“Se7en”, 1995
Director: David Fincher
Directed by David Fincher, this dark thriller follows two detectives, played by Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman, as they hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as motifs in a series of elaborate and gruesome murders.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, R. Lee Ermey, John C. McGinley, Richard Schiff, Richard Roundtree, Mark Boone Junior, Reg E. Cathey;
Production year: 1995;
Genre: thriller, drama, crime, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 127 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,6;
More information about the film “Se7en” on the website imdb.com
“Zodiac”, 2007
Director: David Fincher
Another film by David Fincher, “Zodiac” is based on the true story of the hunt for the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1960s and early 1970s, taunting police with letters and ciphers sent to newspapers.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Chloë Sevigny, John Carroll Lynch, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Dermot Mulroney, Donal Logue;
Production year: 2007;
Genre: thriller, detective, drama, crime;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 158 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,7;
More information about the film “Zodiac” on the website imdb.com
“Psycho”, 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this classic horror-thriller tells the story of a secretary who embezzles money and checks into the Bates Motel, where she encounters the mysterious Norman Bates and meets a grisly fate.
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Janet Leigh, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, Frank Albertson, Patricia Hitchcock, Vaughn Taylor;
Production year: 1960;
Genre: thriller, horror, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 109 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,5;
More information about the film “Psycho” on the website imdb.com
“Gone Girl”, 2014
Director: David Fincher
Directed by David Fincher, this film is based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name and tells the story of Nick Dunne, who becomes the prime suspect in the disappearance of his wife.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry, Carrie Coon, Kim Dickens, Patrick Fugit, David Clennon, Lisa Banes, Missi Pyle;
Production year: 2014;
Genre: thriller, drama, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 149 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,1;
More information about the film “Gone Girl” on the website imdb.com
“L.A. Confidential”, 1997
Director: Curtis Hanson
Set in 1950s Los Angeles, this neo-noir film directed by Curtis Hanson follows multiple policemen as they uncover a complex web of corruption and murder in the LAPD.
Starring: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, David Strathairn, Ron Rifkin, Matt McCoy, Paul Guilfoyle;
Production year: 1997;
Genre: detective, crime, drama, action;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 138 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,2;
More information about the film “L.A. Confidential” on the website imdb.com
“The Silence of the Lambs”, 1990
Director: Jonathan Demme
Directed by Jonathan Demme, this movie features Jodie Foster as FBI trainee Clarice Starling, who seeks the help of incarcerated cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, to catch a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill.
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Brooke Smith, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Kasi Lemmons, Diane Baker, Charles Napier, Roger Corman;
Production year: 1990;
Genre: thriller, detective, crime, drama, horror;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 118 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,6;
More information about the film “The Silence of the Lambs” on the website imdb.com
“Memento”, 2000
Director: Christopher Nolan
A Christopher Nolan film that unravels the story backward, following the perspective of Leonard, who suffers from short-term memory loss and uses notes and tattoos to hunt for his wife’s murderer.
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega, Jorja Fox, Stephen Tobolowsky, Harriet Sansom Harris, Thomas Lennon, Callum Keith Rennie;
Production year: 2000;
Genre: thriller, detective, drama, crime;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 113 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,4;
“Prisoners”, 2013
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, this film explores the lengths to which a desperate father, played by Hugh Jackman, will go to find his kidnapped daughter, including torturing the person he believes is responsible.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Dylan Minnette, Zoë Soul, Erin Gerasimovich;
Production year: 2013;
Genre: thriller, drama, crime, detective;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 153 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,2;
More information about the film “Prisoners” on the website imdb.com
“Rear Window”, 1954
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Another Hitchcock classic, this film revolves around a wheelchair-bound photographer who spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr, Judith Evelyn, Ross Bagdasarian, Georgine Darcy, Sara Berner, Frank Cady;
Production year: 1954;
Genre: thriller, detective;
MPAA rating: pg;
Duration: 112 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 8,5;
More information about the film “Rear Window” on the website imdb.com
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, 2011
Director: David Fincher
Based on the bestselling novel by Stieg Larsson and directed by David Fincher, this film features a journalist and a hacker who team up to solve a 40-year-old murder mystery in Sweden.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson, Geraldine James, Goran Višnjić;
Production year: 2011;
Genre: detective, thriller, drama, crime;
MPAA rating: r;
Duration: 158 min.;
Rating: IMDB: 7,8;
More information about the film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” on the website imdb.com
These films showcase a variety of approaches to the murder genre, from character-driven narratives to complex plots, making them timeless pieces that continue to engage and thrill audiences around the world.
Concluding, films about murders serve as more than mere entertainment; they delve deep into the dark recesses of human nature, exploring the psychological intricacies that drive individuals to the brink of such extreme transgressions. The genre, ranging from gritty true crime dramas to sleek whodunnits, caters to our innate curiosity about the forbidden and the complexity of justice in a world marred by violence. As much as they shock and unsettle us, these films offer crucial insights into society's underbelly, while forcing us to confront the uncomfortable truth that evil often wears a human face. Whether they draw from real events or fictional narratives, films about murders exhibit a potent narrative power, shining a light on the human condition and the moral quandaries that shape our collective conscience.
