The Maltese Falcon: The Template Nobody Improved On
Every private-eye film since has been rearranging furniture Huston already placed in 1941.
Must Watch
The ones that earn their reputation.
Zodiac
No solution, no closure, two and a half hours — and it never once lets go of you.
The Third Man: the greatest entrance in film is also the best clue
A post-war mystery where the city does half the work and the answer has been in front of you the whole time.
Rear Window makes you the detective, then makes you feel bad about it
Hitchcock's cleanest premise: a man with a broken leg, a window, and a suspicion he cannot verify.