Films/Chronological

A Cinematic Timeline, Plotting the History and Development of the Private Eye Film

“Movies about private eyes have always been among my favorites–they seem to be better than most other formula movies… Private eyes (in the movies, anyway) are loners in a way that defines the word. They live in dingy walkup offices, sipping bourbon from office bottles and waiting for the phone to ring…They may all be clichés, but, hell, a private eye movie without clichés wouldn’t be worth the price of admission. We don’t go to theWesterns to see cowboys riding ostriches.”
— Roger Ebert in his review of  Shaft (1971)

Byomkesh: “Do middle-class folks like us ever stand up for our country?”
Ajit: “No, we go to the movies.”
— from the Byomkesh Bakshy stories by Saradindu Bandopaddhyay

SEE ALSO:

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1908

• Nick Carter, Le roi des détectives (1908)

1909

• Les nouveaux exploits de Nick Carter (1909)
• Nick Carter: Les club des suicidés (1909; aka “The Suicide Club”)

1912

• Katchem Kate (1912, Biograph Company)
• Quincy Adams Sawyer (1912, Puritan Special Features)

1913

• Le mystère de la chambre jaune (1913, Société Française des Films Éclair)
• The Mystery of the Dover Express (1913, Edison Company)
• The Riddle of the Tin Soldier (1913, Kalem Moving Picture Company)
• The Vanishing Cracksman (1913, Edison Company)

1914

• Le parfum de la dame en noir (1914, France)
• The Heritage of Hamilton Cleek (1914, Edison Company)
• The Lone Wolf (series of films, from 1914-49)
• The Mystery of the Amsterdam Diamonds (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Fadeless Tints (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Glass Tubes (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Ladder Of Light (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Laughing Death (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Lost Stradivarius (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Octagonal Room (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Sealed Art Gallery (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Silver Snare (1914, Edison Company)
• The Mystery of the Talking Wire (1914, Edison Company)
• The Riddle of the Green Umbrella (1914, Kalem Moving Picture Company)
• 1915
• The Ivory Snuff Box (1915)
• One Million Dollars (1915, MGM)

1916

• Medicine Bend (1916, Signal Film)
• Whispering Smith (1916, Signal Film)

1918

• Boston Blackie’s Little Pal (1918, Metro)

1919

• Die Erbschaft von New York (1919, Althoff)
• Blackie’s Redemption (1919, Metro)
• The Mystery of the Yellow Room (1919, Mayflower Photoplay Company )
• The Poppy Girl’s Husband (1919, Paramount)
• The Silk-Lined Burglar (1919, Universal)

1920

• Der Todesbote (1920, Althoff)
• Der Vampyr Von St. Louis 1. Teil (1920, Althoff)

1921

• The $100,000 Kiss (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• The Amazing Partnership (1921, Stoll Pictures)
• Among The Counterfeiters (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Birds Of Prey (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• The Blackmailer’s Bluff (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Boomerang Bill (1922, Cosmopolitan Productions)
• The Crimson Clue (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• A Cry At Midnight (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Das Gasthaus von Chicago (1921, Althoff Film; aka “The Chicago Inn”)
• The Diamond Trail (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Die Apotheke des Teufels (1921, Althoff Film)
• Dodging the Law (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Erzgauner (1921, Althoff Film; aka “The Cunning Rogue”)
• The Great Opium Case (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Missing Millions (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• The Mysterious Bond Case (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Nick Carter Down East (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• The Path Of The Spendthrift (1921, Broadwell Productions; aka “The Spendthrift”)
  
• Sealed Orders (1921, Broadwell Productions)
• Who’s Guilty? (1921, Broadwell Productions)

1922

• Bulldog Drummond (1922, Astra-National)
• Der Passagier In Der Zwangsjacke (1922, Aafa-Film AG; aka “The Passenger in a Straitjacket”)
• The Face in the Fog (1922, Cosmopolitan Productions)
• Frauen, Die Die Ehe Brechen (1922, Aafa-Film AG; aka “Women and the Marriage Break”)
• A Game Of Craft (1922, Murray W. Garsson Productions)
• The Last Call (1922, Murray W. Garsson Productions)
• Missing Millions (1922, Famous Players-Lasky; Boston Blackie)
• Nur Eine Nacht (1922, Aafa-Film AG)
• Quincy Adams Sawyer (1922, Sawyer-Lubin Pictures)
• Rouletabille chez les bohémiens (1922, France)
• The Spirit Of Evil (1922, Murray W. Garsson Productions)
• Unseen Foes (1922, Murray W. Garsson Productions)

1923

• Boston Blackie (1923, Fox)
• Crooked Alley (1923, Universal)

1924

• Sherlock Jr. (1924, Buster Keaton Productions)
• Through the Dark (1924, Cosmopolitan)

1925

• Bulldog Drummond’s Third Round (1925, Astra-National)

1926

• Whispering Smith (1926, Metropolitan)

1927

• The Gorilla (1927, 20th Century-Fox)
• The Return of Boston Blackie (1927, Chadwick)
• Whispering Smith Rides (1927, Universal Pictures)

1928

• Captain Swagger (1928, Pathé Exchange)

