Whodunit is a subgenre of crime fiction in which characters must find out who has committed a particular crime. Some of whodunit’s key features include a highly complex storyline, procedural investigations where evidence builds slowly over time, and climactic twists that viewers may not have expected.
The whodunnit genre has seen a resurgence in recent years with film releases such as: knife out, Amsterdam, see how they runand remakes of Murder on the Orient Express and Death of the NileHistorically, the whodunit genre has been part of some of cinema’s best crime films.
Ten Prosecution Witness (1957)
Agatha Christie’s film adaptations are consistently ranked among cinema’s best hooda units.Christie holds the Guinness World Record as the best-selling fiction author of all time, with 2 billion copies sold. Billy Wilder prosecution witnessis based on Christie’s play of the same name and is the best adaptation of Christie’s work.
Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester and other all-star cast, prosecution witness The story of a sick barrister who must defend his client in a murder trial full of unusual twists and turns.Declared by the American Film Institute prosecution witness It will be the sixth largest courtroom drama of all time.
9 Blowout (1981)
Pastiche by Michelangelo Antonioni blow upFrancis Ford Coppola conversationAlfred Hitchcock Movies, Brian De Palma Movies blow out John Travolta stars as a sound effects technician who accidentally records audio evidence of a political assassination. A neo-noir masterpiece of postmodern cinema, blow out In addition to functioning as an entertaining murder mystery, it manages to examine the essence of cinema and the relationship between sound and image.
Although it was a box office failure when it was first released, blow out It has since become regarded as one of the finest representations of paranoia since the 1960s. Rio Bravo and Taxi driverthe name of Quentin Tarantinoblow out One of three movies he would make if he were trapped on a deserted island.
8 LA Confidential (1997)
One of the definitive editions of neo-noir in the movie world, LA Confidential Set in 1950s Hollywood, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce play three cops with very distinct styles and brands of justice. Investigating a string of murders leads them to uncover corruption among the police, criminal gangs and Hollywood’s elite.
LA Confidential It has been widely praised for its performance, script, directing and score. Member of the National Film Registry, LA Confidential is one of three movies. cinder’s list and social networksweeping the “Big Four” Critics Awards.
7 Skinny Man (1934)
Starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as the iconic Nick and Nora Charles skinny manFilm adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel of the same name. Hammett was one of the most prominent writers of hard-boiled crime novels of the 20th century. In addition to Nick and Nora Charles, Hammett created several now-famous fictional detectives, including Sam He Spade and Continental Op.
In a crime comedy, Nora persuades Nick to come out of retirement to investigate a murder involving an inventor accused of murdering his mistress. Throughout the hijinks of the investigation, Nick and Nora are joined by Asta the dog, played by the famous Hollywood dog Skippy.Box office success and critical acclaim skinny man It eventually led to five sequels.
6 Big Sleep (1946)
The second of four collaborations between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. big sleep Raymond Chandler’s novel of the same name has become a classic on the silver screen. big sleep was the first novel to feature Philip Marlowe, one of pop culture’s most revered fictional detectives.
Since its inception, Marlowe has been featured in numerous short stories, novels, movies, TV shows, radio shows, plays and video games. big sleep It is notorious for its complex plot, which ignores narrative cohesion and instead focuses on the explosive chemistry between Bogart and Bacall.
Five Laura (1944)
roller It contains one of the movie’s most interesting plot lines. Dana Andrews stars as a detective who slowly begins to fall in love with the woman whose murder he’s investigating, while Gene Tierney stars as the eponymous Laura in a role that defines her career. doing.
roller became famous for its Oscar-winning cinematography and unforgettable score, and produced the legendary jazz standard “Lola,” which has been covered by over 400 artists.Named by the American Film Institute roller It is the fourth greatest mystery movie of all time, and its score came in at number seven on the list of greatest movie scores.
Four The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Another acclaimed film adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel, Maltese falcon Humphrey Bogart stars as private investigator Sam Spade, who is tasked with investigating a group of individuals targeting a jewel-encrusted falcon figurine. The film is noted for its cinematography, which utilizes expressionist lighting and harsh camera angles to enhance the psychology of its characters.
One of the first 25 films registered on the National Film Registry, Maltese falcon It ranks among the most important hooda units for many reasons. The film showed Bogart’s ability as a leading man after several years as a supporting actor, and launched John Huston’s directorial career. More than anything, Maltese falcon It is considered by many to be the first true example of the noir genre in American cinema.
3 The Third Man (1949)
Carol Reed’s film, voted the best British film of all time by the British Film Institute third man It follows an American investigating the alleged death of a friend in post-war Vienna. Despite his less than ten minutes of screen time, Orson Welles’ Harry Lime has made him one of the most iconic characters in the whodunit genre.
third man It features arguably the greatest expressionist cinematography in cinema history. Robert Krasker won an Oscar for Best Cinematography (Black and White) for his excellent work in this film. third man Also included is Anton Karas’ memorable score, whose composition “Third Man Theme” became a chart-topping hit.
2 Rashomon (1950)
Directed by Akira Kurosawa, the first Japanese film to receive international acclaim. Rashomon Built around the murder of a samurai and the assault of his wife. Several witnesses are brought to trial, each telling their own true version of the story.
Rashomon is an excellent exploration of the subjective nature of truth and how innate human biases and egos prevent the existence of objectivity. Winner of the Golden Lion Award at the Venice International Film Festival Rashomon It opened the floodgates to expose the West to Japanese cinema in post-war society.
1 Chinatown (1974)
Roman Polanski’s Chinatown Jack Nicholson stars as J.J. Gittes, a private investigator hired by the enigmatic Evelyn Mulray to spy on her suspected unfaithful husband. Gittes’ investigation soon proved to be more complicated than originally thought, leading him down a rabbit hole of political corruption in 1930s Los Angeles.
The dark epitome of New Hollywood cinema, in chinatown The haunting twist provides one of the most disturbing and shocking moments in cinema. One of the most satisfying elements of the whodunit formula is finally uncovering the suspects and watching them pay for their crimes. Chinatown It completely flips this formula and leaves the audience with a somber feeling.
