Detective: 137

Primal Fear (1996), an American film directed by Gregory Hoblit, is a legal mystery crime thriller based on William Diehl’s novel of the same name. Martin Vail, an arrogant defense lawyer from Chicago, is notorious for representing undesirable yet high-profile clients such as mob boss Joey Piñero. Enjoying the spotlight, Vail is featured in a magazine cover story and attempts to reignite a casual relationship with Janet Venable, his former colleague who works as a prosecutor. When Aaron Stampler, a 19-year-old altar boy from Kentucky, is caught fleeing the scene ...

A Time to Kill (1996), an American legal drama film, is based on John Grisham’s 1989 novel of the same name. In Canton, Mississippi in 1984, ten-year-old African American girl Tonya Hailey is assaulted by two local white men, Billy Ray Cobb and James Willard, while returning home from running errands. Despite their attempt to hang her and leave her in a nearby river, Tonya manages to survive and the two men are apprehended by Sheriff Ozzie Walls. Seeking justice for his daughter, Tonya’s father Carl Lee Hailey enlists the help of Jake Brigance, a white lawyer who previously defended his brother Lester. ...

In David Fincher’s Seven (1995), a crime thriller set in an unnamed city consumed by violence and corruption, veteran detective William Somerset is approaching retirement. He is joined by his new partner, the passionate yet quick-tempered detective David Mills, who recently moved to the city with his wife Tracy. On Monday, they are summoned to investigate the death of an obese man who was forcibly overfed until his stomach burst, with the word ‘gluttony’ scrawled on the wall. Somerset finds it too extreme for his final case and requests a different assignment, but is denied. The next day brings another ...

Silent Fall (1994) is a gripping psychological thriller directed by Bruce Beresford. The film follows the story of Timothy ‘Tim’ Warden, an autistic child who may have witnessed his parents’ brutal murder. In an attempt to crack the case, former child psychiatrist turned therapist Jake Rainer is tasked with delving into Tim’s mind. However, Tim remains unresponsive even to Jake’s probing, adding to the suspense of the film. As Tim’s protective sister Sylvie warms up to Jake and his efforts, she becomes wary upon discovering that he was involved in the death of another child under his ...

The American legal thriller film, The Pelican Brief (1993), is an adaptation of John Grisham’s 1992 novel. It was directed by Alan J. Pakula. In the film, two elder Supreme Court justices, Jensen and Rosenberg, are killed by an assassin named Khamel. Tulane University law student Darby Shaw writes a legal brief outlining her theory on the motive behind their murders. Her lover and former clerk of Rosenberg’s, Thomas Callahan, reads the brief and passes it on to Gavin Verheek, special counsel to the director of the FBI. Shortly after, Callahan is killed in a ...

Sydney Pollack directed The Firm (1993), an American legal thriller. Mitch McDeere, a top Harvard Law School graduate, is offered a lucrative position by boutique law firm Bendini, Lambert & Locke in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife Abby relocate there as he prepares for the Tennessee bar exam. Mitch receives guidance from senior partner Avery Tolar on the firm’s strict values of loyalty, confidentiality, and high fees. Despite the enticing perks such as a new house, a Mercedes-Benz, and paid-off student loans, Abby resents the firm’s interference in employees’ personal lives. Despite working long hours, Mitch passes the bar exam but this ...

Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), an American black comedy mystery film directed by Woody Allen, follows the story of Larry Lipton, an editor at HarperCollins, and his wife Carol. They have a pleasant interaction with their older neighbors, Paul and Lillian House, in the elevator. The Houses invite them to spend an evening together and during their conversation, the women share their exercise routines. Unfortunately, the next day Lillian unexpectedly passes away from a heart attack, which shocks the Liptons as she seemed to be in good health. As they start noticing odd behavior from Paul after his wife’s death, ...

A Murder of Quality (1991) was directed by Gavin Millar and written by John le Carré. Based on his 1962 novel of the same name, the film first aired on ITV in the UK on April 10th and later in the US on A&E network on October 13th. In this crime drama, George Smiley is summoned by his former colleague Ailsa Brimley to look into the murder of Stella Rode. Brimley had received a letter from Rode outlining a supposed plot by her husband Stanley, a teacher at Carne School, to kill her. As Smiley delves deeper into the case, he uncovers buried secrets, including one involving Terence Fielding, a house master at Carne who was being ...

