It is no mystery that fans of the whodunnit genre can find more than enough fun, dark, and twisted crime dramas to watch on Amazon Prime, one of the best streaming services to subscribe to today. From old cinematic classics to modern-day dramedies with a noirish edge, there are many of the best movies on Amazon Prime and plenty of great TV shows on the platform that you can have fun piecing together the how, what, and why of a crime with.
With that in mind, the biggest mystery on whodunnit fans’ minds must be exactly which movies and TV shows of the genre available with an Amazon Prime subscription are the best to choose from. Consider that case closed with these great brain teasers we picked out ourselves.
Columbo (1971-1978)
A humble homicide lieutenant (played by Emmy winner Peter Falk) investigates some of Los Angeles’ toughest cases.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Similar to the best episodes of Poker Face, every episode of Columbo revealed the answer to each mystery right off the bat and the fun was seeing how the beloved detective figured it all out.
Stream Columbo on Amazon Prime.
Reacher (2022-Present)
Aimlessly drifting from place to place, former military police officer Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) becomes embroiled in criminal investigations that benefit greatly from his skill set.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: With both brains and brawn, seeing author Lee Child’s title hero from the Amazon Prime original series, Reacher (which has a third season in the works) get to the bottom of complex mysteries and punish the culprits himself is wicked fun.
Stream Reacher on Amazon Prime.
Marlowe (2023)
Veteran private investigator Philip Marlowe (Liam Neeson) takes the case of an heiress’ missing lover in 1930 Los Angeles.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Neeson fills the shoes of Raymond Chandler’s most famous mystery character in Marlowe – co-writer and director Niel Jordan’s adaptation of Benjamin Black’s 2014 novel, The Black-Eyed Blonde.
Stream Marlowe on Amazon Prime.
Dark Crimes (2018)
A Polish police detective (played by Jim Carrey) suspects that a successful author is a murderer when details in his latest novel mirror that of his new investigation.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: The only thing about Dark Crimes more shocking than comedy legend Carrey’s unusually somber performance is its bleak twists and turns.
Stream Dark Crimes on Amazon Prime.
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
A jewelry store heist goes terribly wrong, leading a group of anonymous criminals to suspect that one of them is a traitor.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Quentin Tarantino’s debut as both a writer and director, Reservoir Dogs (also one of the best ‘90s movies on Amazon Prime), is not a murder mystery but it keeps the suspense high before and after the identity of the mole is revealed.
Stream Reservoir Dogs on Amazon Prime.
The Pledge (2001)
Following his retirement from the force, veteran detective Jerry Black (Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson) tries to keep a promise he made to a slain girl’s mother to catch her elusive killer.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Sean Penn directs this adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s 1958 novella, The Pledge, which is a thrilling meditation on the connection between loneliness and obsession.
Stream The Pledge on Amazon Prime.
Bosch (2014-2021)
Los Angeles police detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) struggles with his own personal reputation while using old-fashioned methods to solve his cases.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Welliver gives one of his best performances portraying author Michael Connelly’s famous literary detective on Bosch, which was canceled on Amazon Prime, but continued as the Freevee original series, Bosch: Legacy.
The Lady Vanishes (1938)
On a train ride through Germany, a young woman (Margaret Lockwood) tries to find a mysteriously absent elderly woman whom the other passengers claim was never on board.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Alfred Hitchcock directs The Lady Vanishes – one of the earliest adaptations of Ethel Lina White’s short story – which is one of the best movies taking place on a train.
Stream The Lady Vanishes on Amazon Prime.
Psych (2006-2014)
The slacker son of a retired cop (played by James Roday Rodriguez) convinces the Santa Barbara Police Department that his photographic memory is actually ESP and ropes his lifelong best friend Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill) into solving crimes with him through their own private consulting business.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: This long-running, cleverly titled dramedy from USA is not without its intriguing mysteries, but what most effectively keeps viewers in suspense is the question of how long the main crime-chasing duo from the Psych cast can maintain their clairvoyant façade.
House (2004-2012)
Arrogant medical diagnostics specialist Gregory House (two-time Golden Globe-winner Hugh Laurie) works to identify the rare afflictions of his patients, without letting his rocky relationship with his colleagues and personal demons get in the way.
Why it’s a good option on Amazon Prime if you love a good whodunnit: Of course, David Shore’s acclaimed medical drama is not a crime procedural, but the title character of House is inspired by beloved literary detective Sherlock Holmes and his work to diagnoses patients is as absorbing as any murder mystery.
What do you think, Prime members? Are these mysterious movies and suspenseful series just what a whodunnit loving Amazon subscriber’s heart desires, or do you think my selections are the real crime here?
