Another year brings with it another Oscar season and a whole new slate of movies to argue about or rhapsodize over. Because the Oscars exist to recognize film in its totality, it’s not supposed to matter what genre a movie comes from.
Sometimes it does, which is why we’ve pulled together this list of great movies from a category the Oscars don’t reward all that often. These mystery movies were good enough to be awarded by the Oscars, but more importantly, each one of them holds up all these years later:
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and best shows on Disney+.
Gosford Park (2001)
The movie that predates Downton Abbey and is even better than that show, Gosford Park, follows a group of wealthy people and their servants as they gather in rural England in the 1930s.
When one of the guests at this fabulous party turns up murdered, the wealthy and the servants must figure out who had the motive to kill. Featuring an incredible cast of British acting legends from multiple generations, Gosford Park is Robert Altman’s last great masterpiece and one that speaks to his belief in the multiplicity of human existence.
You can rent Gosford Park on Amazon Prime Video.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
One of the biggest Oscar winners of all time, The Silence of the Lambs tells the story of a young FBI agent who finds herself at the center of the investigation of a serial killer. When she’s forced to consult Hannibal Lecter, an incarcerated killer and a psychologist, to understand the mind of the killer she’s hunting, Clarice finds they have more in common than she expected.
As she winds her way toward the killer, the movie winds its way into the darkness that motivates her. Anchored by two brilliant central performances, The Silence of the Lambs is an all-time classic.
You can rent The Silence of the Lambs on YouTube.
The Departed (2006)
Given the number of all-time masterpieces that Martin Scorsese made over the course of his career, it remains slightly strange that this was the one the Oscars chose to award. Nevertheless, The Departed remains a riveting thriller as it tells the story of a Boston police officer who goes undercover inside the mob and of a mole for the mob working inside the police department.
Featuring an incredible ensemble cast and the perfect amount of cat-and-mouse chasing, The Departed feels like pulp elevated to its highest possible form.
You can rent The Departed on YouTube.
The French Connection (1971)
A Best Picture winner firmly in the mold of New Hollywood, The French Connection (Gene Hackman and Roy Schieder) tells the story of a pair of narcotics detectives who discover a group of Frenchmen smuggling drugs into the city. As they try to get to the bottom of the case, the movie begins to recognize the unlikelihood of true justice.
The movie’s most famous sequence is a signature car chase, but its final title cards, which reveal the unsatisfying fates of many of the movie’s central players, are an ultimate reminder of how futile the work of even the most dogged policemen might be.
You can rent The French Connection on Apple TV.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
This Coen brothers movie is both a riveting mystery and probably the most existential movie on this list. Adapted from a Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, No Country For Old Men follows a man who stumbles upon a bag of money in the desert and the police and hitman who are sent to track him down.
That relatively simple story ultimately becomes a meditation on the nature of good and evil, anchored by a trio of remarkable central performances. The Coens are nihilistic in No Country. They also happen to be operating at the top of their game.
You can watch No Country for Old Men on Paramount+.
