pulp novel writer Holly Martins travels to Vienna from the U.S. and finds that his childhood friend, Harry, has been killed in a mysterious accident. Martins feels something's off as he sees signs of murder. When he and Anna, Harry's girlfriend, try to investigate, they realize they may have become part of a conspiracy.
The classic thriller noir by Carol Reed is considered one of the best British films ever made. The film's cinematography, for which it won an Academy Award, is evocative of German expressionism, and most of what people remember from the movie has to do with its iconic shots (the one with the man standing in a tunnel is the most recognizable one). Even though it wasn't acclaimed back then, it has become a staple of the film noir movement.
9 Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
100% on the Tomatometer - 89% on the Popcornmeter
Shadow of a Doubt
- Release Date
- January 15, 1943
- Cast
- Teresa Wright , Joseph Cotten , Macdonald Carey , Henry Travers , Patricia Collinge , Hume Cronyn , Wallace Ford , Edna May Wonacott
Shadow of a Doubt is the story of Charlie Newton, a teenage girl who believes she has a connection with her uncle Charlie. She summons him, and when he arrives, the family is infatuated with his presence. Then young Charlie realizes her uncle is not the ideal man he appears to be and, instead, may be a serial killer the authorities are searching for.
Alfred Hitchcock's 1943 mystery thriller is a black-and-white classic noir that could also be the best film of the first half of the director's career. The character of Uncle Charlie is meticulously designed to raise suspicions, but it's all seen through the eyes of Charlie, a teenager who's clever enough to observe what the others can't. If you think the plot resembles that of Park Chan-wook's Stoker, you're exactly right, as Shadow of a Doubt is an inspiration for the modern horror thriller.
20 Gritty Thrillers With the Bleakest Endings
We like to have fun and relax at the movies, right? But in the case of these gritty thrillers, you will probably have a hard time with their endings.
8 The Guilty (2018)
98% on the Tomatometer - 87% on the Popcornmeter
The Guilty follows Asger, a police agent in Copenhague who has been assigned to cover emergency calls after he was involved in an accident in which a man died. The night before his hearing, Asger takes a call from Iben, a woman using cryptic dialogue. After he gathers some answers, the agent realizes Iben has been abducted, but working from a desk means his resources are limited.
Straight from Denmark comes a very effective thriller that doesn't beat around the bush. Although most of it takes place in a single setting, Jakob Cedergren's performance as Asger, and Gustav Möller and Emil Nygaard Albertsen's script, are good enough to keep you on the edge of your seat. Since its release, the film was critically acclaimed, and American audiences got their own version in 2021, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
7 Blue Ruin (2013)
96% on the Tomatometer - 79% on the Popcornmeter
Dwight Evans' lives his life as a beach vagrant. He has no contact with his sister, and his parents were murdered ten years prior. When he gets word that his parents' killer, Wade Cleland, is set to be released from prison, Dwight decides that he has nothing left to lose and sets out on a quest to avenge his parents' deaths. Dwight succeeds in killing Wade, but complications emerge when his botched getaway allows the Cleland family the opportunity to vow revenge.
Blue Ruin is the story of Dwight Evans, a drifter who only has the car he lives in. When he finds out that the man who killed his parents in cold blood is set to be released from prison, Dwight decides to finish the job and get revenge. The problem is that his parents' murder has a shroud of mystery around it, which he'll find out the hard way.
Made by Rebel Ridge's Jeremy Saulnier for less than $500,000, Blue Ruin is a modern revenge masterpiece. Starring the always reliable Macon Blair, the film symbolizes a violent descent into the mindset of an unstable man whose hunger for revenge overcomes logic. Dwight is a victim of his own "amateurism," and the price he pays is simply too high.
6 Chinatown (1974)
98% on the Tomatometer - 93% on the Popcornmeter
Originally released in 1974, Chinatown is an American neo-noir mystery movie starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Its story was inspired by the California water wars, a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and the people of Owen's Valley around the beginning of the twentieth century. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations in total, with Robert Towne winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
- Release Date
- June 20, 1974
In Chinatown, private investigator Jake Gittes uncovers a huge conspiracy when he's hired to expose a very powerful man named Hollis Mulwray. When Mulwray's corpse is discovered, and Gittes finds out he wasn't employed by the man's real wife, he's forced to dig deeper. Ultimately, he finds that the dead man may have come upon a corruption plot involving his business partner and the mysterious Evelyn.
