We know who/how/what/when/where... but WHY?

June 23, 2019 5:07 PM

Have there been any mystery films (not interested in books or TV shows) that are about a crime that has already been committed, and where we already know from the very start everything about the nature of the crime --- who committed it and how, etc -- so that the drama and central question of the film is simply exploring the WHY?
posted by egeanin to Media & Arts (22 answers total)

It's a while since I've seen it, but maybe M?
posted by Hal Mumkin at 5:56 PM on June 23, 2019

American Psycho?
posted by Hal Mumkin at 6:00 PM on June 23, 2019

One thing I should probably add -- I'm less interested in man hunt stories, where the perpetrator is on the run and the story is about trying to apprehend him or her. I'm looking for stories where the criminal is in custody or dead, and it's about reconstructing the "why" behind the crime. Thanks!
posted by egeanin at 6:23 PM on June 23, 2019

Do you mean movies where a killer's motive must be uncovered, or a more philosophical-leaning "what drives a person to kill"?
posted by wellifyouinsist at 6:35 PM on June 23, 2019

Just googling really, but "Catch the 'Whydunnit' Craze with The Sinner (And These 7 Other Titles)"?
posted by Wobbuffet at 6:36 PM on June 23, 2019

Wellifyouinsist: both, I think. As long as the film is focused on a particular person or crime.
posted by egeanin at 6:46 PM on June 23, 2019

Oooh I didn't even know "whydunnit" was a subgenre!
posted by egeanin at 6:47 PM on June 23, 2019

Brick
Maybe A Few Good Men?
posted by roomwithaview at 6:48 PM on June 23, 2019

Just paging through Amazon Prime looking for something to watch, I noticed they have Le Jour se lève, a classic film with this structure.
posted by Wobbuffet at 7:39 PM on June 23, 2019

we need to talk about kevin.
posted by j_curiouser at 8:17 PM on June 23, 2019

Memento, in a way.
posted by rhizome at 8:25 PM on June 23, 2019

Netflix has a few of these, they're fascinating. In particular, there's a series called "I am a killer," where you get to hear from people who have been convicted of murder.

Spoiler, first you never know if you're getting the full story from anyone because humans are fallible. And second, most people doing this sort of crime had crappy childhoods.
posted by hydra77 at 10:09 PM on June 23, 2019

There's a television show called The Sinner that is exactly this. It's a series that can be thought of as one long movie. Note that in this story the murderer herself doesn't know why she did it. She needs to examine her past memories with a therapist.
posted by xammerboy at 12:26 AM on June 24, 2019

Columbo?
posted by Samarium at 2:33 AM on June 24, 2019

Sorry, just saw you weren't interested in TV shows
posted by Samarium at 2:34 AM on June 24, 2019

I think Primal Fear could qualify.
posted by ejs at 6:07 AM on June 24, 2019

It's not a perfect match, but The Fugitive?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:24 AM on June 24, 2019

'In Cold Blood' (1967) is a classic of this genre.

'Alias Grace' mentioned in the article, maybe doesn't exactly apply, but does spend a lot of time exploring the "whys".
posted by ovvl at 7:56 AM on June 24, 2019

That's the premise of every Columbo I've ever seen. I think some of them are films - or at least film length
posted by missmagenta at 9:17 AM on June 24, 2019

You might enjoy Rashomon and similar stories, in part because they raise the question of whether there is a definitive, objective, universal "Why" for a story.
posted by alittleknowledge at 11:29 AM on June 24, 2019

Robert Altman described Gosford Park as "less a whodunnit and more a thatitwasdone."
posted by Lexica at 2:09 PM on June 24, 2019

You would probably like "Frailty," a movie directed by Bill Paxton (RIP) and starring him and Matthew McConaughey. There's a bit more to it than your suggested premise, but that's definitely part of the story.

It is about a serial killer, though, so be aware that it gets a bit dark.
posted by tacodave at 4:27 PM on June 24, 2019