Law & Order (1990–2024), an American police procedural and legal drama television series, was created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television. Its success has led to the development of additional shows, turning Law & Order into a franchise. This includes a television film, several video games, and international adaptations of the series. The show has received numerous awards, including multiple Emmy Awards, throughout its run. Set in New York City, it follows a two-part format: first investigating a crime (typically murder) and apprehending the suspect with the help of ...

Tenebrae (1982) is a giallo film from Italy, written and directed by Dario Argento. American horror novelist Peter Neal travels to Rome to promote his latest work, accompanied by his literary agent Bullmer and assistant Anne. Little does he know, his ex-fiancée Jane has followed him there out of resentment. Before Neal’s arrival, a young kleptomaniac named Elsa is killed with a razor by an unknown attacker. The killer sends Neal a letter claiming that his books have inspired their murder spree. Police Detective Germani and Inspector Altieri reach out to Neal for assistance as more murders occur. Tilde, a lesbian ...

Smiley’s People (1982) is a British six-part spy drama by the BBC, directed by Simon Langton and produced by Jonathan Powell. It is an adaptation of John le Carré’s 1979 novel of the same name and a sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, excluding the second book in the trilogy, The Honourable Schoolboy, which was not filmed due to budget constraints. Starring Sir Alec Guinness, Michael Byrne,

The mystery film, The Formula (1980), was directed by John G. Avildsen and produced and written by Steve Shagan, who adapted his own novel of the same name from 1979. It follows the story of Soviet forces closing in on Berlin during World War II and Panzer Korps General Helmut Kladen being sent to the Swiss border with important documents. However, he is intercepted by the U.S. Army and handed over to Army Intelligence. In present-day Los Angeles, Lt. Barney Caine is tasked with solving the murder of his former boss and friend Tom Neeley. Neeley’s body has a message ...

Deep Red (1975) is an Italian giallo film directed by Dario Argento. The story takes place over the course of two decades, beginning with a tragic incident at a family Christmas in 1956. Flash forward to Turin in 1975, where parapsychology professor Giordani hosts a conference featuring psychic medium Helga Ulmann. During the event, Helga is suddenly overwhelmed by the ‘twisted, perverted, murderous’ thoughts of someone in the audience. After confiding in Giordani about her suspicions, Helga becomes a victim herself when she is killed in her apartment later that night by an unknown assailant. Jazz pianist ...

The Cat o’ Nine Tails (1971), an English-language Italian film by Dario Argento, follows the investigation of a mysterious break-in at the Terzi Medical Institute. Despite not taking anything, the perpetrator kills one of the doctors, Calabresi, who had knowledge about the incident. The victim’s fiancée, Bianca Merusi, is told about this by Calabresi before his untimely death at the hands of the thief. A photojournalist captures the moment but misses capturing the killer. Reporter Carlo Giordani, who has been covering the story since its start, publishes an article on Calabresi’s demise and includes ...

The film The Deadly Affair (1967) is a British spy movie based on John le Carré’s debut novel, Call for the Dead. Set in 1960s London, it follows MI5 agent Charles Dobbs as he investigates the supposed suicide of Samuel Fennan, a former Communist working for the Foreign Office. After Fennan’s death, Dobbs visits his widow and becomes suspicious about the circumstances of her husband’s passing. While at their home, Dobbs uncovers that Elsa lied about a wake-up call meant for her. As a Holocaust survivor, Elsa may hold valuable information about her husband’s death. Despite pressure from ...

The legal mystery thriller film, Witness for the Prosecution (1957), was directed by Billy Wilder. Despite objections from his private nurse Miss Plimsoll, senior barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to defend Leonard Vole. He is recovering from a heart attack and his doctor had warned against taking on criminal cases. Vole is accused of murdering Emily French, a wealthy widow who had named him as her main beneficiary after falling in love with him. When speaking with Vole’s German wife Christine, Sir Wilfrid notices her cold and self-possessed demeanor. However, she does provide an alibi for her husband, although ...

Alfred Hitchcock’s espionage thriller film, Secret Agent (1936), is based on the play by Campbell Dixon. During World War I on 10 May 1916, British Captain and novelist Edgar Brodie returns from leave to discover his own obituary in the newspaper. He is then approached by an unknown man, ‘R’, who offers him a secret mission: to eliminate a German agent heading to Arabia with plans to cause chaos in the Middle East. Brodie agrees and is given a new identity as Richard Ashenden, along with a fake death. He is also partnered with an assassin known as ...