The Top 10 Best Movie Detectives
Stars & Popcorn and the Mystery of the Best Movie Detectives.
This week’s top 10 list is dedicated to the greatest movie detectives of all time. Sitting down and starting on this list made me realize just how daunting a task it would be. That’s why I decided to put a few ground rules into effect for it. 1) The detectives must be either amateurs or private investigators. No current cops, FBI agents, etc allowed (although former law enforcement is acceptable). Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll get to the top 10 lists for them at some point. 2) The characters must appear in at least one theatrically released film 3) The characters must be live-action. So, no cartoon or anime characters. 4) The characters have to be from movies that center around a mystery, not just stopping a bad guy. So, no spies, vigilantes, or superheroes. It might seem like there are a lot of restrictions on this list, but there were still dozens and dozens of characters that qualified. Fear not though, because I’ve cracked the case of who the best movie detectives are of all time!
10. Eddie Valiant- Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Now, I said no cartoon movie detectives on this list. I didn’t say anything about detectives that HELPED cartoons. Who Framed Roger Rabbit takes place in a bizarre alternate reality in which cartoons exist out in the real world. Eddie Valiant is a private investigator that used to specialize in helping toons. That is until one killed his brother by dropping a piano on him. Now, he hates them with a burning passion. So, you can imagine how reluctant he is to get involved in a case involving the most famous toon of all time, Roger Rabbit. Against his better judgment, he takes the case and discovers a conspiracy designed to rid the city of all toons. With no one to turn to, it’s up to a detective who hates toons to save them all. Luckily, Eddie is one of the best movie detectives of all time, so he’s up for the zanny case.
9. Brendan Frye- Brick
Some movie detectives aren’t in it for the money. High scholar Brendan Frye is living a lonely existence after being dumped by his girlfriend, Emily. That is until he gets a mysterious call from a terrified Emily. Hoping to come to her rescue, he goes searching through the shadowy underworld of his high school only to find her dead. Driven by a need to see justice for her, he doubles his efforts to find who is responsible for her death and bring them to the authorities. Along the way, Brandon meets a slew of eccentric characters based on classic noir tropes and gets in plenty of trouble as his past collides with his present. Still, Brendan refuses to stay down or back off even if it might cost him his life. Despite his age, Brendan is one of the best investigators I’ve ever seen and I absolutely loved everything about him and Brick.
8. Veronica Mars- Veronica Mars
Thankfully, Kickstarter managed to make it possible for me to include one of my favorite detectives of all time on this list. Veronica Mars was a high school detective with a habit of sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. It’s a skill she learned from her father, a former sheriff turned private eye. Luckily, Veronica has a good head on her shoulders and plenty of friends to help bail her out of trouble. What earns her a spot on this list is the fact that she refuses to back down and follows the clues no matter where they lead (even if she doesn’t like it). Like so many other great movie detectives, she’s got a smart mouth that gets her in almost as much trouble as her cases do. Still, when you’re in trouble, there’s no one better in Neptune, California to turn to.
7. John Shaft- The Shaft Franchise
I’ll admit that most of the cases that Shaft has gotten over the years aren’t exactly real head-scratchers. However, that doesn’t negate the fact that he’s one of the most iconic and memorable characters to come out of the blaxploitation era of cinema. Hell, there are still Shaft movies hitting theaters nearly fifty years after the original. When it comes to movie detectives, Shaft easily has the most attitude of them all. After all, he’s one bad mother… Well, you know the rest. He’s a character that was created to fight back at racism and be a hero to black moviegoers at a time when you didn’t have a lot of films featuring black protagonists. His combination of street smarts and tenacity earns him a respectable spot on this list.
6. Beniot Blanc- Knives Out
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a truly great movie detective on the big screen. Another Rain Johnson creation earns a spot on this list as Daniel Craig comes dangerously close to stealing the show in Knives Out. With his southern drawl and gentlemanly demeanor, at first glance, Beniot Blanc doesn’t seem like a threat to criminal “masterminds.” However, he is a shrewd and cunning individual with an interesting approach to solving crimes. He takes in all the facts and predicts the “curve” of events so that he can end up at the right time in exactly the right place for the answer to fall right at his feet. It might seem like he’s relying on luck, but his calculating mind and intuition make him more than a force to be reckoned with. Personally, I hope Johnson realizes just what an incredible character he’s created and gives us another Blanc mystery in the future.