Private Eye Movies
by tinnes-04102 | created - 17 Dec 2017 | updated - 1 week ago | Publicthat I have seen ranked
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1. Chinatown (1974)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer in 1930s Los Angeles finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Votes: 349,756
2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
When a cartoon rabbit is accused of murder, he enlists the help of a burnt out private investigator to prove his innocence.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 216,773 | Gross: $156.45M
3. Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
R | 95 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Los Angeles private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by paroled convict Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend Velma, former seedy nightclub dancer.
Director: Dick Richards | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles
Votes: 9,606 | Gross: $4.36M
4. Angel Heart (1987)
X | 113 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
Votes: 95,794 | Gross: $17.19M
5. The Nice Guys (2016)
R | 116 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.
Director: Shane Black | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer
Votes: 373,202 | Gross: $36.26M
6. Brick (2005)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin, Meagan Good
Votes: 110,044 | Gross: $2.06M
7. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle
Votes: 24,195 | Gross: $16.03M
8. The Long Goodbye (1973)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Private investigator Philip Marlowe helps a friend out of a jam, but in doing so gets implicated in his wife's murder.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell
Votes: 37,234 | Gross: $0.96M
9. The Yakuza (1974)
R | 112 min | Action, Crime, Drama
American private-eye Harry Kilmer returns to Japan to rescue a friend's kidnapped daughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ken Takakura, Eiji Okada, Herb Edelman
Votes: 10,445
10. The Big Fix (1978)
PG | 108 min | Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
An ex-'60s radical now working as a private eye is hired by an old flame to investigate a political smear campaign. The case becomes more dangerous as it unfolds.
Director: Jeremy Kagan | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Susan Anspach, Bonnie Bedelia, John Lithgow
Votes: 2,399
11. Night Moves (1975)
R | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Los Angeles private investigator Harry Moseby is hired by a client to find her runaway teenage daughter. Moseby tracks the daughter down, only to stumble upon something much more intriguing and sinister.
Director: Arthur Penn | Stars: Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Edward Binns, Harris Yulin
Votes: 17,706
12. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.
Director: Ben Affleck | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan
Votes: 292,871 | Gross: $20.30M
13. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress into a murder mystery.
Director: Shane Black | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bernsen
Votes: 237,371 | Gross: $4.24M
14. Shaft (1971)
R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John
Votes: 21,021 | Gross: $16.69M
15. The Two Jakes (1990)
R | 137 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The sequel to Chinatown (1974) finds J.J. "Jake" Gittes investigating adultery and murder, and the money that comes from oil.
Director: Jack Nicholson | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe
Votes: 15,493 | Gross: $10.01M
16. The Public Eye (1992)
R | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
In the early 1940s, an infamous New York paparazzo gets an assignment from a club owner to do a background search on a mysterious gangster, which leads him down a very dangerous path.
Director: Howard Franklin | Stars: Joe Pesci, Barbara Hershey, Richard Riehle, Bryan Travis Smith
Votes: 4,425 | Gross: $3.07M
17. Hollywoodland (2006)
R | 126 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, the star of the television series Adventures of Superman (1952).
Director: Allen Coulter | Stars: Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins
Votes: 35,950 | Gross: $14.42M
18. Hammett (1982)
PG | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Fictional account of real-life mystery writer Dashiell Hammett, and his involvement in the investigation of a beautiful Chinese cabaret actress' mysterious disappearance in San Francisco.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Frederic Forrest, Peter Boyle, Marilu Henner, Roy Kinnear
Votes: 3,688 | Gross: $0.04M
19. Dead Again (1991)
R | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A woman who has lost her memory is taken in by a Los Angeles orphanage, and a private eye is enlisted to track down her identity, but he soon finds that he might have a past life connection to her that endangers their lives.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Andy Garcia, Lois Hall
Votes: 30,377 | Gross: $38.02M
20. The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
G | 74 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
Basil, the rodent Sherlock Holmes, investigates the kidnapping of a toy maker and uncovers its link to his archenemy, Professor Ratigan.
