Best movies with detectives

Q: What are the top three spots?

The top three spots are held, in order, by Basic Instinct , Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F , Death on the Nile . The ranking can change as votes are added.

99 items • 1750 views • 5 votes • updated Nov 8, 2026

Discover the best movies with detectives, ranked from best to worst.

Based on 5 votes, the movie Basic Instinct, starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, came in first as the best movie with detectives of all time, followed by Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and Death on the Nile from 2022. Scroll down for the top 10 movies with detectives, recommended by movie fans in 2026.

Recommend the best movies with detectives

20.654329147389294%

Basic Instinct

1992 - Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, George Dzundza, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Leilani Sarelle...

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Detective Nick Curran investigates the murder of a former rock star in San Francisco, killed with an ice pick. The investigation leads him to writer Catherine Tramell, whose novels bear a •••

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20.654329147389294%

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

2024 - Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul...

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Forty years after his unforgettable first case in Beverly Hills, Detroit cop Axel Foley returns to do what he does best: solve crimes and cause chaos.

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20.654329147389294%

Death on the Nile

2022 - Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Emma Mackey, Tom Bateman, Letitia Wright...

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The peace and quiet of the cruise ship S.S. Karnak evaporates after a young heiress is killed. Renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, on vacation aboard the ship, is given the •••

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9.452865480086611%

Chinatown

1974 - Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Roman Polanski...

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Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital •••

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A Haunting in Venice

2023 - Kenneth Branagh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali...

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In post-World War II Venice, Poirot, now retired and living in self-imposed exile, reluctantly attends a séance. But when one of the guests is murdered, it's up to the former detective to •••

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A Walk Among the Tombstones

2014 - Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David HarbourCrime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

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Matt Scudder, a former New York cop turned unlicensed private investigator, is hired by a drug dealer to find the men who kidnapped and murdered his wife. The investigation puts him on the •••

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Along Came a Spider

2001 - Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, Michael WincottCrime, Mystery, Thriller, Action

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After the death of his partner, forensic psychologist Alex Cross has retired, but he returns when a brilliant criminal kidnaps a senator's daughter and wants to deal only with him. With •••

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Angel Heart

1987 - Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling, Stocker Fontelieu

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Private detective Harry Angel investigates the disappearance of singer Johnny Favorite. As people who might provide clues begin turning up dead, the case draws him into a violent world and •••

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Bad Times at the El Royale

2018 - Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth

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It is January 1969, and Richard Nixon has been inaugurated as the 37th president of the United States. Seven very different but equally lost souls meet at El Royale, a hotel with a •••

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Bandit

2022 - Josh Duhamel, Elisha Cuthbert, Mel Gibson, Nestor Carbonell, Lorenzo Yearby, Swen...

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After escaping from a Michigan prison, a charming career criminal assumes a new identity in Canada and proceeds to rob a record 59 banks and jewelry stores while being hunted by a police •••

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How do the rankings work?

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Frequently asked questions

Which movie is in first place?

Basic Instinct is currently ranked first on TopFaves, with 1 vote for and 0 votes against in this list.

What are the top three spots?

The top three spots are held, in order, by Basic Instinct, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Death on the Nile. The ranking can change as votes are added.

What are the most recent movies in this list?

Among the titles with a known release year, the most recent are: Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway (2026), Enola Holmes 3 (2026), Husbands in Action (2026).

Which movies from 2010–2019 are included?

Titles released in this period include Knives Out (2019), Shaft (2019) (2019), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018).

How many votes have been recorded?

In total, 5 votes have been recorded. The total refers to the whole list and is not the number of different people who voted.

How do I vote and how is the ranking decided?

Press the up arrow if you recommend an option or the down arrow if you do not. You can use the search box in the list to quickly find a name and vote directly. The order takes into account both positive and negative votes and how many there are, and positions can change as votes are added.