Best Heart-Pounding “Catch the Killer” Movies – My Favorite Crime Thrillers
Honestly, probably one of my favorite guilty pleasures is finding the best serial killer/”catch the killer” movies and getting completely lost in them. Bonus points if it’s based on a true story. I love something that will keep me on the edge of my seat and leave me guessing until the very end.
So, without further ado, check out my favorite crime thrillers and the absolute best “catch the killer” movies that I’ve personally watched below!
Zodiac (2007)
Based on the actual Zodiac Killer (like I said, bonus points to the ones based on true stories!), Zodiac (2007) follows two reporters (Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal), and two detectives (Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards) as they race to find out who the mysterious and cryptic killer is before he gets someone else. I seriously loved how the integrated those involved at the newspaper where the Zodiac Killer would send his ciphers as well as the detectives actually on the case. This was obviously a great movie with just its cast list alone, but tying this serial killer into a fictional movie? So. Much. Suspense.
Also filled with a lot of emotion, The Postcard Killings (2020) follows Jeffery Dean Morgan’s character as he travels to London to identify the body of his murdered daughter and her new husband. This leads him to investigate his own daughter’s murder, basically seeking revenge the entire time. There are a lot of tense moments and the acting is superb, so I highly recommend this movie if you’re looking for a good “catch the killer” movie!
Se7en (1995)
I’m not sure I’ll ever forget this movie for two reasons: its unique concept, and the fact that the ending was INSANE (in a good way). It takes a lot to pull off an ending like that, but this movie did it. You’re basically following these two detectives (Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt) as they try to find a killer who is killing people based off the seven deadly sins. It becomes super twisted and a mind game at times, but I seriously loved every second (and might go rewatch it now…).
Saw (2004)
If you don’t know about this movie, you might as well have never watched any killer movies at all. What started out as an extremely low budget film turned into the blockbuster of a decade. Saw (2004) has two men (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell) as they wake up chained to a wall with a dead man between them. They basically have to escape before time runs out (anyone here love a good escape room??) or risk losing their lives. With an ending that I NEVER saw coming, this movie is great if you really want something to blow your mind.
Wind River (2017)
Wind River (2017) has stayed with me for a long time. It’s set in a snowy, desolate land that’s an Indian Reservation. Basically Jeremy Renner’s character is helping an FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) to solve the rape and death of a young Native American woman (Kelsey Asbille). It’s devastating in its truth and was a hard pill to swallow at times. The reason it ranks well for my favorite crime thrillers is because someone really doesn’t want them to solve the case and so Elizabeth Olsen’s character as well as Jeremy Renner’s faces multiple deadly scenarios along the way. If you want a thriller that’s mixed with emotion and suspense, this is the one for you!
Murder by Numbers (2002)
I literally put SO much thought into this movie the whole time I was watching it. So much was going on and you’re sitting there wondering who the heck the psychopath is. Sandra Bullock leads this movie as our detective and a young Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt star as the gifted high school students who executed the “perfect” murder. Really interesting and honestly mind boggling at times.
The Raven (2012)
Edgar Allen Poe (John Cusack) literally helping to solve murder cases based off his own writing? Yeah, I was hooked the minute I found out about this movie. Not only that, but the scenes following those who are victims can sometimes be absolutely terrifying. The stakes are high, people are dying, and you’ll be left “dying” to know what happens next (sorry, I had to!).
