10 Best Whodunit Movies Streaming On Netflix Right Now

Among all the types of mysteries and crime stories, there’s something inherently entertaining about a classic whodunit. Primarily focused on murder mysteries that leave audiences guessing on the killer’s identity along with the characters, the sub-genre was popularized by prolific author Agatha Christie. These stories gradually provide clues as to who the culprit is, until finally one person among the cast of characters is revealed as the murderer. And Netflix has a solid line of whodunits, some of which being original productions, that we’re highlighting and recommending here.

Like the wider crime genre, there is a tonal malleability to whodunits that is reflected with our choices for this article. That means we’ve included some neo-noir mysteries and psychological thrillers that still reflect common qualities of a whodunit story. While slashers often revolve around murder mysteries and contain whodunit tropes, including isolated locations and mounting bodies counts, we’re omitting them as they do feel like different cinematic beasts. With that in mind, these are the 10 best whodunit movies streaming on Netflix right now in the United States.

Read more: All 12 Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked From Worst To Best

1. Sea of Love

After starring in 1985’s “Revolution,” one of the lowest-rated war movies on Metacritic, Al Pacino took a break from on-screen for four years. Pacino’s return to the silver screen was starring in the 1989 crime thriller “Sea of Love” as troubled New York City police detective Frank Keller. The city is terrorized by a serial killer who targets their victims through the singles column published in local newspapers. As Keller strikes up a romance with divorcée Helen Cruger (Ellen Barkin), he learns the killer is close to his new girlfriend.

“Sea of Love” is, admittedly, the biggest outlier on this list compared to more conventional whodunits available on Netflix, bending some of the sub-genre’s rules. But the murder mystery is a core part of the story and does keep viewers guessing if Helen might be the killer. And after being away from Hollywood for years, Pacino reminds everyone why he’s one of the best actors ever with an appropriately fiery performance. Breathing new life into the familiar cop thriller sub-genre, thanks to its magnetic lead actors, “Sea of Love” is an underrated Pacino classic.

2. The Pledge

2001 psychological thriller “The Pledge” was the third feature film directed by Academy Award winner Sean Penn. Based on the 1958 novel by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, the movie stars Jack Nicholson as Reno police detective Jerry Black. Black’s retirement celebration is interrupted by the discovery of a murdered local girl, prompting him to take on the case despite evidence pointing to a clear culprit. With growing evidence of a serial killer being involved, Black’s investigation becomes more obsessive, affecting his fledgling relationship with abused single mother Lori (Robin Wright Penn) and her daughter.

“The Pledge” is a sort of postmodern murder mystery, consciously subverting expectations of a pay-off involving the identification and apprehension of the killer. But Penn peppers his murder mystery with an overarching grim tone and introspective character work, especially in revealing the depths of Black’s obsession. Nicholson masterfully brings those qualities to life in his haunted protagonist: a neo-noir figure who gradually loses sight of his own humanity. Arguably the darkest entry on this list, “The Pledge” is a whodunit where the audience never quite figures out the “who” but the journey is worth the ride.

3. Wind River

Before virtually conquering the television medium, including with his expansive “Yellowstone” franchise, filmmaker Taylor Sheridan wrote and directed the 2017 thriller “Wind River.” Named for the Wind River Reservation within Wyoming, the movie stars Jeremy Renner as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agent Cody Lambert. After discovering the frozen body of an indigenous teenager, Lambert is joined by FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth OIsen) for the subsequent investigation. As the duo works with local tribal police, they uncover another victim and a wider group of culprits than anticipated in an icy showdown.

Jeremy Renner has never been better than in the snowy and shocking “Wind River,” bringing a grief and fiery determination to his star performance. Like many Sheridan projects, the thriller keeps its focus tight, subtly weaving in social commentary as its neo-Western hero takes single-minded charge. This is a murder mystery driven by its characters, several of whom are haunted by their own experiences even before the inciting killing. For any fans of Sheridan’s television work, “Wind River” stands as one of his best standalone stories with its grim investigation.

4. Lost Girls

The 2013 non-fiction book “Lost Girls” by Robert Kolker serves as the basis for the 2020 Netflix original movie of the same name. The movie sees activist Mari Gilbert (Amy Ryan) spur law enforcement into action after her daughter goes missing. In the process of searching for her daughter, Gilbert uncovers a case involving a serial killer targeting local sex workers on Long Island. Helping Gilbert in her search is police commissioner Richard Dormer (Gabriel Byrne), as the two unearth a mystery more nightmarish than they could’ve possibly anticipated.

A true crime story with whodunit undertones, “Lost Girls” maintains an underlying bleakness and ambiguity in depicting the legacy of the Long Island Killer. Amy Ryan gives one of the standout performances of her celebrated career, depicting both Gilbert’s undeniable drive and her character flaws. Reflecting its true crime inspiration, this is a mystery that leaves more questions than answers and plenty of unresolved raw emotion. Given the sheer number of true crime documentaries thrilling audiences, “Lost Girls” feels like a whodunit for modern audiences, in all of its grim underpinnings.

5. Enola Holmes

Author Nancy Springer introduced a younger sister to Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes in “The Enola Holmes Mysteries” novel series, which was adapted into a feature film in 2020. In addition to producing the adaptation, Millie Bobby Brown stars as Enola, who sets out to locate her missing mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter). Along the way, Enola stumbles on an explosive conspiracy involving the growing women’s suffrage movement. Throughout her investigation, Enola contends with contrasting dynamics between her older brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin).

