The 40 Best Mystery Movies to Stream Right Now, from ‘Enola Holmes’ to ‘A Simple Favor’
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Perhaps you’ve breezed through more true-crime documentaries than you can count, or maybe you’re just craving a great movie that’ll put your crime-solving skills to use (well, minus the creepy true story aspect). Either way, it’s hard to resist a good whodunit that keeps you on the edge of your seat. And thanks to streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, we’ve got an extensive library of the best mystery movies you can start streaming right this minute.
From Enola Holmes to The Girl on the Train, see 40 mystery movies that’ll have you feeling like a world-class detective.
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1. ‘Knives Out’ (2019)
Daniel Craig stars as private detective Benoit Blanc in this riveting Oscar-nominated film. When Harlan Thrombey, a wealthy crime novelist, is found dead at his own party, everyone in his dysfunctional family becomes a suspect. Will this detective be able to see through all the deception and nail down the true killer? (FYI, it’s worth noting that Netflix recently paid a hefty sum for two sequels, so expect to see even more of Detective Blanc.)
2. ‘Enola Holmes’ (2020)
Just days after this film hit Netflix, it skyrocketed to the top spot, and we can already see why. Inspired by Nancy Springer’s Enola Holmes Mysteries books, the series follows Enola, the younger sister of Sherlock Holmes, during the 1800s in England. When her mother mysteriously goes missing on the morning of her 16th birthday, Enola travels to London to investigate. Her journey turns into a thrilling adventure involving a young runaway Lord (Louis Partridge).
3. ‘I See You’ (2019)
I See You is a case of whodunit with a sinister twist, although there are definitely moments where it feels more like a creepy, supernatural thriller. In the film, a small-town detective named Greg Harper (Jon Tenney) takes on the case of a missing 10-year-old boy, but as he investigates, strange occurrences begin to plague his home.
4. ‘Dark Waters’ (2019)
In a dramatized version of events, we see the real-life case of attorney Robert Bilott against the chemical manufacturing corporation, DuPont. Mark Ruffalo stars as Robert, who’s sent to investigate a number of mysterious animal deaths in West Virginia. As he gets closer to the truth, however, he finds that his own life may be at risk.
5. ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (2017)
Based on Agatha Christie's 1934 novel of the same name, the movie follows Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), a famous detective who tries to solve a murder on the luxury Orient Express train service before the killer gets to another victim. The star-studded cast includes Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr. and Michelle Pfeiffer.
6. ‘Memento’ (2000)
This critically acclaimed film is considered one of Christopher Nolan's best works ever, and while it’s technically a psychological thriller, there’s definitely some mystery. The movie follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a former insurance investigator who suffers from anterograde amnesia. Despite his short-term memory loss, he attempts to investigate his wife's murder through a series of Polaroid photos.
7. ‘The Invisible Guest’ (2016)
When Adrián Doria (Mario Casas), a young businessman, wakes up in a locked room with his dead lover, he’s falsely arrested for her murder. While out on bail, he teams up with a famous attorney, and together, they try to figure out who framed him.
8. ‘North By Northwest’ (1959)
This classic spy thriller film doubles as a riveting mystery, and it's considered one of the greatest films of all time. Set in 1958, the movie focuses on Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), who is mistaken for someone else and kidnapped by two mysterious agents with dangerous motives.
9. ‘Seven’ (1995)
Morgan Freeman stars as retiring detective William Somerset, who teams up with new Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) for his final case. After discovering a number of brutal murders, the men eventually figure out that a serial killer has been targeting people who represent one of the seven deadly sins. Prepare for a twist ending that’ll scare your socks off...
10. ‘A Simple Favor’ (2018)
Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a widowed mom and vlogger, becomes fast friends with Emily (Blake Lively), a successful a PR director, after they share a few drinks. When Emily suddenly disappears, Stephanie takes it upon herself to investigate the matter, but as she digs into her friend’s past, quite a few secrets are unraveled. Both Lively and Kendrick give solid performances in this fun, dark comedy thriller.
11. ‘Wind River’ (2017)
The Western murder mystery chronicles the ongoing investigation of a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Wildlife Service tracker Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner) works with FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to solve this mystery, but the deeper they dig, the bigger their chances of suffering a similar fate.
12. ‘Inheritance’ (2020)
After wealthy patriarch Archer Monroe (Patrick Warburton) passes away, he leaves his luxurious estate to his family. However, his daughter Lauren (Lily Collins) receives a posthumous video message from Archer and discovers that he's been hiding a dark secret that could ruin the entire family.
