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1.6k voters

The Best Mystery Thriller Movies, Ranked

Updated February 18, 2021 14.2k votes 1.6k voters 103.4k views135 items

List RulesVote up your favorite thrillers that ask, "Whodunit?"

Something happened! But whodunit? The best mystery thriller films come in many forms. Some good mystery thriller movies revolve around washed-up and/or hard-boiled detectives, while other thrilling mysteries feature everyday people working to solve crimes. Many of the best mystery thriller films have won awards.

What films will you find on this top mystery thriller movies list? Silence of the Lambs has to be at the top. This 1991 multi-Oscar winner film finds Jodie Foster starring as FBI rookie Clarice Starling interviewing psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter to get insight into a serial murderer of women known as Buffalo Bill. Seven is another engaging mystery thriller starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Other good mystery thriller movies featured on this list include The Usual Suspects, Gone Girl, and Memento.

Which mystery thriller do you think is the best? Vote your favorites up to the top of this list and you might also like this list of mystery novels made into books and our lists of the best suspense movies of all time and the best crime thriller movies.

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The Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins
Released: 1991
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American thriller film that blends elements of the crime... more
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Seven
Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow
Released: 1995
Directed by: David Fincher
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The Usual Suspects
Kevin Spacey, Benicio del Toro
Released: 1994
Directed by: Bryan Singer
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Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio, Michelle Williams
Released: 2010
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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The Prestige
Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie
Released: 2006
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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Gone Girl
Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris
Released: 2014
Directed by: David Fincher
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Rear Window
Grace Kelly, James Stewart
Released: 1954
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
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Primal Fear
Edward Norton, Richard Gere
Released: 1996
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
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Prisoners
Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal
Released: 2013
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
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Memento
Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss
Released: 2000
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
Released: 2010
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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The Others
Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston
Released: 2001
Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar
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Zodiac
Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal
Released: 2007
Directed by: David Fincher
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L.A. Confidential
Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe
Released: 1997
Directed by: Curtis Hanson
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The Game
Sean Penn, Michael Douglas
Released: 1997
Directed by: David Fincher, Pedro Coutinho
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Mystic River
Emmy Rossum, Sean Penn
Released: 2003
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara
Released: 2011
Directed by: David Fincher
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Oldboy
Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae
Released: 2003
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
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Identity
Amanda Peet, John Cusack
Released: 2003
Directed by: James Mangold
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Chinatown
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway
Released: 1974
Directed by: Roman Polanski
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Red Dragon
Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2002
Directed by: Brett Ratner
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Wind River
Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen
Released: 2017
Directed by: Taylor Sheridan
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Rosemary's Baby
Mia Farrow, Tony Curtis
Released: 1968
Directed by: Roman Polanski
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Black Swan
Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis
Released: 2010
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
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Gone Baby Gone
Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Released: 2007
Directed by: Ben Affleck
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