Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc standing in front of a wall full of knives in Knives-Out.Image via Lionsgate
By
Diego Pineda Pacheco
Published 19 minutes ago
Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel.
A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated.
Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point.
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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At its heart, every mystery movie is all about order being disrupted, tension coming to threaten the characters, and a hero restoring balance. As such, it's no surprise that typically mystery films specifically get the "cozy" label attached to them. The cozy mystery has pretty much become a subgenre unto itself, films all about making the thrill and suspense of a mystery feel safe, charming, and homey.
There are plenty of things that can make a mystery film cozy, from a gentle and humorous tone to a fun and eccentric detective to a contained and strangely inviting world. From beloved classics like Murder by Death to subversive modern gems like The Nice Guys, these films—ranked here from least to most cozy—are proof that a mystery movie doesn't need to be harrowing in order to be memorable.
10 'Charade' (1963)
Audrey Hepburn sits with Cary Grant in CharadeImage via Universal Pictures
Probably the most Alfred Hitchcock-coded movie ever made that's not actually directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Charade is instead a screwball mystery film directed by Stanley Donen. Starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn at the top of their games, it's a globetrotting romp that balances its perfectly-calculated chaos with some of the best chemistry any two actors have ever shared on the silver screen.
Released just as Hollywood's Golden Age was coming to an end, Charade has a darker edge than one would have expected to see in any mystery film from the '50s or earlier. Still, it's one of the coziest mystery flicks of its era and one of the best screwball comedies ever made, full of witty banter, postcard-worthy locations that warm the heart, and a light tone that keeps things deeply welcoming.
9 'Death on the Nile' (1978)
The camel sequence from Death on the Nile 1978Image via EMI Films
Before Kenneth Branagh's version gave us enough champagne to fill the Nile, John Guillermin took on Agatha Christie to deliver the best version of Death on the Nile so far. Its cast, one of the most tremendously stacked of any '70s film, includes the likes of Angela Lansbury, Maggie Smith, Bette Davis, and Peter Ustinov, the latter appearing for the first time as larger-than-life detective Hercule Poirot.
The movie is long, but it earns its runtime. The acting is fantastic, the Egyptian backdrops are as full of beauty as they are of intrigue, and the small dashes of humor that Guillermin adds are much welcome. The violence isn't visceral, the suspects are eccentric, and this version of Poirot (while perhaps not to book purists' tastes) is a blast of fun to follow, making this version of Death on the Nile a glamorous delight.
8 'Enola Holmes' (2020)
Considering that people had to watch almost every single film that came out in 2020 from the comfort of their couches, it's easy to apply the word "cozy" to virtually any movie from the year of the COVID-19 lockdown. However, it seems particularly fitting when talking about Netflix's Enola Holmes. Adaptations focused on Sherlock Holmes are aplenty, but a story about his super-sleuth young sister? Now, that is original.With one sequel out and a second one on its way, Enola Holmes is already one of the best movie franchises currently on Netflix, but there's no beating the original. Lockdown coziness nostalgia aside, the movie itself benefits from a warm and playful tone, endearing characters — led by a winning Millie Bobby Brown — and bright Victorian aesthetics that would still make it a cozy mystery if it had come out earlier or after.
7 'Gosford Park' (2001)
Ryan Phillippe and Kristin Scott Thomas in Gosford ParkImage via USA Films
One of the most underrated whodunnits of the 21st century, Gosford Park garnered seven Academy Award nominations and then seemed to be quickly discarded. That's a crime (pun not intended), as this satirical dark comedy is one of Robert Altman's freshest and most enjoyable late-career films. With a flawless balance between social commentary and pure genre thrills, it's one of the most perfect whodunnits ever made.
Despite being a film about murders and class conflict, Gosford Park is surprisingly pleasant, self-contained, and full of British politeness. It's sensationally fun and packed with intrigue, and one of the greatest British casts to have ever graced the silver screen, but both its humor and aesthetics feel more comforting than they do stressful. Lighthearted yet sprawling in its complexity, it's one of the most memorable ensemble flicks of the 2000s.
6 'The Nice Guys' (2016)
Holland and Jackson drive around in a convertible at night looking for clues.Image via Warner Bros. Pictures
1970s L.A. is the perfect setting for The Nice Guys, Shane Black's cult classic neo-noir about a bumbling private eye and a tough enforcer for hire. Gritty yet hilarious and delightfully reminiscent of the buddy comedies of old, it's one of the funniest action movies of the 21st century. Bolstered by the best comedic performances Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe have ever delivered, it's a comedy that's bound to go down in history as one of the best of the 2010s.
The film, stylish and aesthetically pleasing as much as it is well-written, is never afraid to push the limits of the believable for a good bit. Somehow, it constantly keeps working. But gloomy and delightfully ridiculous though it may sometimes be, The Nice Guys is ultimately about paying homage to the murder mystery genre by following these two misfit friends around. It doesn't get much more cozy than that.
