> Mystery and Suspense

Set a Thief to Catch a Thief
A frothy, stylish romp on the French Riviera with two gorgeous stars and a great director, Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" puts Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in the witty tale of a reformed jewel thief chasing a copycat burglar.

North by Northwest - a Witty Hitchcock Thriller
Hitchcock's diverting suspense film romps from the sophisticated streets of New York in the '50s to the stone faces on Mount Rushmore. Fast-paced and witty, North By Northwest is classic Hitchcock with star Cary Grant at his urbane best.

Witness for the Prosecution
Billy Wilder's witty screen adaptation of the Agatha Christie play features Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton in a classic movie courtroom battle with plenty of twists and a surprise ending.

The 39 Steps - Review
A fast-paced, tightly woven 1935 suspense film by Alfred Hitchcock, The 39 Steps establishes many of the themes that would return in Hitchcock's later work. With clever dialog, darkly comic scenes, and Robert Donat as the dashing hero.

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window
A thrilling Hitchcock suspense film, Rear Window features witty dialog, clever camera angles and a still-fresh take on the war between the sexes, from amorous newlyweds to a henpecked husband who may have murdered his wife. One of Hitchcock's finest.

A List of Hitchcock Movies You've Gotta See
A list of Hitchcock movies that should be on any fan's must-see list. Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, made thrillers, spy movies, horror films and mysteries that set modern standards and still delight new audiences.

Stalag 17 - Suspicion in a POW Camp
A compelling study of human nature set in a WWII POW camp, Stalag 17 is also a sly dig at the red-baiting of the communist era. Billy Wilder directed William Holden to a Oscar for his cynical perfomance as the outsider in Stalag 17.

Vertigo - Hitchcock's Tale of Obsession
Vertigo is first a dreamlike story of obsession and only second a mystery/suspense film. The movie with James Stewart and Kim Novak garnered mixed reviews when it debuted, but is now widely viewed as a Hitchcock masterpiece that bears repeated viewings.

Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train
What if two Strangers on a Train meet and plan a couple of murders - but only one of them knows it's not an idle joke? Alfred Hitchcock's tense thriller plays it out in a movie with a memorable villain.

The Big Sleep - Bogart and Bacall in a Dark Mystery
A complex film noir, The Big Sleep features Humphrey Bogart in a layered performance as Phillip Marlowe, and provides a great showcase for the Bogart and real-life love Lauren Bacall. Clever dialogue highlights this intelligent, suspenseful mystery.

The Maltese Falcon - Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade
Perhaps the original film noir, The Maltese Falcon established Humphrey Bogart as a megastar. With Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet as fortune-hunters after the black bird and Bogart as Sam Spade, it's the pulp fiction masterpiece by Dashiell Hammett.

Sunset Boulevard
A film noir classic, a jaundiced view of the excesses of Hollywood, and a great story about an aging film goddess (Gloria Swanson) and her doomed gigolo (William Holden). Witty, cynical and mesmerizing.

Detour: Early Film Noir
For a taste of noir on the 'net, try this gritty 1945 cult classic named by Wired magazine as one of the ten best public domain movies available for download. See if you like your femmes of the fatale variety, and your heroes on the weak and cynical side.

DOA - Classic Film Noir
Here's a film noir classic with a great twist - a man strides into the homicide division to report a murder -- his own. He's been poisoned and has only hours to live. The 1950 DOA is much, much better than the 1988 remake. Watch it online with Edmund O'Brien in the lead.

Mystery and Crime Movie Lists
Can't get enough mystery movies? Love a good crime story? You're not alone. MysteryNet.com is a fun site that covers books, TV and of course, mysteries. Here's a list of the top 50 crime and mystery movies by sub-genre.

Jim Thompson - Pulp Fiction
Maybe the best crime novelist you've never heard of, Jim Thompson's gritty pulp novels read like screenplays, and his books were made into movies again and again - like "The Grifters" and "The Killer Inside Me." His raw portraits of the criminally insane will haunt your dreams. Read the books, see the movies.