Since the beginning of cinema, the murder mystery genre has remained a staple of the medium. While the genre has evolved from early mystery stories, then detective stories, to Hitchcockian thrillers, the murder mystery film has evolved into a pretty broad spectrum of conventions. On a base level, the plot should follow a protagonist as they attempt to solve a crime of some sort, although suspense is a common element as well. Over the past decade, however, we have seen a surprising uptick in the number of murder mystery films (for better or worse). Now that the most recent entry in the genre, Death on the Nile, has finally come (and gone) from theaters, it feels like a fitting time to look back on some of the best and worst murder mystery movies of the past decade.
Cover Photo: Lionsgate
Best and Worst Murder Mystery Movies Past Decade
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The Best: Knives Out
Knives Out is not only one of the best murder mystery movies of the past decade but also of all time. It’s a superbly crafted movie in every sense of the word. From the amazing ensemble cast to the pure craftsmanship of the filmmaking, Knives Out is wholly re-watchable. No Wonder Netflix spent a reported $450 million for two upcoming sequels. Along with his severely underrated 2005 film Brick, Rian Johnson ultimately uses the film to make a compelling case as the modern master of the whodunnit.
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The Worst: Death on the Nile
Much like its predecessor, Death on the Nile is a remake of a 1978 film that was itself an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1937 novel of the same name. Aside from being highly problematic in terms of certain cast members, the most recent version of Death on the Nile is just plain bad. As mentioned in our recent Mandatory Movie Battle, Kenneth Branaugh’s latest film commits the cardinal sin of having the murder/mystery aspect of the movie commence an hour into the runtime.
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The Best: Bad Times at the El Royale
Drew Goddard directed one of the past decade’s best horror films with Cabin in the Woods, so it comes as no surprise that his only other directorial effort also happens to be a masterpiece. Naturally, too many people have slept on Bad Times at the El Royale, which is unfortunate. That said, Goddard’s 2018 film is more of a neo-noir than a traditional murder mystery. But that fact, along with the stellar ensemble cast, is absolutely part of what makes Bad Times at the El Royale so unique.
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The Worst: Murder Mystery
There have been plenty of awful Adam Sandler movies over the past decade, but Murder Mystery might be the worst of the bunch. Unlike something like Hubie Halloween, which has a surprisingly sweet message, the plot of Murder Mystery is as generic as its name. Unfortunately for audiences everywhere, Netflix has a sequel is scheduled for release later this year. At the very least, it won’t be another Death on the Nile. Right?
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The Best: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the rare remakes that actually surpasses the original. Aside from being an excellent murder mystery story, David Fincher’s remake is meticulous and mesmerizing all at the same time. Considering that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a critical and commercial success, the fact that we never got any sequels is the true crime here.
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The Worst: The Little Things
As a movie that was written nearly 30 years before it was eventually made, The Little Things has all of the elements that audiences would have loved in the 90s. In other words, John Lee Hancock’s latest film would have been much more effective if it had come out before Se7en. While the cast is interesting on paper, Rami Malek is wooden, Jared Leto is acting in the wrong film, and Denzel is pretty much just doing what Denzel does best. Ultimately, The Little Things doesn’t, well, get the little things right, which makes it feel largely hollow and empty.
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The Best: A Simple Favor
Although Paul Feig is mostly known for his comedic work, the director has recently branched off into different genres. A Simple Favor may be more of a black satire than a mystery film, but there’s enough murder here to classify for this list. Stylish and deceptively clever, A Simple Favor features the best performance of Blake Lively’s career and a subdued Anna Kendrick to boot. Simply put, the movie is not only a fun murder mystery film, but it resembles the start of a new phase of Paul Feig’s career.
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The Worst: Alex Cross
As both a simultaneous sequel and reboot to Along Came A Spider and Kiss the Girls, 2012’s Alex Cross was a massive disappointment. Unfortunately, Rob Cohen’s direction is bland and the writing is even more atrocious. Not to mention the film’s tagline of “Never Cross Alex Cross,” which should go in the pantheon of the all-time dumbest taglines ever. While Matthew Fox should be commended for his… commitment to playing the role of a serial killer literally named Picasso, the material is so bad that not even his insane performance can save it.
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The Best: Searching
2018’s Searching is undoubtedly the most unique murder mystery film on this list. Aside from being set entirely on a computer screen, Aneesh Chaganty’s directorial debut manages to pull a lot of drama and intrigue out of such a simple concept. In many ways, the film is the evolution of the single-location thriller. More importantly, it manages to transcend not only the gimmick of the movie but many genre tropes as well. Unlike the impending Murder Mystery sequel, Searching 2 is something to look out for when it’s finally released.
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The Worst: Under The Silver Lake
Out of all the murder mystery movies on this list, Under the Silver Lake is undoubtedly the most divisive. It’s the type of movie that you either love or hate, so naturally, it has a cult following who are obsessed with finding hidden clues in the film. If anything, Under the Silver Lake is more of a fever dream conspiracy movie than it is a murder mystery. Whether you’re willing to go down the rabbit hole of David Robert Mitchell’s 2018 film is really up to personal preference, but it’s also far too eclectic to be considered a successful film within the genre.