13. ‘Searching’ (2018)
When David Kim’s (John Cho) 16-year-old daughter Margot (Michelle La) disappears, the police can’t seem to track her down. And when his daughter is presumed dead, David, feeling desperate, takes matters into his own hands by delving into Margot’s digital past. He discovers that she’s been hiding a few secrets and, even worse, that the detective assigned to his case can’t be trusted.
14. ‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe make unlikely partners in this black comedy film. It follows Holland March (Gosling), a hapless private eye, who teams up with an enforcer named Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) to investigate the disappearance of a young woman named Amelia (Margaret Qualley). As it turns out, everyone who gets involved in the case usually turns up dead...
15. ‘Solace’ (2015)
Critics weren’t too fond of this mystery thriller during its initial release, but its clever plot is sure to keep you hooked from start to finish. Solace is about a psychic doctor, John Clancy (Anthony Hopkins), who teams up with FBI agent Joe Merriwether (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to catch a dangerous serial killer who murders his victims through elaborate methods.
16. ‘Clue’ (1985)
It's pretty easy to see why Clue has developed such a huge cult following, from the nostalgia factor to its countless quotable moments. The film, which is based on the popular board game, follows six guests who get invited to dinner at a large mansion. Things take a dark turn, however, when the host gets killed, turning all of the guests and the staff into possible suspects. The ensemble cast includes Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn and Christopher Lloyd.
17. ‘Mystic River’ (2003)
Based on Dennis Lehane's 2001 novel of the same name, the Oscar-winning crime drama follows Jimmy Marcus (Sean Penn), an ex-con whose daughter gets murdered. Although his childhood friend and homicide detective, Sean (Kevin Bacon), is on the case, Jimmy launches his own investigation, and what he learns causes him to suspect that Dave (Tim Robbins), another childhood friend, had something to do with his daughter’s death.
18. ‘The Girl on the Train’ (2021)
Don’t get us wrong—Emily Blunt was outstanding in the 2016 film, but this Bollywood remake is sure to send chills up your spine. Actress Parineeti Chopra (Priyanka Chopra's cousin) stars as the lonely divorcee who becomes obsessed with a seemingly perfect couple that she observes each day from a train window. But when she witnesses something out of the ordinary one day, she pays them a visit, eventually landing herself right in the middle of a missing person's investigation.
19. ‘What Lies Below’ (2020)
At first glance, it feels like your typical, run-of-the-mill Hallmark film, but then, things take a rather interesting (and pretty confusing) turn. In What Lies Below, we follow a socially awkward teenager named Liberty (Ema Horvath) who finally gets a chance to meet her mother’s charming new fiancé. However, this dreamy new guy seems a little too charming. So much so that Liberty begins to suspect he’s not even human.
20. ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2009)
The legendary Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his brilliant partner, Dr. John Watson (Jude Law), are hired to track down Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong), a serial killer who uses dark magic to murder his victims. It’s only a matter of time before the duo realizes that the killer has even bigger plans to control all of Britain, but can they stop him in time? Get ready for a whole lot of action.
21. ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946)
Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart), a private investigator, is tasked with handling his daughter’s massive gambling debts. But there’s just one problem: It turns out the situation is a lot more complicated than it seems, as it involves a mysterious disappearance.
22. ‘Gone Girl’ (2014)
Rosamund Pike has nailed the art of playing cold, calculated characters that chill us to our core, and it especially rings true in this thriller film. Gone Girl follows a former writer named Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), whose wife (Pike) mysteriously goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary. Nick becomes the top suspect, and everyone, including the media, begins to question the couple’s seemingly perfect marriage.
23. ‘The Pelican Brief’ (1993)
Don't let the low Rotten Tomatoes score fool you—Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington are simply brilliant and the plot is filled with suspense. The film tells the story of Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts), a law student whose legal brief about the murder of two Supreme Court justices causes her to become the killers’ newest target. With the help of a reporter, Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington), she tries to get to the bottom of the truth while on the run.
24. ‘Primal Fear’ (1996)
It stars Richard Gere as Martin Vail, a popular Chicago attorney who's known for getting high-profile clients acquitted. But when he decides to defend a young altar boy (Edward Norton) who's accused of brutally killing the Catholic archbishop, the case turns out to be more complicated than he expected.
25. ‘The Lovebirds’ (2020)
It’s far from predictable and filled with humorous moments which, if you ask us, makes for a pretty epic murder mystery. Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani star as Jibran and Leilani, a couple whose relationship has run its course. But when they witness someone murder a bicyclist with their own car, they go on the run, assuming that they’d be better off solving the mystery for themselves, rather than risking jail time. Of course, this leads to all the chaos.
26. ‘Before I Go to Sleep’ (2014)
After surviving a near-fatal attack, Christine Lucas (Nicole Kidman) struggles with anterograde amnesia. And so every day, she keeps a video diary as she becomes reacquainted with her husband. But as she faintly recalls some of her distant memories, she realizes that some of her memories don’t align with what her husband has been telling her. Who can she trust?
