American Mystery Movies, a list by Adam McGready

8.2

/455500/

80

/8221/

81

/6162/

4.2

/740688/

93

/98/

92

/6508/

100

/32/

4.0

age 13+

A retired San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

89

8.2

/490339/

79

/7470/

79

/5876/

4.2

/593461/

99

/132/

90

/11624/

100

/19/

4.0

age 12+

Newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane is taken from his mother as a boy and made the ward of a rich industrialist. As a result, every well-meaning, tyrannical or self-destructive move he makes for the rest of his life appears in some way to be a reaction to that deeply wounding event.

89

8.4

/762568/

82

/13614/

82

/8806/

4.4

/891126/

91

/148/

94

/16503/

94

/15/

4.0

age 16+

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 Kurtz, who has been leading his personal army on illegal guerrilla missions into enemy territory.

88

8.2

/653795/

79

/10329/

78

/5349/

4.1

/377885/

99

/165/

94

/6454/

91

/28/

4.0

age 17+

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.

88

8.1

/373618/

79

/6334/

79

/4116/

4.3

/448367/

98

/144/

93

/5232/

92

/23/

4.0

age 15+

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 dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

87

7.9

/113026/

76

/1982/

77

/1696/

4.1

/108549/

96

/53/

91

/1696/

100

/17/

4.0

age 11+

In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.

87

7.9

/173234/

76

/2898/

77

/1819/

3.9

/135929/

99

/111/

91

/2982/

97

/16/

4.0

age 12+

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

87

8.3

/367189/

80

/6064/

79

/4374/

4.2

/313996/

97

/119/

94

/5406/

98

/16/

age 11+

Advertising man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for a spy, triggering a deadly cross-country chase.

86

7.9

/55246/

77

/1131/

76

/875/

4.0

/69286/

100

/64/

90

/775/

4.0

A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.

86

7.8

/74687/

74

/1371/

75

/1105/

4.0

/75459/

100

/54/

89

/1216/

94

/15/

4.0

In sleepy Santa Rosa, restless young Charlie’s world brightens when her sophisticated Uncle Charlie arrives for a long visit. But as his behavior grows increasingly strange, she begins to suspect that her beloved uncle may be hiding a terrible secret—and that danger has quietly entered her home.

86

8.0

/77028/

78

/1655/

79

/1109/

4.2

/84585/

100

/53/

91

/822/

95

/15/

age 13+

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.

86

8.4

/159564/

82

/2431/

82

/1595/

4.4

/112804/

100

/41/

95

/743/

76

/12/

age 11+

An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

85

7.9

/34787/

76

/793/

74

/518/

4.0

/36173/

98

/47/

93

/969/

86

/17/

4.0

age 10+

A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.

85

7.7

/135077/

74

/3027/

75

/1952/

4.2

/245818/

94

/141/

89

/2050/

88

/17/

4.0

age 16+

A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.

85

8.1

/161520/

78

/2498/

78

/1912/

4.1

/151969/

98

/105/

92

/2138/

86

/16/

age 14+

Story of a young woman who marries a fascinating widower only to find out that she must live in the shadow of his former wife, Rebecca, who died mysteriously several years earlier. The young wife must come to grips with the terrible secret of her handsome, cold husband, Max De Winter. She must also deal with the jealous, obsessed Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, who will not accept her as the mistress of the house.

85

7.9

/94803/

76

/1648/

76

/1119/

4.0

/84099/

96

/67/

91

/1677/

86

/19/

4.0

age 12+

Private Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what might be love.

85

7.9

/38666/

77

/877/

75

/642/

4.2

/70603/

96

/52/

89

/442/

4.0

A violent screenwriter and a female neighbor fall in love after she clears him of murder, but she begins to have second thoughts.

84

8.1

/64671/

79

/1357/

81

/1113/

4.4

/113725/

86

/44/

95

/516/

age 8+

A film projectionist longs to be a detective, and puts his meagre skills to work when he is framed by a rival for stealing his girlfriend's father's pocketwatch.

84

7.9

/516773/

77

/10401/

77

/7211/

3.9

/452275/

89

/203/

89

/7570/

84

/42/

4.0

age 17+

The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.

84

8.0

/73101/

79

/4192/

77

/1688/

4.0

/140075/

100

/11/

92

/1486/

age 14+

One part vigilante, one part criminal kingpin, Red Hood begins cleaning up Gotham with the efficiency of Batman, but without following the same ethical code.

84

7.9

/136241/

78

/3551/

77

/1989/

4.2

/203020/

94

/71/

92

/2244/

84

/18/

3.5

age 13+

During the 1972 elections, two reporters' investigation sheds light on the controversial Watergate scandal that compels President Nixon to resign from his post.

84

7.9

/421539/

76

/10734/

78

/6802/

4.3

/1090053/

84

/264/

87

/10340/

87

/38/

4.0

age 18+

Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.

84

IMDb 43

7.9

/860838/

80

/41331/

78

/13527/

4.0

/3698148/

97

/472/

92

/12384/

82

/52/

3.5

age 13+

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 devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan's untimely death.

84

7.6

/9082/

74

/242/

73

/217/

3.9

/17935/

100

/24/

87

/175/

4.0

When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.

84

7.5

/4411/

71

/144/

69

/56/

3.9

/3255/

100

/17/

88

/128/

93

/18/

4.0

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William's death.