1929

• Bulldog Drummond (1929, United Artists)
• The Canary Murder Case (1929, Paramount)
• The Framing of the Shrew (1929, Christie Film Company)
• The Greene Murder Case (1929)
• The Lady Fare (1929, Christie Film Company)
• The Melancholy Dame  (1929, Christie Film Company)
• Music Hath Harms (1929, Christie Film Company)

1930

• The Benson Murder Case (1930)
• The Bishop Murder Case (1930)
• The Gorilla (1930, Warner Brothers)
• Le mystère de la chambre jaune (1930, France)
• Roadhouse Nights (1930, USA)
• Temple Tower (1930)

1931

• City Streets (1931, Paramount)
• Dangerous Female (1931, aka “The Maltese Falcon”)
• Divorce Detective (1931)
• Flying Gold (1932, Les Films Osso)
• Le parfum de la dame en noir (1931, Les Films Osso)
• Rouletabille aviateur (1932, Les Films Osso)

1933

• The Kennel Murder Case (1933)
• The Nuisance (1933, MGM)
• Private Detective 62 (1933, Warner Brothers; aka “Man Killer”)
• Summer Lightning (1933, Herbert Wilcox Productions)

1934

• Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1934)
• The Case of the Howling Dog (1934, Warner Brothers)
• Curtain at Eight (1934, Majestic)
• The Dragon Murder Case (1934)
• Jimmy the Gent (1934, Warner Bros.; aka “Always a Gent,”  “The Heir Chaser”)
• The Return Of Bulldog Drummond (1934)
• The Thin Man (1934, MGM)
• Ticket to a Crime (1934, Beacon Productions)
• The Woman Condemned (1934, Progressive Pictures)
• Woman in the Dark (1934, RKO; aka “Woman in the Shadows”)

1935

• Bulldog Jack (1935)
• The Case of the Curious Bride (1935, Warner Brothers)
• The Case of the Lucky Legs (1935, Warner Brothers)
• The Casino Murder Case (1935)
• Crime Unlimited (1935, WarnerBrother/First National)
• Guard That Girl (1935)
• Mister Dynamite (1935, Universal Pictures)
• Secrets of Chinatown (1935, Northern Films/Commonwealth Productions; aka “The Black Robe)
• Whispering Smith Speaks (1935, Fox)

1936

• After the Thin Man (1936, MGM)
• Alibi for Murder (1936, Columbia)
• The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936, Warner Brothers)
• The Garden Murder Case (1936)
• Meet Nero Wolfe (1936, Columbia)
• Murder With Pictures (1936, Paramount Pictures)
• Muss ’em Up (1936, RKO; aka “The House of Fate”)
• Mysterious Crossing (1936, Universal; aka “Murder on the Mississippi”)
• Panic on the Air (1936, Columbia; aka “Trapped by the Wireless”)
• Satan Met a Lady (1936, Warner Brothers)
• The Scarab Murder Case (1936)
• Smart Blonde (1936, Warner Brothers)
• Women Are Trouble (1936, MGM)

1937

• The Adventurous Blonde (1937, Warner Brothers)
• Bulldog Drummond At Bay (1937)
• Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)
• Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937)
• Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge (1937)
• The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (1937, Warner Brothers)
• Fly Away Baby (1937, Warner Brothers)
• Jim Hanvey, Detective (1937, Republic)
• The League of Frightened Men (1937, Columbia)
• Murder Goes to College (1937, Paramount)
• Meet Flashgun Casey (1937, MGM; aka “Here’s Flash Casey”)
• Night of Mystery (1937, Paramount)
• Secret Agent X-9 (1937, Universal)
• The Westland Case (1937, Universal)

1938

• The Black Doll (1938, Universal)
• Blondes at Work (1938, Warner Brothers)
• Bulldog Drummond In Africa (1938)
• Bulldog Drummond’s Peril (1938)
• Convicted (1938, Columbia)
• The Lady in the Morgue (1938, Universal)
• The Last Express (1938, Universal)
• The Last Warning (1938, Universal)
• Mr. Wong, Detective (1938, Monogram)
• Romance on the Run (1938, Republic Pictures)
• The Saint in New York (1938, RKO)
• There’s Always a Woman (1938, Columbia)
• Torchy Blane in Panama (1938, Warner Brothers)
• Torchy Gets Her Man (1938, Warner Brothers)
• Trouble in Panama (1938, Warner Brothers)

1939

• Another Thin Man (1939, MGM)
• Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939)
• Bulldog Drummond’s Bride (1939)
• Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police (1939)
• Death of a Champion (1939, Paramount)
• The Gorilla (1939, 20th Century-Fox)
• It’s a Wonderful World (1939, MGM)
• Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939, Monogram)
• Mystery of Mr. Wong (1939, Monogram)
• Nick Carter, Master Detective (1939, MGM)
• Private Detective (1939, Warner Brothers)
• The Saint in London (1939, RKO)
• The Saint Strikes Back (1939, RKO)
• There’s That Woman Again (1939, Columbia)
• Too Dangerous to Live (1939, WarnerBrother/First National)
• Torchy Plays with Dynamite (1939, Warner Brothers)
• Torchy Runs For Mayor (1939, Warner Brothers)
• Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939, Warner Brothers)

