19 Puzzling Mystery Movies on Netflix You Can Watch Right Now

Tragedy strikes when FBI agent Ray Kasten (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and L.A. district attorney investigator Jess Cobb (Julia Roberts) discover the body of Jess’ teenage daughter Carolyn (Zoe Graham) in a dumpster. As Jess falls apart, Ray feels responsible and commits himself to finding the man who killed Carolyn. With the help of the new assistant district attorney (Nicole Kidman), they sink into a web of secrets that get darker and darker.

Directed by Anthony Byrne, this film is rife with dark suspense. When blind pianist Sofia (Natalie Dormer) overhears a murder in the apartment above her, she begins to fear for her own life. After crossing paths with the accused war criminal that happens to be the murder victim’s father (Jan Bijvoet), Sofia sinks into a whirlwind of corruption and intrigue. However, as Sofia ventures deeper into the dark crime world, links to her past slowly unravel.

This dark 2015 drama is based on the novel of the same name by author Gillian Flynn. When Libby Day (Charlize Theron) was eight years old, she emerged from her Kansas farmhouse as the only survivor after the brutal murder of her mother and sisters. Decades after testifying that her brother was the murderer, Libby is lured into discussing the tragedy for financial gain. As she thinks back to that awful night, she begins to doubt what she had always believed.

This film uses offbeat comedy to bring some levity into the mystery genre. When depressed nurse Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) comes home from work to find her house has been ransacked, the police are less than helpful. As she goes looking for her own answers, she finds some unexpected encouragement and aid from her intense neighbor, Tony (Elijah Wood). As their amateur sleuthing begins to give them a sense of purpose, it also leads them into more trouble than they bargained for.

Styled like a neo-noir mystery, Brick follows Brendan Frye (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) a lonely misfit who investigates a mysterious phone call made by his ex-girlfriend, Emily, just shortly before she was found dead. Brendan teams up with his nerdy friend Brain (Matt O’Leary) to look into her murder, questioning their school’s various social circles. When they piece together the mystery, Brendan discovers that Emily’s death is linked to something far bigger and more sinister than he could imagine.

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When disgraced former cop Mike Kendall (John Hawkes) stumbles upon a woman as she lies dying on the side of the road, he vows to find her killer. Hired by her grandfather (Robert Forster), Kendall takes on the case as a private investigator. The growing mystery takes him down a dark path, and though he is driven by the search for redemption, he gets wrapped up in several shady characters and unwittingly puts his own family in harm’s way.

Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether,” this film embraces the inherently unsettling nature of insane asylums. In the early 1900s, Oxford graduate Dr. Edward Newgate (Jim Sturgess) arrives at Stonehearst Asylum to take up an apprenticeship under Dr. Silas Lamb (Ben Kingsley). When Newgate becomes infatuated with one of the patients, Eliza Graves (Kate Beckinsale), he also begins to realize that Lamb’s methods for treatment are wildly unconventional. Nothing is as it seems in the asylum, and no one is safe.

In the Shadow of the Moon combines the thrill of mystery with the excitement of science fiction. In 1988, a Philadelphia police detective, portrayed by Boyd Holbrook, becomes obsessed with a string of murders. The serial killer, portrayed by Cleopatra Coleman, is unpredictable and elusive. Her victims have no apparent motive or connection. However, the evidence starts to slot into place even as the detective’s family life starts to unravel. Unfortunately, the closer he gets to the truth, the more he appears unhinged.

This South Korean mystery is one wild ride. The film follows Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in), an aspiring writer who does various jobs around Paju, a city in South Korea. When he runs into Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), a childhood classmate, she asks if he can feed her cat while so goes on a trip to Africa. Lee agrees, and the two get intimate just before Shin takes off. When she returns, she is accompanied by a man named Ben (Steven Yeun), a rich and confident man who seems to be hiding more than he lets on. When the trio hangs out together, Lee becomes increasingly jealous and suspicious of Ben’s motives. And when Shin goes missing, Lee takes it upon himself to investigate the matter, with Ben as the prime suspect.

