As a product of the 90s myself, I have a particular fondness for the decade. Grunge and irony reigned supreme, technology began to boom, and there were more overalls than a girl could count.
The 90s also offered some truly incredible mystery and thriller movies.
Are you looking for a twist so good it makes your head spin? Or maybe you just want to see some cinematic icons go head to head in a battle of action and wits?
Did you think we'd leave you to fend for yourself? As if!
We've got all the best offerings for you right here. Check out the best mystery and thriller movies of the 1990s below!
Primal Fear
Easily one of the best courtroom movies of all time, Primal Fear—based on the novel of the same name by William Diehl—is a dark tale full of mind-blowing twists.
In the wake of the murder of a beloved archbishop, 19-year-old altar boy Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton) is accused of the crime. Arrogant defense attorney Martin Vail (Richard Gere) takes the case on pro bono.
Stampler is a meek, stuttering mess prone to amnesia. The pressure is high as the state pursues the death penalty.
As Vail dives deeper into the facts, it is soon clear that nothing is as it seems.
Devil in a Blue Dress
Based on the novel of the same name by Walter Mosley, this hard-boiled detective film follows World War II veteran Ezekiel "Easy" Rawlins (Denzel Washington).
In Los Angeles in the summer of 1948, Rawlins is in desperate need of work. He picks up a job from a private investigator to find a missing white woman, Daphne Monet (Jennifer Beals).
As he tries to track the woman down, he finds himself tangled up in a deadly political scandal.
Lost Highway
A surrealist neo-noir, this mind-bending David Lynch film is a must-see.
Musician Fred Madison (Bill Pullman) starts receiving strange, anonymous VHS tapes of his wife (Patricia Arquette) and himself in their house. Amidst the strange tapes, Fred is abruptly convicted of murder.
In prison, Fred is inexplicably replaced by a young mechanic, Pete Dayton (Balthazar Getty). And things only get stranger from there.
The Fugitive
Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) has been wrongly accused of the murder of his wife. With a death sentence hanging over his head, he escapes custody following a bus crash.
Kimble must find justice and clear his name by tracking down his wife's real killer. But that's easier said than done when he's the target of a massive manhunt led by U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones).
Se7en
Featuring one of the most quotable lines of all time—"What's in the box?"—there's no way we could skip this iconic film.
Veteran detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and his new partner, rookie David Mills (Brad Pitt) are assigned a gruesome serial killer case. This killer is slaughtering people based on the seven deadly sins.
Breaking mystery tradition by revealing the killer, this film plunges into dark and violent twists and turns.
The Usual Suspects
Forget the best mystery movies of the 90s, this film would have a high-ranking slot in the best mystery movies of all time.
A heist gone wrong ends in a violent shootout. The sole survivor, small-time con man Roger “Verbal” Klint (Kevin Spacey) weaves the tale through flashbacks during an interrogation.
It all begins when five criminals meet during a seemingly random police lineup. But a notorious criminal mastermind, Keyser Söze, is controlling everything from the start.
The Game
This exciting thriller will leave you reeling.
Selfish and wealthy San Francisco investment banker Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) receives a peculiar birthday gift from his brother. This gift is the opportunity to participate in a game run by a company called Consumer Recreation Services.
This “game” quickly turns his life inside out. In the wake of the personal destruction, he begins to wonder if the whole ordeal was constructed solely to ruin him.
L.A. Confidential
Los Angeles, 1953. Corruption is flourishing as much as the glamor of Hollywood celebrities.
As the LAPD struggles to improve its image, three policemen take to the streets to investigate a series of murders. One of them is strait-laced, another brutal, and the last sleazy, painting a complicated picture of justice.