1940

• Bulldog Drummond Sees It Through (1940)
• Calling Philo Vance (1940, Warner Bros.)
• Doomed to Die (1940, Monogram)
• The Fatal Hour (1940, Monogram)
• Hold That Woman (1940, PRC)
• Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940, 20th Century Fox)
• Midnight Limited (1940, Monogram)
• Phantom of Chinatown (1940, Monogram)
• Phantom Raiders (1940, MGM)
• The Saint’s Double Trouble (1940, RKO)
• The Saint Takes Over (1940, RKO)
• Sky Murder (1940, MGM)

1941

• The Big Store (1941, MGM)
• Blue, White and Perfect (1941, 20th Century Fox)
• Confessions of Boston Blackie (1941, Columbia)
• Dangerous Lady (1941, PRC)
• A Date with The Falcon (1941, RKO)
• Dressed to Kill (1941, 20th Century Fox)
• The Gay Falcon (1941, RKO)
• The Maltese Falcon (1941, Warner Brothers)
• Meet Boston Blackie (1941, Columbia)
• No Hands on the Clock (1941, Paramount)
• The Saint in Palm Springs (1941, RKO )
• Shadow of the Thin Man (1941, MGM)
• Sleepers West (1941, 20th Century Fox)
• This Man is Dangerous (1941, John Argyle Productions/Rialto Productions, aka “The Patient Vanishes” & “Death Cell”)

1942

• Alias Boston Blackie (1942, Columbia)
• Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942, Columbia)
• Eyes in the Night (1942, MGM)
• The Falcon Takes Over (1942, RKO)
• The Falcon’s Brother (1942, RKO)
• Grand Central Murder (1942, MGM)
• Just Off Broadway (1942, 20th Century Fox)
• The Living Ghost (1942; aka “A Walking Nightmare”)
• The Man Who Wouldn’t Die (1942, 20th Century Fox)
• Time to Kill (1942, 20th Century Fox)
• X Marks the Spot (1942, Republic Pictures)

1943

• After Midnight With Boston Blackie (1943, Columbia)
• The Chance of a Lifetime (1943, Columbia; see Boston Blackie)
• The Falcon Strikes Back (1943, RKO)
• The Falcon and the Co-Eds (1943, RKO)
• The Falcon in Danger (1943, RKO)
• Find the Blackmailer (1943, Warner Bros.)
• No Place for a Lady (1943, Columbia)
• The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943, RKO)
• The Saint’s Vacation (1943, RKO)

1944

• Crime by Night (1944, Warner Brothers)
• Double Indemnity (1944, Paramount)
• The Falcon in Hollywood (1944, RKO)
• The Falcon in Mexico (1944, RKO)
• The Falcon in San Francisco (1945, RKO)
• The Falcon Out West (1944, RKO)
• Leave It to the Irish (1944, Monogram)
• Make Your Own Bed (1944)
• Murder My Sweet (1944, RKO; aka “Farewell, My Lovely”)
• One Mysterious Night (1944, Columbia; see Boston Blackie)
• Shadow of Suspicion (1944, Monogram)
• The Thin Man Goes Home (1944, MGM)

1945

• Boston Blackie Booked on Suspicion (1945, Columbia)
• Boston Blackie’s Rendezvous (1945, Columbia)
• Follow That Woman (1945, Pine-Thomas Productions)
• The Hidden Eye (1945, MGM)
• Having a Wonderful Crime (1945, RKO)
• I Love a Mystery (1945, Columbia)
• Secret Agent X-9 (1945, Universal)
• The Spider (1945, Twentieth Century Fox)
• The Tiger Woman(1945, Republic)

1946

• 120, rue de la Gare (1946, Sirius)
• Accomplice (1946, PRC)
• Behind Green Lights (1946)
• The Big Sleep (1946, Warner Brothers)
• Blonde for a Day (1946, PRC)
• Boston Blackie and the Law (1946, Columbia)
• A Close Call for Boston Blackie (1946, Columbia)
• The Dark Corner (1946, 20th Century Fox)
• The Devil’s Mask (1946, Columbia)
• El misterio del cuarto amarillo (1947, Argentina)
• The Falcon’s Adventure (1946, RKO)
• The Falcon’s Alibi (1946, RKO)
• The French Key (1946, Republic)
• The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946, Warner Bros.)
• The Hat-Box Mystery (1947, Screen Art)
• The Inner Circle (1946, Republic Pictures; aka “The Twisted Circle”)
• The Killers (1946, Universal-International)
• Larceny in Her Heart (1946, PRC)
• The Last Crooked Mile (1946, Republic)
• Murder is My Business (1946, PRC)
• Mysterious Intruder (1946, Columbia)
• The Mysterious Mr. Valentine (1946, Republic)
• Passkey to Danger (1946, Republic)
• The Phantom Thief (1946, Columbia; see Boston Blackie)
• Rouletabille joue et gagne (1947, SGGC)
• The Runaround (1946)
• Send For Paul Temple (1946, Butchers)
• The Unknown (1946, Columbia)

