10 Mystery Movies From The 1970s That Are Still Surprising

Although many older mystery movies lose their edge over the years, there are still some classics from the 1970s which can shock modern audiences. More so than most other genres, mystery movies are constantly seeking new innovations and quirks, or else they risk becoming stale and predictable. This means that certain mystery movies have a disappointingly short shelf life. Some old classics prove that this isn’t always the case.

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The 1970s produced a few outstanding mystery movies which have aged beautifully. Many of these movies adapted the works of revered crime authors like Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler. Whether they were period pieces or set in the 1970s, the best of these movies found ways to revitalize old ideas so that they could shock their audiences. There were also some truly original mystery movies which charted a path forward for the entire genre, like Chinatown and Deep Red.

Related 10 Best Mystery Movies From The 1980s That Can Still Keep You Guessing

From crime and suspense thrillers, to all-out horror films, the 1980s contained some great mysteries that took more than one watch to figure out.

10 Murder On The Orient Express (1974)

Sidney Lumet Produces A Classic Agatha Christie Adaptation

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10/10 Murder on the Orient Express

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*Availability in US Director Sidney Lumet Release Date November 24, 1974 Cast Albert Finney , Lauren Bacall , Ingrid Bergman , Sean Connery , Martin Balsam , Jacqueline Bisset , Michael York , Anthony Perkins

Although Kenneth Branagh has recently developed his own Hercule Poirot franchise, the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express is hard to beat, and it is generally considered among the very best Agatha Christie adaptations for the big screen. Albert Finney stars as the mustachioed Belgian detective, and he is surrounded by a blinding ensemble cast which includes Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall.

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A lesser director might let such star power overshadow the story, but Sidney Lumet was always an expert at injecting dialogue scenes with captivating tension. In his capable hands, Murder on the Orient Express feels new again. It’s still the same Christie that fans know and love, without any drastic changes to the plot, but the cast and Lumet approach it with rare vigor. Sadly, this was Albert Finney’s only performance as Poirot.

9 Deep Red (1975)

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Deep Red

Director Dario Argento Release Date March 7, 1975 Cast David Hemmings , Daria Nicolodi , Gabriele Lavia , Macha Méril , Eros Pagni , Giuliana Calandra , Piero Mazzinghi , Glauco Mauri
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Deep Red is one of Dario Argento’s best movies, and one of the defining works of the giallo genre. While this makes it a must-watch for fans of Italian cinema, it still has plenty of appeal for those who aren’t as familiar with giallo. The plot follows an English music teacher in Italy who begins his own amateur murder investigation when he fears that the killer will be going after him next.

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The Italian “giallo” style of horror films has many great masterpieces, showing off the subgenre’s penchant for murder, mystery, intrigue and gore.

Deep Red hooks the viewer from the beginning, as an ominous pair of black gloves are seen carrying out a heinous murder. These gloves become a symbol of the unknown horror that pervades the atmosphere of Deep Red. As the story progresses, it spirals further into the occult, and Argento’s flair for psychological horror comes to the fore. Deep Red is more shocking than most mysteries of its time, thanks to Argento’s moody direction.

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8 Don’t Look Now (1973)

Don’t Look Now Is A Satisfying Blend Of Mystery And Horror

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Don’t Look Now

Director Nicolas Roeg Release Date November 18, 1973 Cast Julie Christie , Donald Sutherland , Clelia Matania , Hilary Mason , Adelina Poerio

Don’t Look Now stars Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as a couple visiting Venice as they grieve the death of their young daughter. It’s an intelligent slow-burn horror movie, but there are also elements of mystery, as John is hounded by strange visions, and the city is gripped by fear as a serial killer is on the loose. Don’t Look Now is one of Donald Sutherland’s best movies, and he delivers a characteristically superb performance.

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Don’t Look Now was ahead of its time, providing some shocks while elevating the horror genre. It seems surprisingly modern for a horror movie to use such compelling metaphors about grief and isolation. Don’t Look Now may be most famous for its ending, which caps off a great horror mystery with a bizarre jolt. This ending somehow ties up the entire mystery while simultaneously providing the movie’s biggest scare. It’s a perfect synthesis of Don’t Look Now‘s two conflicting genres.