27. ‘In the Heat of the Night’ (1967)
The iconic mystery film is much more than a compelling detective story, touching on issues like racism and prejudice. Set during the Civil Rights era, the film follows Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier), a Black detective who reluctantly teams up with a racist white officer, Chief Bill Gillespie (Rod Steiger) to solve a murder in Mississippi. BTW, this mystery drama earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
28. ‘Murder Mystery’ (2019)
If you loved Date Night, then you'll definitely enjoy this comedy. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston play a New York officer and his wife, a hairstylist. The two embark on a European adventure to add some spark to their relationship, but after one random encounter, they find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery involving a dead billionaire.
29. ‘Earthquake Bird’ (2019)
After getting entangled in a love triangle with Teiji Matsuda (Naoki Kobayashi) and her friend Lily Bridges (Riley Keough), Lucy Fly (Alicia Vikander), who works as a translator, becomes a prime suspect for Lily's murder when she suddenly disappears. The film is based on Susanna Jones's 2001 novel of the same title.
30. ‘The Legacy of the Bones’ (2019)
In this Spanish crime thriller, which is the second film in the Baztán Trilogy and an adaptation of Dolores Redondo's novel, we focus on police inspector Amaia Salazar (Marta Etura), who has to investigate a string of suicides that share an eerie pattern. In short, this movie is the definition of intense.
31. ‘Cleaner’ (2007)
Samuel L. Jackson plays a former cop and single dad named Tom Cutler, who owns a crime scene cleanup company. When he's called to wipe down a suburban home after a shooting takes place there, Tom learns that he inadvertently erased crucial evidence, making him part of a huge criminal cover-up.
32. ‘Flightplan’ (2005)
In this twisty psychological thriller, Jodie Foster is Kyle Pratt, a widowed aircraft engineer who resides in Berlin. While flying back to the U.S. with her daughter to transfer her husband's body, she loses her daughter while still on the flight. To make matters even worse, no one on the flight recalls seeing her, causing her to doubt her own sanity.
33. ‘L.A. Confidential’ (1997)
Not only did critics rave about this film, but it was also nominated for nine (yes, nine) Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Set in 1953, the crime film follows a group of police officers, including Lieutenant Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), Officer Bud White (Russell Crowe) and Sergeant Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), as they investigate an unsolved murder, while all having different motives.
34. ‘Dark Places’ (2015)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name, Dark Places centers on Libby (Charlize Theron), who lives off the donations of generous strangers after the highly publicized murder of her mother and sisters more than a decade ago. As a little girl, she testifies that her brother is guilty of the crime, but when she revisits the incident as an adult, she suspects that there’s a lot more to the story.
35. ‘Lost Girls’ (2020)
The Office actress Amy Ryan is real-life activist and murder victim advocate Mari Gilbert in this mystery drama, which is based on Robert Kolker's book, Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery. In a desperate attempt to find her missing daughter, Gilbert launches an investigation, which leads to the discovery of a number of unsolved murders of young female sex workers.
36. ‘Gone’ (2012)
After surviving a traumatizing kidnapping attempt, Jill Parrish (Amanda Seyfried) tries her best to move on with her life. After getting a new job and inviting her sister to stay with her, she achieves some semblance of normalcy. But when her sister suddenly vanishes one morning, she suspects that the same kidnapper is after her again.
37. ‘Rear Window’ (1954)
Before there was Girl on the Train, there was this mystery classic. In the film, we follow a wheelchair-bound professional photographer named L. B. Jefferies, who obsessively watches his neighbors from his window. But when he witnesses what appears to be a murder, he starts to investigate and observe the others in the neighborhood during the process.
38. ‘The Clovehitch Killer’ (2018)
When 16-year-old Tyler Burnside (Charlie Plummer) discovers a number of disturbing polaroids in his father’s possession, he suspects that his dad is responsible for the ruthless killing of several girls. Talk about terrifying.
39. ‘Identity’ (2003)
In the film, we follow a group of guests who stay at an isolated motel after a huge storm hits Nevada. But things take a dark turn when people in the group are mysteriously killed off one by one. Meanwhile, a serial killer awaits his verdict during a trial that will determine if he’ll be executed. It’s the kind of film that’ll definitely keep you guessing.
40. ‘Angel of Mine’ (2019)
Several years after the unfortunate death of her newborn baby Rosie, Lizzie (Noomi Rapace) is still grieving and struggling to move on. But when she meets a young girl named Lola, Lizzie is immediately convinced that it's actually her daughter. No one believes her, but she insists that it’s really Rosie. Could it really be her, or is Lizzie in over her head?
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