5 'Murder by Death' (1976)
David Niven and Maggie Smith having cocktails in Murder by DeathImage via Columbia Pictures
There are more than enough Hercule Poirots, Sherlock Holmeses, and other country-house whodunnits for any one person to watch in their lifetime, so Robert Moore went ahead and made a farcical parody poking fun at the genre as a whole. Murder by Death is one of the funniest mystery movies of the 20th century, and there's no question about it: It's also one of the most enjoyable cozy mysteries in movie history.
Murder by Death is a hugely enjoyable satire, reminding fans that it's okay for whodunnits to be goofy sometimes.
It's a silly, madcap satire that knows better than to ever take itself seriously. Fast-paced and with energy for days, it's a hugely enjoyable satire reminding fans that it's okay for whodunnits to be goofy sometimes. Not all of its gags have aged well, as one would expect from a nearly fifty-year-old movie, but Murder by Death's welcoming setting and confident sense of humor make it delectably cozy from start to finish.
4 'Clue' (1985)
Tim Curry in Clue.Image via Paramount Pictures
Based on the board game of the same name, Clue performed poorly at the box office when it was released, but has since become a cult classic. The movie has three different endings, each of which was screened at different theaters upon release. Today, fans can see all of them, but this remains a testament to the kind of wild creativity and love for the game (literally and figuratively) that went into making this whodunnit.
A story about a series of murders in a mansion should, by all means, be a dark and gloomy film. Somehow, Clue manages to take that premise and make it feel as familiar, funny, and cozy as playing the source material. Whether it's the clever jokes and gags, the quirky archetypes that are the characters, or the nostalgic aesthetics that have ensured this romp's timelessness, this is a campy crime movie that's definitely worth watching.
3 'Sherlock Jr.' (1924)
Buster Keaton reads How to Be a Detective while donning a magnifying glass and fake mustache in 'Sherlock Jr.'Image via MGM Studios
What's cozier than nostalgia? And what movie deserves more nostalgia than one from all the way back in the mid-'20s? Buster Keaton, one of the kings of the comedy genre during cinema's silent days, made plenty of exceptional movies throughout his career, but it just so happens that the coziest is a crime mystery: Sherlock Jr., about a film projectionist who longs to be a detective.Whether it's Keaton putting his life in danger for the sake of some of cinematic history's greatest stunts, the feel-good romance at the core of the narrative, or the fact that the movie runs only for a breezy 45 minutes, Sherlock Jr. is the perfect mystery movie to watch at home during a rainy Sunday afternoon. It has aged wonderfully, and it's still just as funny as it surely must have been back in the day.
2 'The Wrong Trousers' (1993)
Image via BBC Enterprises
For people who love mystery films but prefer when they're on the more family-friendly side, Wallace and Gromit's whole filmography is a must-see, which naturally includes their best outing ever: the short film The Wrong Trousers. But fans shouldn't be fooled by the looks or runtime of this stop-motion masterpiece, as it's undoubtedly one of the greatest short films ever made, in no small measure purely due to the fact that it features a penguin with a revolver.
The Wrong Trousers is a pure heist movie at heart, but it has much more to offer as well. A villain that's iconic but not horrifying, action scenes that pack a punch but aren't too over-the-top, and—of course—the delightful friendship between the titular characters. These qualities, along with the movie mostly being set in the duo's home, make The Wrong Trousers prove that less is often more when it comes to cozy mysteries.
1 'Knives Out' (2019)
Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, Riki Lindhome, Jaeden Martell, and Katherine Langford in Knives Out.Image via Lionsgate
It turns out that the new cozy mystery film by excellence is a rather recent one. After setting the world on fire with controversy following Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson decided that he would redefine the whodunnit for a new generation. That's where Knives Out comes in. One of the best-made and best-written whodunnits in history, this ensemble piece may be perfect sweater weather cinema, but it's also the kind of film so good that it's worth rewatching at any time of the year.
Featuring a stacked cast including the likes of Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, and Jamie Lee Curtis, as well as Daniel Craig playing what is already one of the best movie detectives ever, Knives Out is a blast from start to finish. Unpredictable, yet never far-fetched, funny, yet perfectly capable of taking crucial elements of its narrative seriously, and deeply mysterious yet undeniably cozy, this modern masterpiece has no equal.
knives-out-movie-final-poster.jpg
Knives Out
PG-13
Drama
Crime
Mystery
Release Date
November 27, 2019
Cast
Chris Evans, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Daniel Craig, Toni Collette, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ana De Armas, Michael Shannon, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson, Riki Lindhome
Runtime
130 minutes
Director
Rian Johnson
Writers
Rian Johnson
Genres
Drama, Crime, Mystery
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