1947

• Big Town (1947, Paramount; aka “Guilty Assignment”)
• Big Town After Dark (1947, Paramount; aka “Underworld After Dark”)
• Blackmail (1947, Republic)
• Born to Kill (1947, RKO)
• The Brasher Doubloon (1947, 20th Century Fox)
• Bulldog Drummond At Bay (1947)
• Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1947)
• Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back (1947)
• The Case of the Baby-Sitter (1947, Screen Art)
• The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947, Columbia Pictures)
• El misterio del cuarto amarillo (1947, Argentina)
• Exposed (1947, Republic)
• The Hat-Box Mystery (1947, Screen Art)
• Heartaches (1947, PRC)
• High Tide (1947, Monogram)
• I Cover Big Town (1947, Paramount; aka “I Cover the Underworld”)
• La forteresse (1947, Eagle-Lion/Québec Productions)
• The Lady in the Lake (1947, MGM)
• My Favorite Brunette (1947, Paramount)
• Out of the Past (1947, RKO)
• Philo Vance’s Gamble (1947, PRC)
• Philo Vance’s Secret Mission (1947, PRC)
• Riffraff (1947, RKO; aka “Riff-Raff”)
• Song of the Thin Man (1947, MGM)
• Three on a Ticket (1947, PRC)
• Too Many Winners (1947, PRC)
• Whispering City (1947, Eagle-Lion/Québec Productions)

1948

• 13 Lead Soldiers (1948)
• Appointment with Murder (1948, Film Classics)
• Behind Locked Doors (1948, Aro Productions/Eagle-Lion Films)
• Big Town Scandal (1948, Paramount; aka “Underworld Scandal”)
• Calling Paul Temple (1948)
• Catalina Interlude (1948, Paramount Pictures)
• The Challenge (1948)
• The Cobra Strikes (1948, Eagle-Lion Films)
• Cover Up (1948, United Artists)
• Dick Barton, Special Agent (1948, Exclusive Films)
• The Devil’s Cargo (1948, Film Classics)
• Incident (1948, Monogram)
• I Love Trouble (1948, Columbia)
• I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes (1948, Monogram)
• Mystery in Mexico (1948, RKO)
• No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948)
• Rouletabille contre la dame de pique (1948,  Union Française de Production Cinématographique)
• Trapped By Boston Blackie (1948, Columbia)
• Uneasy Terms (1948, British Pathe)
• Whispering Smith (1948, Paramount)

1949

• Boston Blackie’s Chinese Venture (1949, Columbia)
• Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949, Exclusive Films)
• The Lucky Stiff (1949)
• Le mystère de la chambre jaune (1949, Alcina)
• Le parfum de la dame en noir (1949, Alcina)
• Love Happy (1949, United Artists)
• Manhandled (1949, Paramount)
• Search for Danger (1949, Film Classics)
• Top ‘o the Morning (1949, Paramount)
• Who Done It? (1949, Columbia Pictures)

1950

• Cronaca di un amore (1950, Villani Film; aka “Story of a Love Affair”)
• Dick Barton at Bay (1950, Exclusive Films)
• Guilty Bystander (1950, Film Classics)
• Mrs. O’Malley and Mr. Malone (1950, MGM)
• Paul Temple Returns (1950, Nettlefold Films)
• Paul Temple’s Triumph (1950, Butchers/Nettlefold Films)

1951

• Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951, Universal)
• Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951, MGM)
• Danger Zone (1951, Spartan Productions; aka “Pier of Peril”)
• The Fat Man (1951, Universal)
• Insurance Investigator (1951, Republic)
• La strada buia (1951, Republic; aka “Fugitive Lady”)
• Pier 23 (1951, Spartan Productions; aka “Flesh and Leather”)
• Roadblock (1951, RKO)
• Roaring City (1951, Spartan Productions)
• Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard (1951, Hammer-Lesser/RKO; aka “Whispering Smith Hits London,” “Whispering Smith Investigates”)
• You Never Can Tell (1951, Universal; aka “You Never Know)

1952

• The Assassin (1952, British Film-Makers; aka “Venetian Bird”)
• Bulldog Drummond (1952)
• Venetian Bird (1952, British Film-Makers; aka “The Assassin”)

1953

• I, the Jury (1953, Parklane Productions)
• Park Plaza 605 (1953, A&B Productions; aka “Norman Conquest”)
• Private Eyes (1953, Monogram Pictures)
• Plunder of the Sun (1953, Warner Brothers)
• The Saint’s Return (1953, RKO; aka “The Saint’s Girl Friday”)

1954

• A toi de jouer Callaghan (1954, France)
• The Delavine Affair (1954, Croydon)
• La Nuit d’Austerlitz (1954, Telefilm)
• Loophole (1954, Allied Artists)
• Meet Mr. Callaghan (1954, British Eros)
• Plus de whiskey pour Callaghan (1954, France)
• World for Ransom (1954, Plaza Productions)

1955

• The End of the Affair (1955, Corondo Productions)
• Kiss Me Deadly (1955, Parklane Productions)
• Murder on Approval (1955, RKO)
• One Jump Ahead (1955, Kenilworth)

1956

• Behind the Headlines (1956, Kenilworth)
• Breakaway (1956, RKO)
• The Come-On (1956, Allied Artists)
• Passport to Treason (1956)
• Time Table (1956, United Artists)
• Who Done It? (1956, Ealing Studios)

