Netflix is home to pretty much every kind of movie you can think of, so it’s certainly no surprise that the platform’s exciting curation of mystery films is a Pandora’s box of cinema to be reckoned with. And whether you’re in the mood for a family-friendly caper or a gutsy, slow-burning epic where the breadcrumbs are few and far, we guarantee you’ll find something you love in Netflix’s genre collection.
We also understand that it can be a bit daunting to peruse row after row of titles, so that’s why we’ve put together this roundup of the best mystery films on Netflix that you can stream right now.
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Serving as a cinematic follow-up to the Luther series, Luther: The Fallen Sun follows the titular detective on an all-new adventure. After a stint behind bars, Luther is forced to plan a prison break when elusive serial killer David Robey (Andy Serkis) starts hunting people down. As the clock starts ticking and the bodies start piling up, Luther must make a series of harrowing decisions to track down and eliminate his foe before his evildoing becomes totally unstoppable.
For those dedicated viewers of the episodic run, The Fallen Sun plays like a silver screen extension of the series which precedes it. Gripping from start to finish, it’s not exactly changing the genre in any way, but The Fallen Sun certainly delivers an exceptional story with great characters.
Serving as a reboot for everyone’s favorite goofball private eye, 2006’s The Pink Panther stars Steve Martin as the iconic Jacques Clouseau. When renowned soccer coach Yves Gluant (played by an uncredited Jason Statham) is murdered and the incredible Pink Panther diamond goes missing, Inspector Clouseau is tasked with tracking down the coach’s killer and recovering the prized jewel. Will he triumph? Or will the caper make off with the treasure unscathed?
Steve Martin comfortably slips on the shoes and mustache made famous by Peter Sellers, and while this 2006 reimagining isn’t exactly award-worthy, it’s a fun-natured mystery flick that the whole family can enjoy.
Remember that time you woke up from a harrowing near-life-ending incident, only to discover your meddling doppelgänger has been wreaking havoc in your absence? Well it’s time to relive those wild days through the vantage of cinema’s grizzled gramps, Liam Neeson. The film in question is Unknown, where Neeson stars as Dr. Martin Harris. In the wake of a horrible car accident, Harris wakes up to a world where not even his friends and family can recall who he is.
And if that’s not a big enough bummer, it turns out he has a double that’s been using his name with ill purpose, and there are vicious mercenaries who want the real Harris dead. An exciting blend of action and thriller elements, Unknown punches above the typical Neeson-vehicle belt, and we must admit that we totally dig the results.
Christian Bale and writer-director Scott Cooper unite once again for the latter’s latest feature, The Pale Blue Eye. Bale stars as Augustus Landor, an 1830s New York detective who is tasked with investigating a horrific murder at the United States Military Academy. Hoping to gain intel from a devoutly silent bunch of cadets, Landor takes on an assistant for the homicide case — a disillusioned recruit named Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling).
Together, the hardened vet and aspiring poet follow a series of leads that seem to point toward an especially sinister kind of black magic as the culprit. While Bale may be the reason we arrive to the film, the performance that will bewilder most viewers is that of Harry Melling, who delivers a defiant take on the classic American writer.
In the Korean thriller, Forgotten, Kang Ha-neul stars as Jin-seok, a young man living with his family in 1997. After moving into a new home, Jin witnesses the abduction of his brother, Yoo-seok (Kim Mu-yeol). Nineteen days later, Yoo is seemingly returned unharmed. And yet Jin becomes convinced that not only is his brother an impersonator, but so are their parents. Jin’s attempt to go for help leads to another shocking twist that completely destroys his world. There’s been a crime committed, but who is responsible and how is Jin connected to it?
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