Directors: Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, David Michener, John Musker | Stars: Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek
Votes: 54,390 | Gross: $38.60M
21. Klute (1971)
R | 114 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider
Votes: 29,616 | Gross: $17.44M
22. 8MM (1999)
R | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare
Votes: 142,714 | Gross: $36.66M
23. Sugar (2024– )
TV-MA | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Private investigator John Sugar examines the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the granddaughter of a legendary Hollywood producer.
Stars: Colin Farrell, Kirby, Amy Ryan, Dennis Boutsikaris
Votes: 5,760
24. Knives Out (2019)
PG-13 | 130 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A detective investigates the death of the patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis
Votes: 773,494 | Gross: $165.36M
25. Zero Effect (1998)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The world's greatest detective Daryl Zero aided by his associate Steve Arlo investigates a complex and mysterious case of blackmail and missing keys for shady tycoon Gregory Stark who is less than forthcoming about what is really happening!
Director: Jake Kasdan | Stars: Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller, Ryan O'Neal, Kim Dickens
Votes: 15,336 | Gross: $2.09M
26. Kill Me Again (1989)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young detective becomes involved with a beautiful woman on the run from the mob and her psychopath boyfriend.
Director: John Dahl | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Pat Mulligan, Nick Dimitri
Votes: 5,683 | Gross: $0.28M
27. The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Samantha Caine lives in a small town with her daughter. Eight years ago she emerged, two months pregnant, from a nearby river with no memory of her past or who she is. However, she's getting closer to finding out about her past.
Director: Renny Harlin | Stars: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Yvonne Zima, Craig Bierko
Votes: 85,659 | Gross: $33.33M
28. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
R | 158 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Journalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.
Director: David Fincher | Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 494,742 | Gross: $102.52M
29. Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
R | 144 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 1950s New York, Lionel, a private detective with Tourette syndrome, sets out to uncover the mystery behind his mentor and only friend Frank's murder. Scouring the jazz clubs and slums of Brooklyn, he soon uncovers a web of secrets.
Director: Edward Norton | Stars: Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 62,813
30. Glass Onion (2022)
PG-13 | 139 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.
Director: Rian Johnson | Stars: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista
Votes: 441,065
31. Under the Silver Lake (2018)
R | 139 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Sam, a disenchanted young man, finds a mysterious woman swimming in his apartment's pool one night. The next morning, she disappears. Sam sets off across LA to find her, and along the way he uncovers a conspiracy far more bizarre.
Director: David Robert Mitchell | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Callie Hernandez
Votes: 51,278 | Gross: $0.05M
32. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
PG-13 | 86 min | Comedy
A goofy detective specializing in animals goes in search of the missing mascot of the Miami Dolphins.
Director: Tom Shadyac | Stars: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young, Tone Loc
Votes: 325,026 | Gross: $72.22M
33. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A private detective's protected female witness is murdered, prompting him and the victim's boyfriend to investigate the crime that leads to a corrupt politician and a crooked football team owner.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham
Votes: 112,035 | Gross: $59.51M
34. Mystery Team (2009)
R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Mystery
A group of former Encyclopedia Brown-style child-detectives struggle to solve an adult mystery.
Director: Dan Eckman | Stars: Donald Glover, D.C. Pierson, Dominic Dierkes, Aubrey Plaza
Votes: 9,746 | Gross: $0.08M
35. Shamus (1973)
PG | 106 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Millions in diamonds are stolen from a safe in NYC and later the burglar is killed. Shamus is paid $10,000 by the owner to find the diamonds or killer.
Director: Buzz Kulik | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Dyan Cannon, John P. Ryan, Joe Santos
Votes: 1,597 | Gross: $0.48M
36. City Heat (1984)
PG | 97 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Slick Private Investigator Mike Murphy (Burt Reynolds) and tough Police Lieutenant Speer (Clint Eastwood), once partners, now bitter enemies, reluctantly team up to investigate a murder.
Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Jane Alexander, Madeline Kahn
Votes: 10,805 | Gross: $38.35M
37. Hickey & Boggs (1972)
PG | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Bill Cosby and Robert Culp ("I Spy") are united again as private eyes in this Walter Hill-scripted "film noir." Searching for a missing girl, they find themselves involved with vicious criminals and precipitating a string of deaths.
Director: Robert Culp | Stars: Bill Cosby, Robert Culp, Ta-Ronce Allen, Rosalind Cash
Votes: 1,382
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