84

7.9

/67033/

79

/4479/

77

/1671/

3.8

/91354/

100

/6/

93

/899/

age 14+

Batman has not been seen for ten years. A new breed of criminal ravages Gotham City, forcing 55-year-old Bruce Wayne back into the cape and cowl. But, does he still have what it takes to fight crime in a new era?

84

8.4

/1418782/

83

/32045/

81

/15794/

4.2

/1692626/

93

/184/

94

/27540/

83

/34/

3.0

age 17+

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

84

8.6

/1987907/

85

/43194/

84

/22463/

4.4

/3097724/

84

/156/

95

/26052/

65

/22/

3.5

age 17+

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. Somerset researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer's mind, while his novice partner, Mills, scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.

83

IMDb 19

7.5

/58043/

78

/2966/

75

/1073/

3.8

/876971/

91

/212/

96

/2276/

73

/39/

4.0

age 8+

After cracking the biggest case in Zootopia's history, rookie cops Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a great mystery when Gary De'Snake arrives and turns the animal metropolis upside down. To crack the case, Judy and Nick must go undercover to unexpected new parts of town, where their growing partnership is tested like never before.

83

8.3

/23048/

81

/1452/

79

/250/

4.1

/42347/

96

/104/

99

/58/

84

/19/

2.5

age 11+

The enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.

83

7.5

/71357/

73

/1310/

72

/909/

4.0

/125169/

97

/65/

84

/903/

86

/20/

4.0

age 17+

A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?

83

7.8

/92224/

78

/2061/

76

/1486/

4.0

/182073/

95

/55/

92

/2513/

83

/16/

After Regina Lampert falls for the dashing Peter Joshua on a skiing holiday in the French Alps, she discovers upon her return to Paris that her husband has been murdered. Soon, she and Peter are giving chase to three of her late husband's World War II cronies, Tex, Scobie and Gideon, who are after a quarter of a million dollars the quartet stole while behind enemy lines.

83

7.8

/16485/

76

/505/

76

/423/

4.2

/81442/

100

/6/

85

/245/

A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

83

8.3

/60863/

80

/3685/

79

/1564/

4.0

/82734/

94

/548/

age 14+

Batman has stopped the reign of terror that The Mutants had cast upon his city. Now an old foe wants a reunion and the government wants The Man of Steel to put a stop to Batman.

82

8.2

/1044417/

81

/21555/

78

/10805/

3.9

/569523/

74

/214/

93

/20845/

72

/33/

4.0

age 14+

From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experiences it all. As a brilliant but socially awkward mathematician, he made a groundbreaking discovery early in his career and stands on the brink of international acclaim. But as the handsome and arrogant Nash accepts secret work in cryptography, he becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy. His life takes a nightmarish turn and he soon finds himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery.

82

7.8

/798959/

78

/48266/

76

/18433/

4.1

/3944850/

98

/403/

86

/6257/

85

/48/

3.0

age 15+

Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parents for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.

82

7.6

/26507/

72

/570/

74

/538/

4.1

/55129/

84

/45/

87

/394/

4.0

The surreal tale of an unassuming man who is accused of a never-specified crime and shambles through bizarre encounters to escape this nightmare.

82

7.7

/35714/

74

/889/

74

/641/

4.1

/63362/

95

/57/

86

/615/

88

/17/

A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed.

82

7.9

/90011/

77

/1739/

76

/1190/

4.0

/80961/

96

/91/

92

/1187/

76

/15/

age 15+

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

82

7.4

/74229/

73

/2280/

73

/1612/

4.1

/256297/

88

/59/

81

/802/

86

/15/

4.0

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

82

7.8

/216245/

78

/7278/

76

/2774/

3.8

/130188/

100

/5/

85

/2345/

A departing professor gathers his closest colleagues for an intimate farewell, but the night takes an unexpected turn when he shares a stunning secret about his past. As the conversation unfolds, skepticism and curiosity collide, challenging everything they thought they knew about history, science, and belief.

82

8.0

/679905/

79

/21092/

74

/8134/

3.7

/292209/

92

/263/

91

/94044/

85

/38/

3.5

age 14+

Bourne is brought out of hiding once again by reporter Simon Ross who is trying to unveil Operation Blackbriar, an upgrade to Project Treadstone, in a series of newspaper columns. Information from the reporter stirs a new set of memories, and Bourne must finally uncover his dark past while dodging The Company's best efforts to eradicate him.

82

8.0

/740955/

78

/38852/

75

/14673/

4.1

/1974550/

88

/440/

88

/605/

81

/54/

3.5

age 16+

Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

82

8.1

/1153802/

80

/38401/

78

/19541/

4.1

/2818534/

88

/377/

87

/8254/

79

/49/

3.5

age 17+

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.

81

7.4

/3060/

74

/196/

77

/139/

3.9

/17128/

94

/32/

93

/35/

77

/5/

3.5

age 14+

Iranian female judokas Leila and her coach Maryam, travel to the Judo World Championship, intent on bringing home Iran’s first gold medal. Midway through the Judo World Championships, they receive an ultimatum from the Islamic Republic ordering Leila to fake an injury and lose, or she will be branded a traitor of the state. With her own and her family’s freedom at stake, Leila is faced with an impossible choice: comply with the Iranian regime as her coach Maryam implores her to do, or fight on, for the gold.

81

IMDb 6

7.4

/177067/

75

/9145/

72

/1756/

3.8

/1676886/

92

/326/

93

/257/

80

/59/