The mystery genre is such a rewarding style of cinema, especially when movies properly lay out their clues so the audience can play detective along with the characters. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out helped reinvent the classic Agatha Christie-style whodunit and it’s exciting to see Daniel Craig return to his Benoit Blanc character in Glass Onion.
Mysteries can cover a wide range of extremes and it’s not uncommon for them to also be tense thrillers with extravagant body counts. However, there is also a special brand of mystery that celebrates a cozy, intimate atmosphere where the chemistry between characters is just as important as any smoking gun.
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Glass Onion
Rian Johnson's Knives Out was heralded as a triumph in all departments, but also one of the better mysteries to come along in years. Glass Onion is the first of at least two additional mysteries set within the Knives Out universe, which follows Daniel Craig's Detective Benoit Blanc.
Against all odds, Glass Onion appears to surpass its predecessor with its tight murder mystery that's set during a billionaire's coastal getaway. Murder might be on the menu, but Glass Onion still achieves a relaxing, breezy atmosphere courtesy of the A-list ensemble cast that Johnson assembles.
9 Sherlock Holmes Meets His Match With His Younger Sister
Enola Holmes
There is no shortage of plucky teen detectives between Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but Enola Holmes attempts to breathe fresh life into one of literature's biggest investigators, Sherlock Holmes. Stranger Things standout Millie Bobby Brown stars as Sherlock Holmes' younger sister, Enola, who's just as passionate about solving mysteries and preserving justice.
Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes movies aren't what many would consider to be cozy, but the Enola Holmes films do fit the bill. With one Enola Holmes sequel already complete, it's entirely possible that both this and Knives Out become Netflix's modern mystery franchises for years to come.
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A Simple Favor
Paul Feig's A Simple Favor pits Anna Kendrick up against Blake Lively in a tonally perfect genre exercise that embraces the energy of a bright, flowery Lifetime movie. Kendrick's Stephanie grows fascinated with Lively's seemingly perfect Emily.
However, when Emily disappears, it sends Stephanie down a rabbit hole of secrets and lies that reveal the real person underneath her carefully cultivated veneer. A Simple Favor is full of twists and turns that cleverly stay ahead of its audience, all while it crafts a cozy energy that's perfect for a rainy afternoon.
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Game Night
The R-rated comedy is an increasingly rare sight in movie theaters. These types of films struggle to find an audience, but 2018's Game Night is proof that it can still be done right.
Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, and Lamorne Morris are just some of the hilarious players in this exaggerated story where an actual murder mystery invades an innocent game night and everybody thinks that it's just part of the festivities. Game Night weaves a genuinely strong mystery, but it’s also one of the coziest films of its kind. It makes the audience feel like they’re one of the participants in this gruesome game night.
6 Unscrupulous Magicians Pull Off A Masterful Heist
Now You See Me
Now You See Me combines the mystery genre with an action blockbuster by turning contrasting styles of magicians, illusionists, and mentalists into borderline superheroes. These magicians’ skills are used to pull off elaborate heists, all while a complex mystery comes together under these unique crimes.
Now You See Me 2 elevates the first film’s mayhem to grander levels with even more all-star celebrities added to the cast. This is likely to reach its apex if the long-rumored third entry in the series finally comes to pass.
5 An Agatha Christie Classic Takes On A Life Of Its Own
See How They Run
See How They Run is a 2022 mystery movie that largely flew under the audience's radar, but it's the perfect appetizer for a Knives Out double-feature. Set in the 1950s, the whodunit is centered around the murder of a crew member on the Agatha Christie production, The Mousetrap.
See How They Run engages in delightfully meta territory as the crime at hand mirrors the very plot of the play that they're attempting to adapt into a movie. This clever self-aware backbone, plus fun performances, help See How They Run succeed.
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The Prestige
Christopher Nolan is a visionary director whose name is practically a genre in and of itself. Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy reinvented superhero cinema and the filmmaker has pushed science-fiction forward in similar ways through movies like Inception and Tenet.
The Prestige is set in London at the end of the 19th century as two accomplished stage magicians feud for supremacy. There's a lot that's under examination in The Prestige, but Nolan brilliantly structures the movie like a stage magic trick that deceives its audience. However, the film later surprises the audience with the mammoth answer to the mystery that's been in front of them the whole time.
3 Jon Hamm Passionately Resurrects A Bumbling Gumshoe
Confess, Fletch
The Fletch detective franchise started as a series of novels before they were turned into two broad Chevy Chase comedies during the 1980s. More than three decades later, this character returns in Confess, Fletch, played by Mad Men’s gregarious Jon Hamm.
Confess, Fletch is considerably cozier and more restrained than its predecessors from the 1980s. Jon Hamm's eclectic performance is the right fit for Fletch as he attempts to clear his name for a murder that he didn't commit. Fletch finds himself wrapped up in a mystery that rocks the world of professional art, which is crucial to the conspiracy that's framed him.
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The Last Of Sheila
1973's The Last of Sheila is an unconventional mystery masterpiece that's scripted by Stephen Sondheim and Psycho's Anthony Perkins. A group of rich socialites engages in a comprehensive scavenger hunt that's soon revealed to be the pretense for much more sinister circumstances.
The Last of Sheila's diverse cast of characters make sure that the movie never drags and the central mystery culminates with a deeply satisfying, surprising resolution. The Last of Sheila doesn’t have the same recognition as an Agatha Christie classic, but it was a major inspiration for Rian Johnson’s Knives Out and there’s likely to still be some of its DNA in Glass Onion, too.
1 Blackmail Brings Forward A Comedic Farce
Clue
There's been a growing trust in feature films that can turn a simple board game or children's toy into a compelling piece of cinema, but Clue was way ahead of the curve with this affable 1980s mystery comedy. Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, and Martin Mull headline a cast of caricatures who are all blackmailed to meet at an unnerving mansion, only for it to be revealed that a murderer is among them.
Clue’s mystery elements hold up and its decision to feature multiple endings that aired at different theaters is still groundbreaking. The film's hilarious comedy guarantees that it stays cozy despite the corpse.