Murder on the Orient Express(1974),Chinatown(1974), andClue(1985) — these are some of the most famousmysteryfilmsever made. Of course, you also have films from Alfred Hitchcock, David Fincher, Brian De Palma, and David Lynch, along with franchises likeKnives Out,Scream, Sherlock Holmes, and the prequelEnola Holmes. But throughout the years, several mystery films have gone down as criminally underrated.
Plenty of these are by the biggest directors in the industry, with star-studded casts to boot. And they of course utilize various tropes of the subgenre at hand to implement a more familiar and tangible style of storytelling. But more on those elements later. Getting to it, these are the most underrated mystery movies of all time.
18Wind River (2017)
Like the following pick, this one doesn’t have terrible numbers in terms of overall success — in fact,Wind River(2017) holds an 88% approval rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes and made $45 million atthe worldwide box officeoff a budget of $11 million. But in the short years since release, its name value has sort of plummeted.
It follows a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tracker (played by Jeremy Renner) alongside an FBI agent (portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen, amid the two actors’ respective roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as they attempt to solve a murder that took place on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The result was an intensely mysterious plot that, again, doesn’t quite hold the name value it should.
17Prisoners (2013)
There are two reasonsPrisoners(2013) by Denis Villeneuve doesn’t rank higher: because it made great money at the worldwide box office upon its initial release, firstly. But it’s also because it’s held in pretty high regard despite not making waves with critics as it should’ve. It holds an 81% approval rating on the aforementioned critical consensus website — not the worst score in the world.
But if you take away the film’s brutality as it chronicles the search for two missing girls, it’s as close to perfect as a project can get. It truly runs the gamut of emotion, from borderline fright to immense sadness, and from Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal to Paul Dano and Viola Davis, everyone performed herein to a brilliant degree. It’s undoubtedly one of the greatest mystery movies ever made and remains underrated for its lukewarm response from several notable critics.
16Incendies (2010)
Alsodirected by Denis Villeneuve, this mystery drama follows Canadian twins Jeanne and Simon as they travel to the Middle East, finding their mother’s home country following her death. It doesn’t have anywhere near the name value of last pick, the other project from Villeneuve, but it also just falls short of the quality.
Not to take away fromIncendies(2010) — it’s a solid mystery from start to finish with intrigue around every corner of its plot. In fact, it was up for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. And despite coming up short in the end toIn a Better Worldfrom Susanne Bier, this Villeneuve still lands here at number sixteen.
15The Hateful Eight (2015)
Although the general film fan holdsThe Hateful Eight(2015) in fairly high regard today, critics were much less impressed when it came out in theaters. Several cited a lack of proper pacing with the film’s lengthy runtime, while others felt Quentin Tarantino’s overindulgence of violence and racial slurs once again held the director’s project back from its true quality.
But looking past those two critiques, there’s so much writing home about here from a technical standpoint of filmmaking that it should undoubtedly make the list of most underrated mysteries. It’s a western movie, too, following several groups of lawmen, veterans, and civilians alike as they find themselves trappedwithin Minnie’s Haberdasheryduring a snowstorm. And it features all the staples of a Tarantino film — dynamic dialogue, thrilling plot points, and brilliant performances across its cast. Definitely check it out if you haven’t.
14Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2005)
Starring Robert Downey Jr., it also features Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen. And, sure,Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang(2005) garnered great reviews from critics upon release. But since, it’s fallen off the general film fan’s radar, and even then, it didn’t exactly rake in moviegoers when it was showing worldwide in theaters.
A neo-noir crime film,Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalso marks the directorial debut of American filmmaker Shane Black. It features a compelling plot of a crook (played by Downey Jr.) who, while on the lam from the police, stumbles into the set of a mystery film. But in the end, it barely made back its $15 million budget at the worldwide box office and isn’t exactly popular today. It without a doubt should be.
13Courage Under Fire (1995)
While this project by Edward Zwick undoubtedly falls intothe war genre, it features a plot entirely based in mystery to the extent that it comes in at number thirteen.Courage Under Fire(1995) remains fairly underrated from a modern perspective, after all, and that’s in spite of two well-known thespians in the lead roles: Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan.
It was actually revered by critics upon release with fantastic money made in theaters. It’s just that, as the years go by,Courage Under Fireloses more and more name value. Here’s hoping it can at some point make a comeback.
Related:6 Directors Who Frequently Cast Denzel Washington
12Body Double (1984)
Now considered a cult classic, it’s sometimes hard to classify films of that ilk as particularly underrated. That’s in the nature of a film with devout followings, after all — their obsessions are essentially shining light on the respective films and their overlooked nature. But withBody Double(1984), even its status as such couldn’t save the name value herein.
Directed by Brian De Palma, its plot follows Jake Scully — who recently lost his girlfriend and failed to land an acting gig — as he takes up a job housesitting in the Hollywood Hills. Soon thereafter, though, he witnesses a mysterious murder that sends him down a rabbit hole in the underworld of adult entertainment. And frankly, what’s truly criminal is how overlooked this project went.
Related:Every Brian De Palma Film of the 1980s, Ranked
11Homicide (1991)
Despite featuring big names within both the cast and crew,Homicide(1991) underwhelmed at the box office upon release and holds next to no name value to this day. But the lead acting efforts from John Leguizamo and William H. Macy as homicide detectives — along with a supporting role from Ving Rhames — facilitated the legendary work going on behind the scenes.
The film’s cinematography was led by a legend of the trade in Roger Deakins, and of course, the product was written and directed by David Mamet. An absolute master of storytelling who had previously worked with Leguizamo onHouse of Games(1987), a well-made heist film. And without a doubt, this is their most overlooked project from a modern perspective. The aforementioned detectives investigate the homicide of an elderly woman, with a wonderfully mysterious twist embedded at the center. Check it out if you haven’t.
10Lone Star (1996)
A neo-Western witha star-studded cast, there’s no telling why audiences slept on this one. It features names like Chris Cooper, Kris Kristofferson, Frances McDormand, and even Matthew McConaughey. And they all performed brilliantly within a well-structured mystery plot as a sheriff searches for an explanation for the murder of one of his predecessors.
And everything came together brilliantly, as indicated by the film’s nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay. It garnered great reviews from critics, too. But ultimately, it made mediocre money in theaters, and has unfortunately been thrown by the contemporary wayside. It ultimately lands at number ten.
9Zero Effect (1998)
With Bill Pullman alongside Ben Stiller in the lead roles,Zero Effect(1998) is perhaps the most comedically inclined film on the list. It’s loosely based on a short story calledA Scandal in Bohemiaby Arthur Conan Doyle and also goes down asthe debut feature filmof American director Jake Kasdan.
The aforementioned actors play a detective (Pullman) and his assistant (Stiller), with the unique twist that the former never interacts with his clients. That’s where his assistant comes in. And its overall quality is much higher than its critical reception and box office results might suggest. Definitely check this one out if you haven’t.