1957

• The Big Boodle (1957, United Artists)
• Love in the Afternoon (1957, Allied Artists Pictures Corporation)
• Murder Reported (1957, Fortress)
• My Gun Is Quick (1957, United Artists)

1958

• The Man Inside (1958, Warwick)
• Vertigo (1958, Paramount)

1959

• Enigme aux Folies-Bergeres (1959)
• Nick Knatterton Abenteuer: Der Raub Der Gloria Nylon (1959, Deutsche Film Hansa)

1960

• Callaghan remet ça (1960, France)
• Calling Mr. Callaghan (1960, Atlantis)
• Le Saint mène la danse (1960, Films Du Cyclope/Lux Films [France]; aka “The Dance of Death”)
• Le Saint prend l’affut (1960, Intermondie Prods. [France]; aka “The Saint Against Agent 001”)

1961

• Three Blondes in His Life (1961)
• Twenty Plus Two (1961)

1962

• It’s Only Money (1962, Paramount)
• Secret File: Hollywood (1962, Crown International)

1963

• The Girl Hunters (1963, Fellane)

1964

• Code 7, Victim 5 (1964, Columbia Pictures)

1966

• Harper (1966, Warner Brothers)

1967

• Baisers volés (1968;  “Stolen Kisses)
• Chiriyakhana (1967, Star Productions; aka “The Zoo”)
• Deadlier Than The Male (1967)
• Gunn (1967, Paramount)
• The Money Jungle (1967)
• Tony Rome (1967, 20th Century Fox)

1968

• Baisers volés (1968, Les Films du Carrosse/Les Productions Artistes Associés; aka “Stolen Kisses”)
• The Detective (1968, Fox)
• The Fiction-Makers (1968, ITC Television)
• Lady In Cement (1968, 20th Century Fox)
• Rogue’s Gallery (1968, Paramount)
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1968, United Artists)

1969

• Kiss Kiss Kill Kill (1969)
• Marlowe (1969, MGM)
• P.J. (1968, Universal)
• Some Girls Do (1969)
• Vendetta for the Saint (1969, ITC Television)

1970

• Cotton Comes To Harlem (1970)
• Darker Than Amber (1970, National General)
• Trader Hornee (1970, Entertainment Ventures Inc)

1971

• Body Fever (1971, Republic Pictures)
• Deadlocked (1971, Republic Pictures)
• The Grissom Gang (1971)
• Klute (1971, Warner Brothers)
• The Last Original B Movie (1971, Republic Pictures)
• Shaft (1971, MGM)
• Supercool (1971, Republic Pictures)

1972

• Chandler (1972, MGM)
• Come Back, Charleston Blue (1972)
• Der Fall (1972, Europa Film; aka “the Fall”)
• The Gore Gore Girls (1972, Lewis Motion Picture Enterprises)
• Gumshoe (1972, Memorial Enterprises)
• Hickey and Boggs (1972, United Artists)
• The Public Eye (1972, Universal)
• Shaft’s Big Score! (1972, MGM)
• Tatort – Tote Taube in der Beethovenstrasse (1972, German; aka “Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street”)
• Trouble Man (1972, 20th Century Fox/JDFB Productions)

1973

• The Long Goodbye (1973, United Artists)
• Shaft in Africa (1973, MGM)
• Shamus (1973, Columbia; aka “Passion For Danger”)

1974

• Black Eye (1974, Warner Bros.)
• Chinatown (1974, Paramount)
• The Conversation (1974, Paramount)
• The Midnight Man (1974, Universal Pictures)
• Shajarur Kanta (1974, Star Productions)
• Truck Turner (1974, American International)

1975

• The Black Bird (1975, Columbia)
• Death Journey (1975)
• Farewell, My Lovely (1975, EK Corporation/ITC)
• The Kill (1975, Arbee/New World Video)
• Le jeu avec le feu (1975, Arcadie Productions/Madeleine Films/Cinecompany)
• The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975, Strathmore Productions)
• Night Moves (1975, Warner Brothers)
• Peeper (1975, Twentieth Century-Fox; aka “Fat Chance”)
• Sheba, Baby (1975, American-International)
• The Yakuza (1975, Warner Brothers; aka “The Brotherhood of the Yakuza”)

1976

• The Drowning Pool (1976, Warner Brothers)
• Murder By Death (1976, Columbia TriStar)
• No Way Back (1976)
• St. Ives (1976, Warner Brothers)
• Tatuaje (1976, Profilmar/Spain)

1977

• Eruption (1977, Cal Vista)
• La nuit de Saint-Germain-des-Pres (1977, Filmologies)
• The Late Show (1977, Warner Brothers)
• Poliziotto senza paura (1977; aka “Magnum Cop,” “Fatal Charm”)
• Skip Tracer (1977, Highlight Productions; aka “Deadly Business”)

1978

• Adéla Jeste Nevecerela (1978, Czechoslovakia)
• The Big Fix (1978, Universal)
• The Big Sleep (1978, Winkast)
• Blind Rage (1978)
• The Cheap Detective (1978, Columbia/EMI)
• Death on the Nile (1978, Mersham Productions)
• Fearless (1978, Italian)

1979

• Écoute voir… (1979, France)
• Sunburn (1979, Paramount)
• The Tattoo Connection (1979, Hong Kong)

1980

• Cheaper to Keep Her (1980, Regal Productions/American Cinema)
• The Hunter (1980, Paramount /Rastar Pictures)
• The Man With Bogart’s Face (1980, Fox; aka “Sam Marlow, Private Eye”)
• The Saint and the Brave Goose (1980, ITC Television; aka “Vanishing Point”)
• Tom Horn (1980, Warner Bros.)

