Letterboxd Top Mystery, a list by keith

8.6

/88654/

85

/1882/

84

/1144/

4.7

/199789/

100

/10/

97

/415/

85

/9/

4.0

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.

82

79

8.9

/3075/

88

/658/

85

/640/

4.6

/259301/

65

/80/

78

/2157/

An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. (This standalone version of the series pilot was produced for the European VHS market and has an alternate, closed ending.)

89

8.4

/69684/

84

/1467/

83

/1059/

4.6

/185667/

97

/70/

95

/556/

90

/17/

A Yokohama shoe executive faces a wrenching choice when kidnappers mistakenly seize his chauffeur’s son but demand the ransom anyway.

84

8.1

/64641/

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.

91

8.5

/563962/

82

/9351/

83

/6954/

4.4

/758503/

99

/134/

95

/8885/

100

/18/

4.0

age 10+

A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

86

8.3

/705928/

83

/17643/

82

/9448/

4.4

/1338604/

82

/160/

94

/11753/

78

/33/

4.0

age 17+

With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.

86

8.4

/159517/

82

/2420/

82

/1593/

4.4

/112148/

100

/41/

95

/744/

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.

89

8.1

/70851/

77

/952/

77

/847/

4.4

/70186/

100

/46/

94

/1018/

100

/8/

4.0

age 17+

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

85

8.3

/243819/

82

/5357/

81

/3114/

4.4

/494346/

91

/124/

92

/1356/

80

/42/

3.5

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

87

8.1

/258853/

80

/7508/

80

/4349/

4.4

/850953/

95

/80/

92

/1038/

82

/18/

4.0

age 16+

During the late 1980s, two detectives in rural South Korea attempt to solve a series of gruesome rape-and-murders of young women that leave the community terrified using limited resources and outdated methods. But when the murderer strikes several more times with the same pattern, the detectives realize that they are chasing the country's first documented serial killer. They then attempt to piece together the clues in this thriller based on true events.

89

8.4

/762405/

82

/13566/

83

/8800/

4.4

/885199/

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.

84

8.6

/1986952/

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.

84

7.8

/39660/

79

/1955/

79

/803/

4.3

/379349/

97

/173/

90

/93/

79

/40/

3.5

After an outburst at school involving her son, a concerned single mother demands answers, triggering a sequence of deepening suspicion and turmoil.

71

7.3

/117153/

75

/3628/

74

/2160/

4.3

/392861/

66

/82/

78

/2157/

45

/29/

In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond inexplicably disappears while hunting for the man who murdered a teen girl. The killer is never apprehended, and, after experiencing dark visions and supernatural encounters, Agent Dale Cooper chillingly predicts that the culprit will claim another life. Meanwhile, in the more cozy town of Twin Peaks, hedonistic beauty Laura Palmer hangs with lowlifes and seems destined for a grisly fate.

89

8.1

/115945/

78

/1658/

79

/1507/

4.3

/168895/

100

/62/

94

/1327/

100

/11/

Part-time model Valentine unexpectedly befriends a retired judge after she runs over his dog. At first, the grumpy man shows no concern about the dog, and Valentine decides to keep it. But the two form a bond when she returns to his house and catches him listening to his neighbors’ phone calls.

88

8.1

/27907/

78

/561/

80

/626/

4.3

/55624/

100

/34/

93

/412/

4.0

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

78

8.2

/518182/

81

/15670/

80

/7639/

4.3

/1160121/

85

/92/

92

/9668/

57

/13/

2.5

age 17+

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

90

8.5

/777532/

82

/14258/

84

/10710/

4.3

/1246057/

97

/118/

95

/10325/

97

/18/

4.0

age 14+

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where manager Norman Bates cares for his housebound mother.

86

8.3

/773565/

79

/19245/

81

/12255/

4.3

/1264917/

90

/164/

88

/17084/

84

/25/

4.0

age 12+

Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.

84

7.9

/421400/

76

/10734/

78

/6799/

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.

86

8.2

/239886/

81

/7366/

80

/3496/

4.3

/399127/

98

/299/

88

/151/

88

/51/

3.5

age 14+

A man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages and, as he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.

89

8.3

/181231/

80

/2637/

81

/2376/

4.3

/198798/

100

/63/

95

/2237/

4.0

In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

87

7.9

/17564/

76

/351/

78

/361/

4.3

/37507/

98

/57/

90

/279/

93

/9/

4.0

A naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.

80

7.5

/35749/

76

/1647/

75

/711/

4.3

/299502/

94

/66/

85

/255/

70

/13/

A detective starts spiraling out of control when a wave of gruesome murders with seemingly similar bizarre circumstances is sweeping Tokyo.