To be sure, “Enola Holmes” isn’t a conventional whodunit in the strictest definition of the sub-genre but contains many familiar tropes. Like any good story involving Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective and his family, this is a mystery at its core — just not one solved by Sherlock himself. This is matched by a sumptuous Victorian England setting that speaks to the work that inspired Agatha Christie in crafting her own whodunits. An overdue invitation for girls into the detective club, “Enola Holmes” is a breezy and all-age friendly take on classic super-sleuth stories.

6. In for a Murder

The 2021 movie “In for a Murder” offers a Polish perspective on whodunits and classic pulp mystery stories. The story centers on Magda Borowska (Anna Smołowik), a mother who is a self-avowed fan of crime novels. After discovering a woman’s corpse, Magda teams up with police detective Jacek Sikora (Paweł Domagała) to assist in the subsequent murder investigation. Magda finds herself drawn deeper into the mystery when the victim is found with a necklace matching one worn by Magda’s long-lost friend.

Someone to keep in mind, especially for those looking for more serious fare, is that “In for a Murder” is largely a crime dramedy. This is a self-aware take on the genre, with plenty of breezy gags and occasional satirical flourishes that buoy the story’s tone. The movie is still very much a murder mystery, with the expected stakes involved, which is highlighted by Smołowik and Domagała’s performances. A Polish take on cozy crime stories, with a light postmodern edge, “In for a Murder” is worth checking out for fans of the genre.

7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

“Glass Onion,” the 2022 sequel to “Knives Out,” is the lightest of filmmaker Rian Johnson’s trilogy, both tonally and visually. Daniel Craig reprises his role as private detective Benoit Blanc, who appears to be mistakenly invited to a Greek private island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). Bron invites his eclectic group of guests to join in on a faux murder mystery party game, only for an actual murder to strike, shocking everyone. Isolated on the island, Blanc sets out to identify the murderer while exposing Bron for the obvious fraud that he is.

As he has done with all entries in the “Knives Out” series, Johnson brings together an all-star cast, each providing their own entertaining wrinkle to the story. This a funnier take on the genre, with Blanc getting progressively frustrated with how insipid Bron and the island’s other guests are while trying to investigate. Johnson and the cast keep things light and bouncing merrily along without compromising on the murder mystery aspects of the story. “Glass Onion” makes for a hilarious Benoit Blanc whodunit, with Johnson proving there is plenty of fun still to be had with his Southern gentleman detective.

8. The Pale Blue Eye

Edgar Allan Poe becomes an amateur detective in the 2022 period piece mystery movie “The Pale Blue Eye.” Based on the 2006 novel by Louis Bayard, the Netflix original stars Christian Bale as police detective Augustus Landor, who investigates a cadet’s murder at West Point Military Academy. Landor works with Poe (Henry Melling), another cadet at the academy, as the case grows more gruesome and disturbing. The duo uncover a black magic ritual using the victims’ extracted body parts as the number of victims steadily increases.

“The Pale Blue Eye” makes good use of its period piece setting and its story’s gothic atmosphere in crafting its murder mystery. The final twist may feel a bit contrived, the more one thinks about it, but Bale and Melling make the most of it. Given the lengths that the killer goes to with his victims, the movie veers into horror territory whenever its victims are discovered, but it remains a mystery story at its core. Grounded by a reliably stellar performance from Christian Bale, “The Pale Blue Eye” is a magnificently staged moody gothic thriller.

9. The Thursday Murder Club

If Agatha Christie’s recurring protagonist Miss Marple proved anything, it’s that one is never too old to become a master detective. That spirit is kept alive with Netflix’s “The Thursday Murder Club,” the 2025 movie based on the 2020 Richard Osman novel of the same name. Set in a British retirement community, the story follows a group of friends who convene regularly to examine and discuss cold cases around the country. However, when a murder strikes close to their community, the amateur detectives put their deductive and observational skills to the test to solve the case.

Led by Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie, “The Thursday Murder Club” boasts a strong ensemble cast. Though there is foul play at work, the movie is a cozy mystery watch in the tradition of classic shows like “Murder, She Wrote.” The actors lean into these qualities, taking their relatively bare-bones characters and playing off of each other superbly. One of Netflix’s hidden gems, “The Thursday Murder Club” brings together a veteran cast for some unabashedly British whodunit fun.

10. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

The third installment of the “Knives Out” trilogy, 2025’s “Wake Up Dead Man” takes place in a small town in upstate New York. Young Catholic priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is assigned to the town’s parish, clashing with the incendiary Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). When Wicks is stabbed to death in the middle of a Good Friday service, with Duplenticy as the prime suspect, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrives to investigate. Blanc delves deep into the community’s dark secrets, unearthing unresolved conflicts and trauma from the parish’s history and Wicks’ family.

“Wake Up Dead Man” is sharp, smart, and all too relevant given the current zeitgeist. Craig expertly reprises his role as Blanc but the real standouts from the all-star cast are O’Connor and Brolin as the polemically opposed priests at the center of the mystery. The case has so many twists and turns that it will keep audiences guessing, masterfully sticking the landing as Blanc inevitably figures out the truth behind the killing. The darkest “Knives Out” movie to date, “Wake Up Dead Man” delivers on Johnson’s whodunit mission as a triumph of the genre.

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Read the original article on SlashFilm.