Dave Tompkins :: DVD Library :: IMDb Charts :: Top by Genre :: Mystery


(text-only version)

1.  Inception (2010)

In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception.

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2.Saban, Son of Saban (1977)
3.  The Usual Suspects (1995)

A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup.

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4.  Se7en (1995)

Police drama about two cops, one new and one about to retire, after a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as his MO.

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5.  Rear Window (1954)

A wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

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6.  Psycho (1960)

A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

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7.  Memento (2000)

A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.

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8.  The Green Mile (1999)

The story about the lives of guards on death row leading up to the execution of black man accused of child murder & rape, who has the power of faith healing.

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9.  The Prestige (2006)

Robert and Alfred are rival magicians. When Alfred performs the ultimate magic trick, Robert tries desperately to find out the secret to the trick.

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10.  North by Northwest (1959)

A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.

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11.  The Shining (1980)

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.

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12.  Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Agatha Christie tale of a man on trial for murder: a trial featuring surprise after surprise.

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13.  Citizen Kane (1941)

Following the death of a publishing tycoon, news reporters scramble to discover the meaning of his final utterance.

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14.  Vertigo (1958)

A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

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15.  To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.

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16.  Oldboy (2003)

After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in 5 days.

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17.Kandisha (2008)
18.  The Third Man (1949)

Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins learns that his friend Harry Lime, who has invited him, recently died in a car accident.

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19.  L.A. Confidential (1997)

A shooting at an all night diner is investigated by three LA policemen in their own unique ways.

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20.  2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.

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21.  Chinatown (1974)

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

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22.  High and Low (1963)

An executive of a shoe company becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped and held for ransom.

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23.  Rebecca (1940)

When a naive young woman marries a rich widower and settles in his gigantic mansion, she finds the memory of the first wife maintaining a grip on her husband and the servants.

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24.  The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)

A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.

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25.  Diabolique (1955)

The wife of a cruel headmaster and his mistress conspire to kill him, but after the murder is committed, his body disappears, and strange events begin to plague the two women.

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26.  The Maltese Falcon (1941)

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

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27.  Incendies (2010)

Twins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history, and fulfill their mother's last wishes.

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28.About Elly (2009)
29.Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
30.  Persona (1966)

A nurse is put in charge of an actress who can't talk and finds that the actress's persona is melding with hers.

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31.  The Thin Man (1934)

Comedy-mystery featuring Nick and Nora Charles: a former detective and his rich, playful wife. They solve a murder case mostly for the fun of it.

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32.  The Thing (1982)

Scientists in the Antarctic are confronted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of the people that it kills.

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33.  The Sixth Sense (1999)

A boy who communicates with spirits that don't know they're dead seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist.

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34.  Infernal Affairs (2002)

A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

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35.  Laura (1944)

A police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he's investigating.

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36.  Le Samurai (1967)

Hitman Jef Costello is a perfectionist who always carefully plans his murders and who never gets caught...

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37.  Donnie Darko (2001)

A troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident.

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38.  The Night of the Hunter (1955)

A religious fanatic marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real daddy hid $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery.

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39.  Memories of Murder (2003)

In 1986, in the province of Gyunggi, in South Korea, a second young and beautiful woman is found dead...

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40.  The Big Sleep (1946)

Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.

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41.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord.

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42.  Three Colors: Red (1994)

Final entry in a trilogy of films dealing with contemporary French society concerns a model who discovers her neighbour is keen on invading people's privacy.

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43.  Chungking Express (1994)

Wong Kar-Wai's movie about two love-struck cops is filmed in impressionistic splashes of motion and color...

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44.  Sleuth (1972)

A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

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45.  Ugetsu (1953)

In the beginning of the springtime in the period of the Japanese Civil Wars of the Sixteenth Century in Lake Biwa in the Province of Omi...

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46.  Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?

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47.  12 Monkeys (1995)

In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.

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48.The Past (2013)
49.  Z (1969)

Following the murder of a prominent leftist, an investigator tries to uncover the truth while government officials attempt to cover up their roles.

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50.  Akira (1988)

A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only two kids and a group of psionics can stop.

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Count: 45 / 50