7 Night Moves (1975)

Night Moves Is A Compelling Mystery With Some Explosive Action

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Night Moves

Director Arthur Penn Release Date February 27, 1975 Cast Gene Hackman , Jennifer Warren , Edward Binns , Susan Clark , Harris Yulin

Gene Hackman turns in a captivating performance in Night Moves as a private investigator who gets tangled up in a dark conspiracy that threatens to take his life. Harry Moseby initially thinks that he can get some quick cash by locating a 16-year-old girl who he figures has run away from home for a taste of excitement. What he uncovers is far more dangerous and complex.

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Night Moves is the kind of mystery that draws the audience in just as much as the detective. It also packs in some audacious action scenes. Harry throws his weight around like many a movie private eye before him, but Night Moves has heaps of originality in its climactic action sequence, in which a low-flying plane and some sunken treasure create the kind of big-screen thrills that are usually in the remit of adventure movies, not detective mysteries.

6 The Long Goodbye (1973)

Robert Altman Pokes At The Boundaries Of Film Noir

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The Long Goodbye

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*Availability in US Director Robert Altman Release Date March 8, 1973 Cast Elliott Gould , Nina van Pallandt , Sterling Hayden , Mark Rydell , Henry Gibson , David Arkin , Jim Bouton , Warren Berlinger

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Elliott Gould added his name to the illustrious list of actors who had played Raymond Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe, but critics weren’t overly fond of The Long Goodbye at the time. Chandler fans were particularly displeased with the liberal adaptation of The Long Goodbye, as Robert Altman’s movie chops and changes the plot, and it adapts the setting from the glory days of film noir to the 1970s.

Although the setting changes, Gould’s Marlowe is much the same as the character was 20 or 30 years earlier. He’s a man out of time who speaks and acts as if it’s still the 1950s, which puts him at odds with the world around him. This is something that reviewers have warmed to over the years, and The Long Goodbye has undergone considerable critical rehabilitation. The intelligent script acts as a metacommentary on the tired tropes of the mystery genre.

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5 Murder By Decree (1979)

Christopher Plummer Puts His Own Spin On Sherlock

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Murder by Decree

Director Bob Clark Release Date February 1, 1979 Cast Christopher Plummer , James Mason , David Hemmings , Susan Clark , Anthony Quayle , John Gielgud , Frank Finlay , Donald Sutherland , Geneviève Bujold , Chris Wiggins , Tedde Moore , Peter Jonfield , Roy Lansford , Catherine Kessler , Ron Pember , June Brown , Ken Jones , Terry Duggan , Hilary Sesta , Anthony May , Betty Woolfe , Iris Fry , Geoffrey Russell , Peggy Ann Clifford , Ann Mitchell Expand

There have been hundreds of Sherlock Holmes movies over the years, and that’s not even counting the TV shows. Murder by Decree is one of the better adaptations, with Christopher Plummer and James Mason playing Holmes and Watson. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes story was published just a year before Jack the Ripper’s killings started in London, and there has always been a widespread desire to see Holmes track down the culprit. Murder by Decree puts this fantasy on the big screen.

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Although Murder by Decree changes a few names, anyone familiar with the prevailing theories about Jack the Ripper will recognize a few of the most prominent historical suspects. Overall, it’s an intriguing take on the case as well as a great Sherlock Holmes story. Plummer’s version of Holmes is slightly more human and compassionate than most interpretations, and he has a vibrant dynamic with Mason’s Dr. Watson.

4 The Last Of Sheila (1973)

A Whodunnit On The High Seas That Packs Plenty Of Surprises

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The Last of Sheila

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*Availability in US Director Herbert Ross Release Date June 14, 1973 Cast Dyan Cannon , Richard Benjamin , James Coburn , Joan Hackett , James Mason , Ian McShane , Raquel Welch , Yvonne Romain , Pierre Rosso , Serge Citon , Roberto Rossi , Elaine Geisinger , Elliot Geisinger , Jack Pugeat , Martial Expand

Psycho star Anthony Perkins and Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim teamed up to write the script for The Last of Sheila, a twisty murder mystery based on the parlor games they played with their friends. Hopefully, these games were more lighthearted than The Last of Sheila, as the players have their darkest secrets revealed, and two of them are brutally murdered.

