Movies Like Private Detective
If you liked Private Detective (1939), a mystery movie directed by Noel M. Smith, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.
- 1
The Long Goodbye (1973)
★ 7.4/10Also mysteryIn 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
- 2
Marlowe (1969)
★ 6.2/10Also mysteryMysterious Orfamay Quest hires Los Angeles private investigator Philip Marlowe to find her missing brother. Though the job seems simple enough, it leads Marlowe into the underbelly of the city, turning up leads who are…
- 3
Cult Killer (2024)
★ 6.4/10Also mysteryA private investigator is forced into a dangerous alliance with a killer in order to uncover a quiet town’s grisly criminal underbelly and clear the name of her mentor, who is implicated in the crimes.
- 4
Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)
★ 6/10Also mysteryHarry Crumb is a bumbling and inept private investigator who is hired to solve the kidnapping of a young heiress which he's not expected to solve because his employer is the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
- 5
The Thin Man (1934)
★ 7.5/10Also mysteryFormer detective Nick Charles has retired from police work, preferring a life of cocktails, parties, and relaxation with his wealthy wife, Nora. Their holiday is interrupted when the daughter of Nick’s former client…
- 6
Righteous Kill (2008)
★ 5.9/10Also mysteryTwo veteran New York City detectives work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the…
- 7
Reptile (2023)
★ 6.7/10Also mysteryFollowing the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems, and by doing so dismantles the illusions in his own life.
- 8
The Interview (1998)
★ 6.8/10Also mysteryA duel between a suspected murderer and a detective pressed by people who want results. But whose skin is really wanted?
- 9
McQ (1974)
★ 6.1/10Also mysteryPolice Lieutenant Lon McQ investigates the killing of his best friend and uncovers corrupt elements of the police department dealing in confiscated drugs.
- 10
The Kid Detective (2020)
★ 6.6/10Also mysteryA once-celebrated kid detective, now 31, continues to solve the same trivial mysteries between hangovers and bouts of self-pity. Until a naive client brings him his first 'adult' case, to find out who brutally murdered…
- 11
Gone Baby Gone (2007)
★ 7.3/10Also mysteryWhen 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The…
- 12
Knives Out (2019)
★ 7.8/10Also mysteryWhen renowned crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan's…
- 13
The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
★ 6.1/10Also mysteryJane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
- 14
Lady in the Lake (1946)
★ 6.1/10Also mysteryPrivate eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to…
- 15
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
★ 6.7/10Also mysteryPrivate eye Philip Marlowe is hired by ex-con Moose Malloy to find his girlfriend, a former lounge dancer. While also investigating the murder of a client and the theft of a jade necklace, Marlowe becomes entangled…
- 16
Hollywoodland (2006)
★ 6.1/10Also mysteryWhen Hollywood superstar George Reeves dies in his home, private detective Louis Simo is hired to investigate his death and gets caught in a web of lies involving a big studio executive's wife. Based on a true story.
- 17
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
★ 7.2/10Also mysteryOne evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, who has escaped from the nearby lunatic asylum. Thugs waylay them and force his car to crash. When Hammer returns to…
- 18
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
★ 7.7/10Also mysteryA private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
- 19
The Big Sleep (1946)
★ 7.6/10Also mysteryPrivate Investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by wealthy General Sternwood regarding a matter involving his youngest daughter Carmen. Before the complex case is over, Marlowe sees murder, blackmail, deception, and what…
- 20
Striking Distance (1993)
★ 5.9/10Also mysteryDemoted Pittsburgh cop Tom Hardy works river patrol while a serial killer targets women from his past, forcing him to conduct an unauthorized investigation to prove his innocence and expose a dirty cop.