Roman Polanski's mystery film of 1974 has been acclaimed as one of the best movies of all time by audiences and critics. In 1975, it was nominated for a whopping 11 Academy Awards, and it took home the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Jack Nicholson, as Jake Gittes, masterfully leads a convoluted plot into a bittersweet conclusion that'll leave you thinking about Chinatown for a while.
5 Knives Out (2019)
97% on the Tomatometer - 97% on the Popcornmeter
- Release Date
- November 27, 2019
Knives Out follows the Thrombeys, a clan of shady people whose leader, Harlan, is found dead the next morning after his 85th birthday. While all clues point to a suicide, a peculiar private investigator is hired anonymously, as someone suspects Harlan may have been murdered. Benoit Blanc will be in charge of solving the mysterious crime that has multiple suspects, and all are very close to the victim.
Rian Johnson's superb genre mashup was proof of his storytelling abilities after the debacle that was his version of a Star Wars sequel, The Last Jedi. In control of a huge ensemble cast, Johnson was able to build a tight storyline with a funny and engaging tone that made Knives Out one of the best films of the year for many critics. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
4 Rear Window (1954)
98% on the Tomatometer - 95% on the Popcornmeter
- Release Date
- September 1, 1954
Rear Window is the story of L.B., a photographer whose latest gig resulted in an accident that left him in a cast from waist to foot. With the help of his girlfriend and his nurse, the anxious man manages to survive. But his curiosity gets the best of him when he uses his camera to explore the neighbors in the building across the street, and he finds something downright terrifying.
There's a reason why Hitchcock is the only director who shows up on this list twice. His films are designed to draw the attention of the curious while taking their time to solve engaging mysteries. Rear Window is no different, and in the movie, the director made sure to exhibit his skills at creating tension and holding that note until the white-knuckle climactic conclusion that will make you hold your breath for a few minutes. It is considered one of the greatest movies ever made.
3 L.A. Confidential (1997)
99% on the Tomatometer - 94% on the Popcornmeter
- Release Date
- September 19, 1997
In Curtis Hanson's adaptation of the novel by James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential, viewers are transported to 1950s Los Angeles, when Tinseltown was at its most glamorous, but the city was a crime and corruption pit. Three detectives, with three very different styles of seeking justice, get together in order to solve a series of crimes that may involve L.A.'s finest.
L.A. Confidential was a 1997 blockbuster that won two Academy Awards the same year James Cameron swept the ceremony with Titanic. With time, the mystery thriller has earned the acclaim it deserves, with many critics considering it one of the greatest films ever made. The depiction of 1950s Hollywood combined with outstanding performances by Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, and Russell Crowe, make it worth revisiting, as you confirm that this time the critics were absolutely right with their score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The 15 Best Slow-Burn Psychological Thrillers of All Time
We all love a good thriller. But in the case of the following, the slow buildup is just as important as the final explosive surprise.
2 The Vanishing (1988)
96% on the Tomatometer - 88% on the Popcornmeter
The Vanishing
- Release Date
- October 27, 1988
- Cast
- Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu , Gene Bervoets
In The Vanishing, Rex and Saskia are a Dutch couple on vacation in the French countryside. When they stop for gas, Saskia vanishes without a trace, and Rex's ordeal of doubt begins.
Since its release, the film has become a pinnacle of its genre, a relentless experience of nihilism that didn't sugarcoat what seemed like an inevitable conclusion. The suspense of its second half, where viewers can basically already guess how things will end, is fueled by the unavoidable hope we have of Rex finding justice. But once the mystery is solved, the world will be a bit bleaker than before.
1 Memories of Murder (2003)
95% on the Tomatometer - 92% on the Popcornmeter
- Release Date
- May 2, 2003
- Cast
- Kang-ho Song , Sang-kyung Kim , Roe-ha Kim , Jae-ho Song , Hie-bong Byeon , Seo-hie Ko
Memories of Murder takes us to 1980s South Korea, a country in political turmoil. A series of murders rocks the city of Hwaseong, and detectives Park Doo-man and Seo Tae-yoon are tasked with finding the mysterious serial killer whose modus operandi involves leaving a few clues that aren't very easy to decipher.
Bong Joon-ho's mystery thriller is a riveting genre exercise that stands alongside the best serial killer films ever made. With great characters following a well-written storyline, Memories of Murder subjects the audience to a hellish journey through characters who try to solve crimes without a single shred of hope. It is truly an unforgettable movie that's widely considered one of the best of the 21st century, according to Sight & Sound and CinemaScope.
Comments
Post a Comment