When it comes to detective thrillers, audiences know what to expect from the genre. The characters are complex and often mired in moral ambiguity as they investigate a mystery that leads them down a twisting path, with atmospheric aesthetics that let the story thrive. Audiences follow rugged, often cynical protagonists as they piece together clues, hoping for a satisfying ending that usually surprises viewers with a reveal.
However, given the well-worn genre, audiences have come to recognize its tropes and clichés, as femme fatales, red herrings, and MacGuffins are all in play. Whether fans can spot the guilty party from the start or the narrative feels familiar enough to predict, detective thrillers can all too often telegraph their most important reveals. From The Maltese Falcon to Seven, audiences have seen it all. Luckily, numerous films in the genre break the mold, offering completely unpredictable stories that feel unique. Some twist the story’s structure, others subvert expectations with nefarious motives, and some even incorporate comedy, allowing for a mix of genres. Still, each of these detective stories offers distinct thrills that buck convention.
‘Memento’ (2000)
Memento is Christopher Nolan’s first feature film, which follows a man investigating his wife’s murder. The seedy thriller is well remembered for its narrative, which plays out in reverse. Rather than walking the audience through the clues as in a standard detective thriller, Memento forces viewers to assemble the timeline and the truth, as its structure presents its own puzzle to decode.
Interestingly, if Memento didn’t play out in reverse, it wouldn’t work. The movie would end up leading with its biggest twist rather than working backwards to show how the reveal was possible. Even fans who have watched Memento several times find new connections on rewatches, making the movie one of Nolan’s best and most unpredictable stories.
‘Butt Boy’ (2019)
Butt Boy is as unpredictable as gritty detective films get, as the plot seems almost too bizarre to be real. The thriller follows a detective who believes that his AA sponsor may be the prime suspect in the case of a missing child. Where it gets strange is that the detective believes his sponsor is kidnapping people up into his butt. The suspect proves to have a portal of sorts in his butt where he is capable of making things disappear, including people. This is a real movie!
The film’s premise is already hitting audiences with something unique, but it also derives humor and horror from just how seriously Butt Boy takes the story it tells. With the investigation leading to some dark places, Butt Boy packs a third-act finale that surely has never been seen before, yet proves to be perfect for the movie.
‘Brick’ (2005)
Before Rian Johnson made a splash with his murder mystery Knives Out franchise, he delivered one of the most unique detective films of all time. The director translated the hard-boiled noir style into a high school setting, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt leading a gritty murder investigation in Brick. The location was distinct, and the dialogue felt out of place in high school, but it was rapid-fire, moving at an unrelenting pace that begs the audience to keep up.
What begins as a murder investigation eventually uncovers dark motives and a seedy collective among the students. However, Brick doesn’t feel conventional in any way while still embracing the hallmarks of the detective genre, delivering a continually unpredictable thriller. The stellar dialogue and fantastic performances don’t hurt either.
‘The Wicker Man’ (1973)
The Wicker Man begins with a simple missing-person investigation, set on a remote island. While the 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage became infamous for its poor quality, the original take on the material presents an eerie investigation that never lets audiences feel at ease. The ending also doesn’t deliver on the standard investigation wrap-up, since the mystery at hand has answers, but the movie has a bigger trick up its sleeve, leaving many in shock.
The Wicker Man presents itself as a detective thriller but doesn’t adhere to the standard rules, as it ultimately isn’t interested in the missing-person case that kicks off the narrative. Instead, the movie offers much bigger clues for the audience to piece together, presenting a bleak, completely unpredictable film.
‘Paige Darcy: Reluctant Detective’ (2025)
Paige Darcy: Reluctant Detective is a recent release, taking well-worn genre tropes and playing them for comedic effect. The central character is like a Nancy Drew-type who has become disillusioned with detective work in general. The protagonist swears off new cases until the unlikeliest detail, a missing cat, sees her embroiled in a dark, often bloody investigation that also keeps audiences laughing.
Paige Darcy works because the case is serious, the stakes are deadly, and the genre clichés fans expect are often the butt of a joke. There are fights, betrayals, and even twists in the case, with the underachieving millennial coming into her own and leaving behind her precocious sleuthing era.
‘Unknown Origins’ (2020)
Unknown Origins feels like a dark murder mystery akin to Seven, combined with a superhero origin story. The twist is that each killing is meant to resemble a comic-book origin story, with the narrative following the serial killer as he searches for his heroic counterpart during his heinous spree.
Unknown Origins is a competent detective mystery with an engaging story that mixes genres to keep things fresh. Superhero fans and those who enjoy solving mysteries can find something to love in a movie that subverts both genres with a grim, often bloody narrative. The way Matt Reeves’ The Batman feels like a gritty detective thriller more often than a superhero, Unknown Origins does the same, except with an original idea.
‘I Saw the Devil’ (2010)
I Saw the Devil offers a familiar setup, with the thriller seeing a detective on the trail of a serial killer. The unpredictability comes from the detective who isn’t simply out to arrest the killer. Instead, the audience learns that the killer was responsible for the death of the detective’s fiancée. Her death then sees him capture and release the serial killer through a series of encounters, looking to inflict maximum psychological revenge.
I Saw the Devil features a cat-and-mouse game in which the mystery is how far the detective will go. While thrillers in the genre often thrive in moral ambiguity, the central protagonist spends the entire film committing heinous acts. The killer is even worse, justifying what happens throughout, but the story goes places many other films wouldn’t dare venture.
‘Mystery Team’ (2009)
Admittedly, Mystery Team embraces comedy elements more than thriller aspects, but both genres are what make it work. The comedy follows a group of young detectives who have grown up but still solve childish mysteries. What makes their latest case different is that it involves real stakes that could get them killed, proving they capitalize on thriller elements to hilarious effect.
Donald Glover and Aubrey Plaza star in the little-seen detective film, which places naive people at the center of deadly circumstances, subverting expectations throughout. Mystery Team walks a tightrope of overtly silly and engaging investigation, proving to be a detective story that sets itself apart from the pack, but also may not be for everyone.
‘The Empty Man’ (2020)
The Empty Man is a dark, horror-themed detective thriller in which a retired cop investigates disappearances that seem connected to a terrifying local urban legend. What begins with the protagonist helping a friend look for her child leads down a dark path involving cults, mystical explanations, and a motive that audiences could never have guessed.
The Empty Man also features a bold structure, with the opening sequence running almost 20 minutes long before audiences meet the central characters. Still, it kicks things off with an unforgettable introduction that locks audiences into the film’s 2+ hour runtime, and the final reveal is a jaw-dropping twist far beyond the original detective-thriller setup.
‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988)
When most people think about Who Framed Roger Rabbit, they often consider it a cartoon-themed film aimed at younger viewers. However, under the facade of live-action mixed with animated characters, the detective comedy checks all the boxes for a subversive genre entry.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit features a cynical detective investigating a murder, complete with noir tropes and a femme fatale in the infamous Jessica Rabbit. The movie also features dark elements, like toons being murdered and an evil villain who scarred many at a young age. Beyond the technical achievement of the film’s aesthetics, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an excellent detective film that is as unpredictable as it gets when it comes to genre expectations.
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