10 Best Mystery Movies According To The AFI
10 Best Mystery Movies, According To The AFI
Mysteries like Blue Velvet and Rear Window have made an impact on viewers, but which are so exceptional that the AFI considers them to be the best?
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The American Film Institute published numerous Top 10 lists in 2008 for various film categories, including for the mystery genre. As can be expected from such a prestigious organization, most of these films are classics, with only some being from the last few decades. Many of them have been preserved by the Library of Congress due to their cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance, and their screenplays have been considered some of the best of all time by the Writers Guild of America.
Mysteries like Blue Velvet and Rear Window have made an impact on viewers, box office numbers, and the film industry, but which are so exceptional that the AFI considers them to be the best of the best?
10 The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Usual Suspects is a neo-noir thriller about a sole survivor who tells the events leading up to a horrific gun battle, which began when five criminals met at a seemingly random police lineup. Debuting at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, the film had a limited theatrical release, using word-of-mouth advertising.
A success, the film received praise for being expertly shot and edited, as well as beginning with a simple plot before piling on the layers. Writer Christopher McQuarrie won an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, and Kevin Spacey won Best Supporting Actor. The Usual Suspects has many memorable quotes, making it a favorite among mystery fans.
9 Dial M For Murder (1954)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Dial M for Murder centers on a former tennis player trying to arrange his wife’s murder after learning of her affair. The film stars Grace Kelly in what is regarded as one of her best performances. Based on a play by Frederick Knott, the film earned $2.7 million at the box office and received generally positive reviews from critics.
A New York Times review calls the film a technical triumph featuring good actors, adding that Hitchcock presented the material in a remarkable way. It holds a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where it’s considered a sophisticated, chillingly sinister thriller. Also considered a classic stage thriller, it’s been adapted several times, the film was remade in 1998 as A Perfect Murder, and it has been referenced in several works of media.
8 Blue Velvet (1986)
David Lynch blends psychological horror and film noir with Blue Velvet. The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful and mysterious nightclub singer, and a group of psychotic criminals who have kidnapped her child. It received a divided response initially, with many finding its content objectionable.
Lynch went on be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director, and the film achieved cult status. The film has been subject to many different interpretations, exploring the themes of the femme fatale and the seemingly unstoppable villain. It’s been described as dark and odd by many publications due to its dreamlike quality. Many have ranked it among the greatest American films ever made and it’s widely regarded as one of Lynch’s best films.
7 North By Northwest (1959)
Another Hitchcock feature, North by Northwest is about a New York City advertising executive who goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt. It was the third MGM film to be filmed in VistaVision, a higher resolution of the widescreen format.
North by Northwest opened at Radio City Music Hall, becoming the number one film at the U.S. box office, and remained at the Music Hall for seven weeks, according to a Variety article. Critics call it gripping, suspenseful, and visually iconic. A three-time Academy Award nominee, it is often listed as one of the greatest films of all time as well as one of the best classic spy films, courtesy of Hitchcock. The film had an influence on the James Bond franchise and inspired the name for the annual South by Southwest music festival.
6 The Maltese Falcon (1941)
John Huston made his directorial debut with The Maltese Falcon, based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, and the 1931 film of the same name. Humphrey Bogart stars as San Francisco detective Sam Spade, who takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.
The film opened to critical acclaim, with Variety calling it an intriguing and entertaining murder mystery, displaying excellence in writing, direction, acting, and editing. The film holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews calling it suspenseful and brilliantly cast, and one of the most influential noirs.
5 The Third Man (1950)
The Third Man is a British noir film following pulp novelist Holly Martins as he travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the death of an old friend, Harry Lime. It was the most popular film at the British box office and premiered in America to overwhelmingly positive reception.
Reviews call it an atmospheric thriller, one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema with iconic performances. The film has a large fanbase and legacy, with the character Harry Lime getting a prequel television series and a British radio show. There is also a private museum called the Third Man Museum in the 4th district of Vienna, where fans can view original collections based on the film.
4 Laura (1944)
Based on the detective novel of the same name by Vera Caspary, this film is about a police detective who falls in love with the memory of the woman whose murder he is investigating. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning for Best Black and White Cinematography.
Laura was adapted into a radio play, presented on three different programs. There were also two television adaptations and a Bollywood remake in 2005. Considered one of the most celebrated 1940s noir films, it’s described as a psychological portrait of obsession, and a well-crafted murder mystery.
3 Rear Window (1954)
Starring Grace Kelly, Rear Window is about a wheelchair-bound photographer who spies on his neighbors from his Greenwich Village courtyard apartment window. Despite his girlfriend’s skepticism, he becomes convinced one of them has committed murder. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, it was written by John Michael Hayes, based on the short story “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich.
The film has been analyzed for its underlying themes, including voyeurism. It has been remade in 1998, and a modern-day retelling, Disturbia, was released in 2007. Rear Window was a box office success, with reviews calling it tense and exciting, and the most densely allegorical of Hitchcock’s films.
2 Chinatown (1974)
This neo-noir mystery directed by Roman Polanski stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Chinatown follows a police detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles, who finds himself caught in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder. According to Silver Screenings, the film was inspired by the California Water Wars.
The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning for Best Original Screenplay, and won four Golden Globe awards. Chinatown is Polanski’s final film in America and features a multilayered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama. According to The Hollywood Interview, Robert Townsend’s screenplay became legendary among critics and filmmakers, often cited as one the best examples of the craft.
1 Vertigo (1958)
The fourth Hitchcock film on this list, Vertigo, is based on the French novel From Among the Dead. The film follows a former San Francisco police detective as he juggles wrestling with his personal demons and becomes obsessed with the hauntingly beautiful woman he has been hired to trail, who may be deeply disturbed.
Vertigo opened to mixed reviews but is now considered a classic Hitchcock film and one of the defining works of his career. It explores the themes of psychological obsession and male aggression. Reviews call it an unpredictable, scary thriller, praising its style and atmosphere. According to the British Film Institute, it replaced Citizen Kane as the greatest film ever made.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/best-mystery-movies-according-afi/
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