88

8.1

/373520/

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

8.4

/439726/

82

/6441/

80

/3973/

4.3

/184644/

92

/162/

96

/11153/

89

/39/

3.5

age 17+

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

78

8.2

/913486/

81

/24883/

81

/12666/

4.3

/1941622/

81

/248/

87

/5970/

70

/53/

2.5

age 18+

Keller Dover is facing every parent’s worst nightmare. His six-year-old daughter, Anna, is missing, together with her young friend, Joy, and as minutes turn to hours, panic sets in. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street.

80

8.5

/1564760/

83

/36070/

82

/17095/

4.3

/1609958/

77

/206/

92

/43661/

66

/36/

3.0

age 14+

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

85

7.7

/135030/

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.

89

8.1

/194433/

79

/3188/

80

/2433/

4.2

/264948/

98

/64/

93

/2665/

98

/18/

4.0

age 15+

Four people recount different versions of the story of a man's murder and the rape of his wife.

89

8.2

/455399/

80

/8221/

82

/6156/

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.

84

7.9

/136192/

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.

80

7.9

/49224/

76

/627/

72

/676/

4.2

/33992/

95

/88/

93

/622/

82

/30/

2.5

Two young brothers in contemporary Russia are reunited with a father they know only from an old photograph after his sudden return from a long absence. With their mother’s reluctant consent, they set out on a remote trip that quickly becomes an uneasy test of authority, trust, and masculinity. As the journey moves deeper into the wilderness, the fragile bonds between father and sons are pushed to their limits.

88

78

8.3

/5063/

82

/130/

86

/201/

4.2

/24872/

100

/6/

94

/36/

Poor, hungry peasant Macario longs for just one good meal on the Day of the Dead. After his wife cooks a turkey for him, he meets three apparitions, the Devil, God, and Death. Each asks him to share his turkey, but he refuses all except Death. In return, Death gives him a bottle of water which will heal any illness. Soon, Macario is more wealthy than the village doctor, which draws the attention of the feared Inquisition.

85

7.9

/38657/

77

/877/

75

/641/

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.

85

8.1

/72722/

78

/1292/

79

/1057/

4.2

/80528/

95

/88/

93

/869/

3.5

The cruel and abusive headmaster of a boarding school, Michel Delassalle, is murdered by an unlikely duo -- his meek wife and the mistress he brazenly flaunts. The women become increasingly unhinged by a series of odd occurrences after Delassalle's corpse mysteriously disappears.

86

8.0

/77009/

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.

88

8.1

/193657/

78

/3060/

79

/2026/

4.2

/177978/

99

/97/

93

/3386/

97

/30/

4.0

age 13+

In postwar Vienna, Austria, Holly Martins, a writer of pulp Westerns, arrives penniless as a guest of his childhood chum Harry Lime, only to learn he has died. Martins develops a conspiracy theory after learning of a "third man" present at the time of Harry's death, running into interference from British officer Major Calloway, and falling head-over-heels for Harry's grief-stricken lover, Anna.

87

8.3

/367147/

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.

89

8.2

/490258/

79

/7450/

79

/5867/

4.2

/590114/

99

/132/

90

/11626/

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.

83

64

7.8

/3104/

80

/108/

73

/67/

4.2

/18611/

100

/11/

87

/16/

Julio, a young fisherman from a provincial village, descends into social alienation as he arrives in Manila to search for his loved one.

83

76

7.8

/7184/

73

/170/

77

/142/

4.2

/18843/

100

/14/

91

/36/

A woman recalls her childhood growing up in the North of Spain, focusing on her relationship with her father.

81

7.7

/19551/

74

/464/

70

/332/

4.2

/66445/

83

/54/

85

/376/

82

/5/

4.0

Two co-workers, one a vain woman and the other an awkward teenager, share an increasingly bizarre relationship after becoming roommates.

81

7.5

/42864/

74

/1147/

73

/730/

4.2

/142027/

95

/57/

87

/679/

87

/17/

3.0

In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.

82

7.8

/80977/

75

/1389/

74

/1097/

4.2

/79186/

85

/146/

79

/1747/

84

/34/

4.0

An aged tailor recalls his life as the schoolteacher of a small village in Northern Germany that was struck by a series of strange events in the year leading up to WWI.

83

7.7

/79285/

76

/2254/

77

/1631/

4.2

/178140/

96

/121/

89

/974/

79

/31/

3.5

age 15+

A mother lives quietly with her son. One day, a girl is brutally killed, and the boy is charged with the murder. Now, it's his mother's mission to prove him innocent.

86

7.9

/104105/

77

/2238/

77

/1755/

4.2

/189247/

92

/66/

89

/1488/

93

/8/

4.0

A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.

84

7.8

/117718/

76

/2077/

76

/1829/

4.2

/234406/

96

/57/

93

/1914/

87

/11/