A Glean movie guide
Essential Mystery Masterpieces
Can you solve them first?
From classic noir to modern puzzles, these films will keep you guessing until the very end.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Knives Out
A sharp, modern spin on the classic whodunnit that revitalizes the genre with wit and style.
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.
- 02
Se7en
A dark, atmospheric procedural that builds toward one of the most haunting finales in cinema history.
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.
- 03
Rear Window
Hitchcock’s voyeuristic masterpiece turns a simple apartment view into a masterclass in mounting suspense.
A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
- 04
Memento
A brilliant reverse-chronological puzzle that places you inside the mind of a man with no short-term memory.
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.
- 05
Chinatown
The definitive neo-noir following a private eye into a deep web of corruption in 1930s Los Angeles.
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.
- 06
Gone Girl
A razor-sharp domestic mystery that uses shifting perspectives to keep you questioning the truth.
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.
- 07
The Usual Suspects
A legendary non-linear mystery centered on the interrogation of a heist's sole survivor.
Held in an L.A. interrogation room, Verbal Kint attempts to convince the feds that a mythic crime lord, Keyser Soze, not only exists, but was also responsible for drawing him and his four partners into a multi-million dollar heist that ended with an explosion in San Pedro harbor – leaving few survivors. Verbal lures his interrogators with an incredible story of the crime lord's almost supernatural prowess.
- 08
Zodiac
A meticulous procedural that captures the consuming obsession of a decades-long hunt for a real-life killer.
Over the course of a decade, editors of the San Francisco Chronicle entice themselves in the murders of the Zodiac Killer. However, as time runs its course, interest in the case dwindles in the eyes of the professionals. The Killer stops interacting with the public. However, believing he has the answers, an amateur cartoonist from the initial sightings races against time to prevent what he believes is another murder.
- 09
Shutter Island
A moody psychological thriller that uses its isolated setting to create a sense of mounting paranoia.
World War II soldier-turned-U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane, but his efforts are compromised by troubling visions and a mysterious doctor.
- 10
Memories of Murder
A haunting, beautifully shot investigation into the hunt for South Korea’s first documented serial killer.
A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.