This critically acclaimed Australian crime thriller is a mystery film that you won’t forget. The movie takes place almost entirely inside an interrogation room where Eddie Fleming (Hugo Weaving) is getting grilled by detective John Steele (Tony Martin) for crimes he claims he didn’t commit. At first, he gets questioned about a stolen vehicle. Later down the road, however, Eddie appears to have a connection to a string of killings. Both actors play well off each other, and the shocking twists and power plays in the mystery movie will have viewers glued to their screens. 

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Directed by Clint Eastwood, this incredibly dark crime drama based on the novel of the same name sports an all-star cast. Sean Devine (Kevin Bacon), Dave Boyle (Tim Robbins), and Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) grew up together as close friends in Boston. Many years later, their bonds and lives are shattered when Jimmy’s daughter, Katie (Emmy Rossum), is found murdered. Ex-con Jimmy and police detective Sean are at odds throughout the investigation, while the previously traumatized Dave remains in the middle.

It wouldn’t be a proper list without one of the most recognizable names in the mystery world. Starring Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective, this movie follows Holmes and his partner Watson (Jude Law) in their most thrilling case yet. When the duo is hired by a secret society to thwart a plot that would increase the British Empire’s size through supernatural forces, Holmes and Watson investigate the matter to find the root of the issue. Filled with exhilarating action sequences and a wonderful performance from Robert Downey Jr., this film is definitely a gem in its genre.

Perfect Stranger follows Rowena Price (Halle Berry), an ace reporter known for her tenacity. When she runs into Grace Clayton (Nicki Aycox), an old friend of hers, Rowena learns that Grace is trying to take down Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), a big-time ad executive. Grace tells Rowena that Harrison has been having an affair with her, and she plans on exposing him, but she just needs a little more information and the right person to deal with it. But before she can give Rowena any more leads, Grace is found dead, having been poisoned and drowned. Suspicious that Harrison is behind the murder, Rowena stops at nothing to expose Harrison, and avenge her friend—even if it puts her in danger.

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This 2014 Canadian thriller weaves a nonlinear mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Matthew (Ryan Reynolds) and Tina Lane (Mireille Enos) have their daughter Cassandra (Peyton Kennedy/Alexia Fast) abducted on a simple Winter’s day. The loss tears what remains of their family apart. Eight years later, the parents receive evidence that indicates their daughter might still be alive. Matthew, Tina, and the police race to follow the disturbing trail of clues back to the truth.

One of Ryan Gosling’s first star turns, this legal mystery delivers a wild ride. Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is an incredibly wealthy man who one day shoots his wife, Jennifer. Although everyone knows who shot Jennifer, the court case is a true battle, with new information revealed at every turn. 

This Spanish film will have amateur detectives mystified. Businessman Adrian Doria is blackmailed after being found with the body of his lover. Yet nothing about his story is as it seems. 

This sequel to the 1997 film Kiss the Girls stars Morgan Freeman back in the role of Detective Alex Cross. Following the death of his partner, Cross comes out of retirement to investigate the kidnapping of a U.S. senator’s daughter (Mika Boorem). Special Agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter) joins Cross to track down science teacher Gary Soneji (Michael Wincott), who took the young girl from school. They discover, however, that the kidnapping plot may not be as simple as it seems.

Riz Ahmed (Rogue One, The Night Of) stars as Tommy Akhtar, a private detective looking for a missing sex worker. Put on the job by her roommate, Akhtar is soon in over his head and caught up in his own past. This old-school homage is worth watching for Ahmed and Billie Piper’s performances.

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Angelina Jolie stars an FBI profiler on the hunt for a killer who takes on the identity of his victims after killing them. Also starring Kiefer Sutherland, Paul Dano, and Gena Rowlands, this thriller has levels.

The gang’s all here in Martin Scorsese’s hotly anticipated historical crime drama—set to drop over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Inspired by Charles Brandt’s I Heard You Paint Houses, the movie examines the life and alleged crimes of one Frank Sheeran, an Irish-American labor union official and believed mob hitman who says he killed Jimmy Hoffa. The cast reads like a Scorsese fever dream. Al Pacino plays Hoffa; Robert DeNiro portrays Sheeran, the man who allegedly did the deed. Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, and Ray Romano also star. Once dinner is done, settle in for this tasty crime epic.