1981

• La chèvre (1981, Gaumont/France)
• Pour la peau d’un flic (1981, Adel Productions; aka “To Kill a Cop,” “For a Cop’s Hide,” “Whirlpool”)
  (1981, Adel Productions)
• They All Laughed (1981, MGM)
• Yokohama BJ Blues (1981, Central Arts/ Toei Films)

1982

• Asesinato en el comité central (1982, Spain)
• Blade Runner (1982, Warner Brothers)
• Chan is Missing (1982, New Yorker Films/Wayne Wang Productions)
• Cosa fácil (1982, Conacite Dos)
• Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982, Universal)
• Días de combate (1982, Conacite Dos)
• I Know That You Know That I Know (1982, Italian)
• I, the Jury (1982, Warner Brothers)
• Io so che tu sai che io so (1982, Scena Film; aka “I Know That You Know That I Know”)
• It’s Called Murder, Baby (1982, Lightning Video)
• The Last Fight (1982, Best Film & Video)
• Nestor Burma, detective en choc (1982, Zenith)
• An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1982, Boyd’s/Castle Hill)

1983

• Dixie Ray, Hollywood Star (1983)
• Hammett (1983, Orion Pictures/Warner Brothers)
• Mortelle Randonnèe (1983; in French)
• Nick Danger in the Case of the Missing Yolks (1983, Nesmith Enterprises)

1984

• Against All Odds (1984, Columbia)
• City Heat (1984, Warner Bros.)
• The Naked Face (1984, Cannon)
• Polar (1984, Les Films Noirs/France 3;)

1985

• Blood Simple (1985, Foxton Entertainment/River Road)
• Deadly Passion (1985, Lightning Video)
• Detectives Inc. (1985, Shamus Productions)
• The Empty Beach (1985, Jethro Films)
• Fletch (1985, Universal)
• Foxtrap (1985)
• Hollywood Harry (1985, Starquilt)
• Jagged Edge (1985)

1986

• Armed Response (1986, Cinetel)
• Confidential (1986, Brightstar)
• Detective School Dropouts (1986)
• Eight Million Ways to Die (1986, Producer Sales Organisation)

1987

• Adventures of a Private Eye (1987)
• Angel Heart (1987, TriStar)
• Deadly Illusion (1987, Pound Ridge Films; aka “Love You to Death”)
• Herencia maldita (1987; aka “Algunas nubes”)
• The Squeeze (1987, TriStar)

1988

• Diamond’s Edge (1988, Red Rooster; akaA “Just Ask For Diamond”)
• Die Hard (1988, Fox)
• Going Undercover (1988, Miramax)
• Gotham (1988, Showtime)
• Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988, Ventura)
• Les Rats de Montsouris (1988, Telefilm)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988, Touchstone Pictures)
• Yellow Pages (1988, Miramax)

1989

• Fletch Lives (1989, Universal)
• From Hollywood to Deadwood (1989, Island Pictures)
• Kill Me Again (1989, MGM)
• L.A. Bounty (1989, US)
• Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989)

1990

• The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990, 20th Century Fox)
• Dan Turner (1990, Fries Entertainment; aka “The Raven Red Kiss-off))
• Dead Women in Lingerie (1990, Curb Esquire Films)
• Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990, Fox)
• Everybody Wins (1990, Orion Pictures)
• Los mares del sur (1990, Cyrkfilms/I.C.C./Spain)
• Love at Large (1990, Orion)
• Presumed Innocent (1990, Warner Bros.)
• The Raven Red Kiss-Off (1990, Fries Entertainment)
• The Two Jakes (1990, Paramount)
• Wild At Heart (1990)

1991

• Dead Again (1991, Paramount)
• F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion (1991, Orion)
• The Last Boy Scout (1991, Geffen Pictures)
• Living to Die (1991, Trinity)
• Pure Luck (1991, Universal)
• The Resurrected (1991, Scotti Bros./Borde/Raich; aka “Shatterbrain”)
• Shattered (1991, MGM)
• Total Exposure (1991, Republic)
• Tu ying dang an (1991, Betaview Film/Hong Kong; aka “Mission Kill”)
• V.I. Warshawski (1991, Hollywood Pictures)

1992

• Beyond Justice (1992, Reteitalia)
• The Bodyguard (1992)
• Honeymoon in Vegas (1992, MGM)
• Happy Birthday, Turke! (1992)
• The Public Eye (1992, Universal)
• South Beach (1992, Po’ Boy Productions)
• Under Suspicion (1992, Columbia)

1993

• Backstreet Justice (1993)
• City Hunter (1993, golden Harvest)
• Little Miss Millions (1993, New Horizons; aka “Home for Christmas”)
• Raw Justice (1993, West Side Studios)
• The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1993, Film Detective Office/For Life Records Inc./Shutter Pictures)
• Sunset Grill (1993)
• Waga jinsei saiaku no toki (1993, Film Detective Office/For Life Records Inc./Shutter Pictures)

1994

• Amorosos fantasmas (1994, Televicine S.A. de C.V.)
• Clean Slate (1994)
• Días de combate (1994, Televicine S.A. de C.V.)
• Harukana jidai no kaidan o(1994 , Japan; aka “Stairway to the Distant Past”)
• Ego Trip (1994, Canadian; aka “Ride Me”)
• A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994)
• The Private Eye Blues (1994, Hong Kong)
• Stairway to the Distant Past (1994, Japan)

1995

• Algunas nubes (1995, Televicine S.A. de C.V.)
• Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
• Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995, Fox)
• Guns and Lipstick (1995)
• In the Mouth of Madness (1995, New Line Cinema)
• Playback (1995 Precious/Playboy)
• Rough Magic (1995)
• Umihoozuki (1995, Japan/Taiwan; aka “The Breath”)

1996

• Asylum (1996)
• The Big Fall (1996, PM Entertainment Group)
• Bordello of Blood (1996, Crypt Keeper Pictures)
• Heaven’s Prisoners (1996, New Line)
• The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996, Forge/New Line Cinema)
• An Occasional Hell (1996, Greenlight Productions)
• Tales from the Crypt: Bordello of Blood (1996)
• Wana (1996, Japan; aka “The Trap”)

1997

• The Big Empty (1997)
• Catherine’s Grove (1997, High Fliers)
• La Conciergerie (1997, Canadian, aka “The Haven”)
• Fatal Pursuit (1997, Crossroads Entertainment)
• Hollywood Confidential (1997, Fox)
• The Saint (1997, Paramount)

1998

• À Vendre (1998, Canal+; aka “For Sale”)
• The Big Lebowski (1998, Working Title Films)
• Brown’s Requiem (1998, Lions Gate)
• Dirty Work (1998, MGM/UA)
• Divorcing Jack (1998, Scala Productions)
• A Gun, A Car, A Blonde (1998)
• Twilight (1998, Paramount)
• Where’s Marlowe? (1998, Paramount)
• Zero Effect (1998, Castle Rock)

1999

• 8MM (1999, Columbia)
• Kindan no Ai (1999, Japan; aka “Bondage House”)
• Le Dernier souffle (1999, Canada; aka “Dead End”)
• The End of the Affair (1999, Columbia)
• The Lost Son (1999, Columbia Tristar/United International)
• Love Walked In (1999, TriStar)
• Payback (1999, Paramount)
• The Thomas Crown Affair (1999, United Artists)
• Tick Tock (2000, aka “A Friend to Die For)

2000

• Charlie’s Angels (2000, Columbia)
• The Eye (2000 , Seville Pictures)
• Frozen With Fear (2000, Milagro Films)
• Memento (2000, I Remember/Newmarket Capital Group/Team Todd)
• The Monkey’s Mask (2000, Arenafilm/Asmik Ace Entertainment/Canal+et al)
• The Right Temptation (2000, Columbia)
• Shaft (2000, Paramount)
• Tokyo Raiders (2000)
• Trixie (2000, Pandora Cinema/Sandcastle 5 Productions)

2001

• Asesinato en el Meneo (2001; aka “Murder at El Meneo”)
• Camouflage (2001, Camouflage/Interlight)
• The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001, Dreamworks)
• Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku No Tobira (2001, Columbia; aka “Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) (2001, Columbia)
• Russian Doll (2001, Beyond Films/Screen Artists — Australia)
• Tengoku No Tobira (2001, Columbia)

2002

• Bellini e a esfinge (2002; aka “Bellini and the Sphinx”)
• Blood Work (2002, Warner Bros.)
• Frank McKlusky, C.I. (2002, Touchstone)
• Le loup de la côte ouest (2002, France)
• Nick Knatterton–Der Film (2002)
• On the Edge (2002)
• Wicked Temptations (2002; MRG Entertainment; aka “Sex, Secrets and Lies 2”)

2003

• The Accidental Detective (2003)
• Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003, Columbia)
• The Singing Detective (2003, Haft Entertainment/Icon Entertainment)
• A Matter of Principal (2003, Another Level Inc.)
• Mazan Filip (2003, Silver Screen; aka “Smart Philip”)
• The Mystery of the Yellow Room (2003, Why Not Productions)

2004

• Al Roach, Private Insectigator (2004, Turner Classic Movies)
• A Killer Within (2004, Fireside Entertainment)
• Looking for Kitty (2004, Marlboro Road Gang)
• Munich Mambo (2004)
• The Overlookers (2004, Overlook Terrace Productions)
• Pulp Fiction Art: Cheap Thrills & Painted Nightmares (2005 documentary)
• Silver City (2004, Silver City Films Inc./Anarchist’s Convention Films)
• Vares (2004; “Vares, Private Eye”)

2005

• Brick (2005, Bergman Lustig Productions)
• The Cutter (2005, Sony Pictures)
• Darwin Awards (2005, 3 Ring Circus Films)
• I Know What You Need (2005, Starving Dogs Productions)
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005, Warner Bros.)
• Le parfum de la dame en noir (2005, Why Not Productions)
• A Little Trip to Heaven (2005, Blueeyes Productions/Pink Productions/Palomar)

2006

• Hollywoodland (2006, Focus Features/Miramax)

2007

• 2 Minutes Later (2007, 2ML Productions)
• C+ Detective (2007, Universe Entertainment; aka “The Detective”)
• Die drei??? Das geheimnid der geisterinsel (2007; aka “The Three Investigators & the Secret of Skeleton Island”)
• Fog City Nocturne (2007, Kelp Entertainment)
• Gone Baby Gone (2007, Miramax; aka “The Smiling Man”)
• Live Free or Die Hard (2007, Fox)
• Michael Clayton (2007)
• Nancy Drew (2007, Warner Brothers)
• Nymphs Anonymous (2007)
• The Smiling Man (2007, Kelp Entertainment; aka “Fog City Nocturne”)
• Zen Noir (2007, Dreaming Dog Entertainment/Zenmovie)

2008

• Appaloosa (2008, CBS)
• Bellini e o demonio (2008; aka “Bellini and the Devil”)
• The Caller (2008, Belladonna Productions)
• Cold Play (2008, Morin/Andrews Productions)
• Dogberry and Bob: Private Investigators (2008, Sixty6Media Film)
• Xenobites (2008, Wild Dogs Production)

2009

• Die drei??? das verfluchte schloss (2009; aka “The Three Investigators & the Secret of Terror Castle”)
• Give ’em Hell, Malone (2009, National Entertainment Media)
• I Come with the Rain (2009)
• Flickan som lekte med elden (2009, Yellow Bird/Nordisk Film and TV)
• In the Electric Mist (2009; Ithaca Pictures/Little Bear)
• The Last Lullaby (2009, Chaillot Films/Timbergrove Entertainment)
• Lonely Street (2009, Echo Bridge Home Entertainment)
• Luftslottet som sprängdes (2009, Yellow Bird/Nordisk Film and TV)
• Magno Mainak (2009, New Wave Communications)
• Män som hatar kvinnor (2009, Yellow Bird/Nordisk Film and TV)
• The Missing Person (2009, 7th Floor)
• The Scratch (2009, Maverick Entertainment Group)

2010

• B+ Detective (2010, Universe Entertainment; aka “The Detective II”)
• The Big Bang (2010; Big Bang Productions)
• Byomkesh Bakshi (2010, RP Techvision)
• The Jack of Spades (2010)
• Jasper (2010, NHProductions)
• La herencia Valdemar (2010, aka “The Valdemar Legacy”)
• La herencia Valdemar II: La Sombra Prohibida (2010, aka “The Valdemar LegacyII: The Forbidden Shadow”)
• Lowlifes (2010)

2011

• Cat Run (2011, Lleju Productions)
• City Hunter (2011)
• Dead of Night (2011, Fox/Platinum Studios; aka “Dylan Dog”)
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011, MGM)
• The Lincoln Lawyer (2011, Lionsgate)
• One for the Money (2011, Lakeshore/Sidney Kimmel Entertainment/Lionsgate)

2012

• Abar Byomkesh (2012, DAG Creative Media)
• Jack Reacher (2012, Paramount)
• Omertà (2012)

2013

• Broken City (2013, 20th Century Fox)
• Detektiv Downs (2013, Norway)
• A Good Day to Die Hard (2013, Fox)
• Max Anderson, Private Eye (2013, Bad Atom)
• Mike Case: The Big Kiss-Off (2013, Vagabond Entertainment)
• Parker (2013, Filmdistrict)
• Satyanweshi (2013, Shree Venkatesh Films)
• So Undercover (2013)

2014

• Byomkesh Phire Elo (2014, Anjan Dutt Productions/RP Techvision)
• Cat Run 2 (2014, Lleju Productions)
• Cold in July (2014, Backup Media)
• Doorbeen (2014, Saikat Mitra)
• The Equalizer (2014, Columbia Pictures)
• Inherent Vice (2014, Warner Bros.)
• No Clue (2014, Sparrow Media)
• Out to Kill (2014, Guest House Films)
• True Love (2014)
• Veronica Mars (2014, Warner Bros Digital/Sppondoolie Productions)
• A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014, Universal)

2015

• Byomkesh Bakshi (2015, Anjan Dutt Productions & RP Techvision)
• Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015, YRF/Dibakar Banerjee Productions)
• Dick Hopper: Private Eye (2015)
• Har Har Byomkesh (2015, SVF Entertainment & Surinder Films)
• The Last Case of August T. Harrison (2015)
• The Little Sister (2015, Brooklyn Multimedia)
• Shajarur Kanta (2015, Angel Digital & Macneill Media)

2016

• Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana (2016, RP Techvision)
• Byomkesh Pawrbo (2016, Shree Venkatesh Films/Surinder Films)
• Hail, Caesar! (2016, Universal)
• Never Go Back (2016, Paramount)
• The Nice Guys (2016, Silver Pictures)
• Too Late (2016, Vanishing Angle/Foe Killer Films)
• Umi yori mo mada fukaku (2016, GAGA; aka “After the Storm“)

2017

• Blade Runner 2049 (2017, Columbia)
• Budapest Noir (2017, