15+ Best Whodunit Movies To Watch On Your Weekends

Murder thrillers blended with a slow-burning plot can take the entire movie experience to the next level of enjoyment.

Through the intense tension and mysteries, the final disclosure of the murderer in the climax brings the ultimate satisfaction to the viewers’ eyes.

The whodunit genre thus leaves the audience in suspense and makes them scratch their heads throughout the transition of plots.

If you want to experience the ultimate thrill of solving murder mysteries in the cinematic world, then get your pop-corns ready to watch these highly suggested movies all the time-

Knives Out (2019) 

Cast: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans. 

Director- Rian Johnson

IMDB rating- 7.9

Storyline- The film that tops the Whodunit genre must be our first choice, and, in all honesty, it might just be the outstanding mystery-thriller ever made.

Inquisitive and dapper Detective Benoit Blanc is enigmatically called upon to look into the suspicious death of famed crime author Harlan Thrombeyjust after his 85th birthday. Blanc sifts through a maze of red herrings and self-serving deception to uncover the truth about Harlan’s tragic death, from Harlan’s chaotic family to his loyal employees.

Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Cast: Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, George Clooney. 

Director: Ethan Coen

IMDB rating: 6.3

Storyline: In the 1950s, Eddie Mannix worked as a Hollywood fixer for Capitol Pictures, cleaning up and resolving issues for prominent figures and stars in the business. This film covers a day in Eddie Mannix’s life.

Eddie Mannix, a designer for a Hollywood studio, looks into the disappearance of actress Bird Whitlock and the identity of the communist spy working within the industry.

When studio star Baird Whitlock goes missing, Mannix is forced to deal with more than just the fix. The film is a goofy satire in many aspects, but it has a story, so we’ll count it.

Gosford Park (2001)

Cast: Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Ryan Phillippe. 

Director: Robert Altman

IMDB rating: 7.2

Storyline: The plot, which is set in the 1930s, is staged in an old-fashioned English country mansion where a weekend hunting party is taking place.

The McCordle family, especially Sir William McCordle, are at the forefront of the story. William, who is getting on in age, has started to help out a lot of his family and friends.

As the weekend progresses, secrets are uncovered, and it appears everyone wants their share of William and his money—both above stairs and below—but how far would they go to get it? Watch the movie to see what happens next!

After The Thin Man (1936) 

Cast: William Powell, James Stewart, Myrna Loy, Elisa Landy, Alan Marshall. 

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

IMDB rating: 7.6

Storyline- After getting back from a case, private investigator Nick Charles and his wife Nora are at home when Selma, Nora’s cousin, complains that her husband is missing.

While the two are looking for the infamous Robert-the-husband, Selma’s friend David Graham secretly wishes for her help in the investigation. A missing person case evolves into murder when the three investigate Robert’s secret life.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

Cast: James Stewart, Brenda de Banzie, Doris Day. 

Director- Alfred Hitchcock

IMDB rating- 7.4

Storyline- American doctor Dr. Ben McKenna, his wife Jo McKenna, née Conway, a retired musical theater performer, and their teenage son Hank McKenna decide to go on a day trip to Marrakesh, French Morocco, while in Paris for a medical conference.

Louis Bernard, a Frenchman the family had previously met on the bus from Paris to Marrakech and now posing as an Arab, approaches Ben while brandishing a knife at his back.

Just before Bernard dies, Louis Bernard cryptically whispers into Ben’s ear that a politician will be the target of an assassination plot in London.

Lady in the Lake (1946)

Cast: Robert Montgomery, Lloyd Nolan, Audrey Totter, Leon Ames 

Director- Robert Montgomery

IMDB rating– 6.5

Storyline- In this film version of Raymond Chandler’s novel, the camera presents Phillip Marlowe’s point of view in the first person. Philip Marlowe wants to escape the demands of writing detective and crime fiction.

But when he is summoned to editor Adrienne’s office, she isn’t there to talk about his story concepts; instead, she needs him to find Mr. Kingsby’s missing wife. The task soon turns tricky and twisted when dead bodies start to show up.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Rachel McAdams, Jude Law. 

Director- Guy Ritchie

IMDB rating– 7.6

Storyline- Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. Watson will wrap up yet another successful case after finally capturing serial killer and occult “shaman” Lord Blackwood. However, Holmes is forced to resume the search when Blackwood unexplainably emerges from the dead and begins his murderous rampage. The fearless investigator must decipher the clues that will take him into a dark labyrinth of murder, betrayal, and black magic – and the fatal embrace of temptress Irene Adler. He will also have to contend with his partner’s new girlfriend and the feeble-minded head of Scotland Yard.

Brick (2005)

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emilie de Ravin, Lukas Haas. 

Director- Rian Johnson

IMDB rating- 7.2

Storyline- Brendan, a lonely teenager, discovers his ex-girlfriend Emily dead at the entrance to a sewer tunnel and recalls their phone call two days earlier when she told him she was in trouble.

When Brendan, who was still in love with Emily, tried to get in touch with her, he ran across troublemakers from his high school; when he did, she confirmed that she was OK.

He chooses to look into the origin and interconnections of the four words Emily gave him, including “brick” and “pin,” to figure out who killed her. 

Shutter Island (2010)

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Emily Mortimer. 

Director: Martin Scorsese

IMDb rating: 8.2

Storyline- Another iconic movie with a puzzle-based plot. In 1954, new US Marshal Teddy Daniels was tasked with looking into the missing patient from Boston’s Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital.

This lost patient scenario gradually evolves into something much more sinister and complicated.

Teddy starts to doubt everything, including his memory, his partner, and even his own sanity, as a hurricane cuts off connectivity with the mainland, more violent inmates “escape” in the turmoil, and the puzzling, contradictory evidence starts emerging.

The Usual Suspects (1995) 

Cast: Kevin Spacey, Chazz Palminteri, Gabriel Byrne. 

Director: Bryan Singer

IMDB rating: 8.5

Storyline: A highly exciting and fast-paced mystery is included in the film. The film’s opening scene shows a quick crime, and the subsequent tales and plotlines let the audience come to understand what happened.

A lone survivor narrates the tortuous series of events that led up to a terrible gunfight on a boat, which started when five criminals met at a supposedly accidental police lineup. Only a select few films have a late plot twist that is as significant as this one.

The final reveal completes the narrative for both the characters and the audience, making The Usual Suspects a likable suspense thriller.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Michelle Monaghan, Val Kilmer. 

Director-Shane Black

IMDB rating- 7.5

Storyline- Mistakenly winning a screen test in New York City, Harry Lockhart expresses regret for a botched theft during an audition, which casting director Dabney Shaw misunderstands as method acting.

For a screening, he is transferred to Los Angeles. Harry meets “Gay” Perry van Shrike, a homicide detective hired to provide him with on-the-job training for his screen test, and Harmony Lane, Harry’s childhood sweetheart.

The story takes a dark twist as Harry gets involved in a murder case despite being innocent.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

Cast: Tony Musante, Enrico Maria Salerno, Suzy Kendall. 

Director- Dario Argento

IMDB rating- 7.1

Storyline- Sam Dalmas, an American writer, resides in Rome with his partner Julia. Sam sees a murder attempt being undertaken by an enigmatic person while at an art gallery.

Sam suddenly emerges as a pivotal witness in the continuing police investigation because the attacker is considered a prominent serial killer. Sam learns he might be the killer’s next target after looking for hints that might allow him to catch the perpetrator.

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Casey Affleck, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan. 

Director- Ben Affleck

IMDB rating- 7.6

Storyline– The police struggle to find 4-year-old Amanda McCready after she vanishes from her house. Beatrice McCready, the girl’s aunt, employs Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro as private investigators.

The detectives freely acknowledge that they lack relevant experience. Still, the family needs them for two reasons: first, they are not police officers, and second, they are familiar with the problematic Boston region where they all reside.

Kenzie and Gennaro encounter drug traffickers, gangs, and pedophiles as the case unfolds. They are confronted with a moral choice that could cause them to fall apart just as they are ready to resolve their issue.

Primal Fear (1996)

Cast- Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney. 

Director- Gregory Hoblit

IMDB rating– 7.7

Storyline- When Aaron, a young man, is accused of the heinous murder of Archbishop Rushman, friendly and warm Chicago attorney Martin Vail takes up his case for free. Before the Archbishop took him in, Aaron was a homeless boy living on the streets.

His speech stutters, and he is shy. Vail is sure that Aaron is innocent, but he starts to have second thoughts after watching a video that suggests Aaron might have had a reasonable cause for wanting the Archbishop killed. This movie has one of the best-unexpected endings in Hollywood history.

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Cast: Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich. 

Director- Billy Wilder

IMDB rating- 8.4

Storyline- Wilfred Robarts, a renowned lawyer, has chosen to represent Leonard Vole in his court trial on the accusation of the murder of a wealthy woman.

Unfortunately, Leonard’s alibi is based on the evidence of his cruel wife, Christine, who, after spotting a legal snag, shockingly decides to go on the defense. Sir Wilfred finds that this is only the opening of a string of disturbing discoveries and reflections.

Chinatown (1974)

Cast: Jack Nicholson, John Huston, Faye Dunaway. 

Director- Roman Polanski

IMDB rating- 8.2

Storyline- When Evelyn Mulwray hires J.J., a private investigator from Los Angeles, to look into her husband’s activities, he thinks it’s just another case of infidelity.

When Jake encounters Mrs. Mulwray in person and realizes a fraud employed him, his investigation immediately turns bizarre. Because Mr. Mulwray’s father is now a suspect in the case, Mr. Mulwray’s untimely death plunges Gates into a web of fraud, deceit, and dark family secrets.

Gattaca (1997)

Cast: Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Gore Vidal, Ethan Hawke. 

Director-Andrew Niccol. 

IMDB rating-7.8

Storyline- A man with genetic conditions, Vincent Freeman, adopts a better identity to accomplish his lifelong passion of going to space. He disguises himself as Jerome Moreau, a genetically perfect individual.

Vincent learns how to fudge a DNA test and a urine sample with the help of expert assistance. The project director is killed just before the planned launch of the space mission, and the police start an investigation.

Was this article helpful?

Leave a Comment

Translate »