Diksha Sundriyal
Shubhabrata Dutta
When nothing goes according to plan, you can still count on a murder mystery movie to keep you rooting for justice. Murder is a tried and tested vantage point of fiction, and the cinematic medium has taken the cult of the corpse to new heights. The killer often hides in the unlikeliest people, and their motive for murder makes the viewers probe into the darkness inherent in human nature. When the dead body comes to the public, it is often a vehicle for unmasking another deep-rooted societal flaw. In its extensive library of movies spread across all genres, HBO Max offers some very intriguing films in the genre that stay with the audience long after the mystery has been solved.
10. Whiteout (2009)
A U.S Scientific Research facility in the middle of Antarctica. An about-to-resign deputy Marshall. A frozen dead body. A 60-year-old secret. ‘Whiteout’ is based on the 1998 comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber and follows Kate Beckinsale’s Deputy U.S. Marshal Carrie Stetko, who finds herself in the middle of an ice-capped mystery after a scientist is murdered right before she was to return home to America. She decides to investigate the case but will have to protect herself from the murderer, too. How the murder of the scientist is related to the secret that goes back almost 60 years is what we find out through Stetko. Alongside Beckinsale, the cast includes Gabriel Macht, Columbus Short, Tom Skerritt, Alex O’Loughlin, and Shawn Doyle. The film is directed by Dominic Sena. You can watch it here.
9. True Story (2015)
This intriguing film is based on the 2005 memoir ‘True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa’ by former New York Times journalist Michael Finkel. It follows Finkel, played by Jonah Hill, who decides to regain his lost reputation in the aftermath of losing his job by meeting a convicted killer named Christian Longo, played by James Franco, who has used Finkel’s name as an alias. Why Longo did it and why he committed the murders (those of his wife and kids) become the basis on which this twisted mystery builds itself. You can stream ‘True Story’ here.
8. Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)
In her documentaries, Erin Lee Carr is often known for dealing with the fringes of justice with an impactful voice. Her actual crime documentary movie follows the infamous case of the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard with a drive towards facts and levelheaded judgment. After years of abuse and mistreatment, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her boyfriend conspired to murder Dee Dee in 2015. While you may be familiar with the case from Hulu’s fictional treatment, ‘The Act,’ the documentary is more nuanced and bolder in dealing with this morally complex case. If you are looking for a complicated murder mystery that concerns more with the reason behind the murder, here is a film that would fascinate you. You can watch it here.
7. Eastern Promises (2007)
‘Eastern Promises,’ directed by David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, and Vincent Cassel, is a gripping murder mystery set in the Russian mafia’s dark underbelly in London. The film follows a midwife who discovers a young Russian girl’s diary, leading to a perilous web of human trafficking and murder. Mortensen’s standout performance and the authentic characters make it a must-watch in the murder mystery genre. You may watch the film here.
6. The Little Things (2021)
Directed by John Lee Hancock, ‘The Little Things’ is set in early 1990s LA and follows Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe “Deke” Deacon (Denzel Washington), who comes to the city to gather evidence only to get involved in an investigation into a murder case that reminds him of an old one he wasn’t able to solve. He joins forces with lead detective Jimmy Baxter (Rami Malek). As the bodies of people pile up, all of whom have been killed in the same way, the detective duo consider the possibility that it is the job of the same person whom they think is the guy named Albert Sparma (Jared Leto), the prime suspect. However, there is more to Deacon than meets the eye that connects him to the murders and even Sparma himself. If you are interested in finding out the truth (s), ‘The Little Things’ can be streamed right here.
5. Citizen X (1995)
Directed by Chris Gerolmo, ‘Citizen X’ is based on the true story of Andrei Chikatilo, aka The Butcher of Rostov, a Soviet serial killer who sexually assaulted and killed more than 50 women and children between 1978 and 1990. In the film, we see low-level police detective Viktor Burakov (Steven Rea) bent on finding Chikatilo (Jeffrey DeMunn), who is a Communist, but faces obstacles because the Soviet bureaucracy seems to be protecting him. How Burakov, assisted by a psychiatrist, tracks down the culprit and brings him to justice is what we see in this critically and commercially acclaimed film. You can stream it here.
4. Under the Silver Lake (2018)
This intriguing and entertaining A24 production follows 33-year-old Sam (Andrew Garfield), who comes across a mysterious woman, Sarah (Riley Keough), his new neighbor, having fun in his Los Angeles apartment swimming pool one night. The two get along pretty well, but when Sam goes to meet her at her place the next day, he doesn’t find her. It seems that she has disappeared. With only a symbol (on one of the walls inside her house) at his disposal, Sam begins his quest to find her, one that takes him down that underbelly of LA that is underscored by conspiracy theories and hidden messages. You can watch the film here.
3. The Batman (2022)
After Christopher Nolan‘s stint with the caped crusader, director Matt Reeves brings his gloomy menace to the iconic comic superhero in ‘The Batman.’ The narrative follows the emergence of a new villain in Gotham City who goes by the name of Riddler. While the killer takes his prey one after another, he leaves a few clues for Robert Pattinson‘s Batman. Gradually, the perpetrator’s plans become apparent to the latter as he makes friends with Catwoman. While stripped down of Nolan’s epic vision, Matt Reeves’ Batman is more of a noir detective. And thus, the value of the superhero movie as a murder mystery may astonish you. You may watch it here.
2. Beware the Slenderman (2018)
‘Beware the Slenderman,’ directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky, is a chilling murder mystery documentary that delves into the disturbing case of two 12-year-old girls who stabbed their friend in 2014, claiming they were influenced by the fictional internet character Slenderman. The film meticulously explores the psyche of the young perpetrators, unraveling the complexities of their actions and the power of online folklore. Through interviews, court footage, and expert analysis, the documentary raises thought-provoking questions about mental health, morality, and the impact of the digital age on impressionable minds. Brodsky’s masterful storytelling, combined with the compelling real-life narrative and insightful commentary, makes ‘Beware the Slenderman’ a gripping and thought-provoking murder mystery that goes beyond the crime, offering a disturbing yet fascinating glimpse into the minds of young individuals influenced by internet myths. You can stream the film here.
1. Rashomon (1951)
Akira Kurosawa‘s masterful storytelling technique makes the mystery thriller movie ‘Rashomon’ one of the lasting artifacts of film history. By chronicling the tale of a man’s murder and the rape of his wife through four accounts varying much from each other, the movie investigates the fleeting and subjective nature of truth itself.
Be it for the set design or the immersive performances, the essentially black comedy movie became influential enough in popular culture to give rise to a phenomenon after its name. The Rashomon effect delineates how the brain creates memory due to previous experiences and internal bias. Still, if you are looking for the killer’s identity, you must watch the classic until the end. You can stream it here.
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