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The Last of Sheila provides a satisfying puzzle for people who like parlor games as much as Perkins and Sondheim do. It’s also a must-watch for fans of Knives Out, as Rian Johnson cited The Last of Sheila as one of his major influences. In some ways, it’s a classic throwback whodunnit, but it has plenty of surprises along the way to keep things lively and fresh. The ensemble cast includes Ian McShane, Raquel Welch and James Mason, who takes on most of the sleuthing duties.

3 Sleuth (1972)

Michael Caine & Laurence Olivier Deliver A Brilliant Two-Hander

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Sleuth

Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz Release Date December 10, 1972 Cast Laurence Olivier , Michael Caine , Alec Cawthorne , John Matthews , Eve Channing , Teddy Martin

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The cast of Sleuth lists six names, but only Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier are real people. The rest were included as a ploy by the studio to sell the illusion that Sleuth was more than a two-hander. The movie is based on a Tony-award winning play by Anthony Shaffer, and it has the look and feel of a stage play, which is no surprise considering Shaffer himself wrote the screenplay.

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Sleuth evokes some of Alfred Hitchcock’s most gripping thrillers, as it follows characters in a single location, like Rope or Lifeboat, as they test each other’s limits. It’s a cunning mystery with plenty of twists in the tale, and both performances are superb. Sleuth was remade in 2007, with Michael Caine graduating to the older part, while Jude Law plays the younger character. The 1972 original is considered the superior version.

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2 Farewell, My Lovely (1975)

Robert Mitchum Steps Into The Shoes Of A Famous Detective

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Farewell, My Lovely

Director Dick Richards Release Date August 8, 1975 Cast Robert Mitchum , Charlotte Rampling , John Ireland , Sylvia Miles , Anthony Zerbe , Harry Dean Stanton , Jack O’Halloran , Joe Spinell

Robert Mitchum often does some of his best work when he’s playing villain roles, and he brings a dangerous edge to his interpretation of Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler’s famous detective. Farewell, My Lovely is one of the best Philip Marlowe movies of all, as it pays homage to his film noir roots while bringing in the ideas of a new era. Marlowe sets out on a standard investigation which soon turns deadly.

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Mitchum shines as Marlowe. He has enough grit when needed, but he also shows off his underrated comedy chops at times. His dry wit makes him a delightful companion as he feels his way though a dangerous case. His charm also makes him a believable romantic lead, and he is paired up with Charlotte Rampling. She plays one of Chandler’s classic femme fatale characters, but she’s deceptively warm.

1 Chinatown (1974)

Jack Nicholson Is On Top Form In A Murky Neo-Noir Thriller

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10/10 9/10 Chinatown

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*Availability in US Director Roman Polanski Release Date June 20, 1974 Cast Jack Nicholson , Faye Dunaway , John Huston , Perry Lopez , John Hillerman , Darrell Zwerling

Jack Nicholson delivers an outstanding performance in Chinatown, and this helps create the most enduring mystery movie of the 1970s. Roman Polanski’s stylish neo-noir is set in Los Angeles in the 1930s, where a private investigator finds out that a typical infidelity case goes much deeper than he can fathom. Soon, Jake Gittes is investigating a murder and a vast political conspiracy, all while intimidating powers beyond his comprehension try to stop him.

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Chinatown‘s twisty plot can often be a puzzle to first-time viewers, but this simply reflects Jake’s loose grip on the situation as the picture continually changes in front of his eyes. Chinatown‘s unforgettable ending brings everything into focus for the first time, although this grim realization doesn’t offer the same satisfaction that mystery fans usually want. As Jake is pulled away from the case for good, he comes to understand his utter powerlessness in the face of corrupt institutions and the cruel hands of fate.

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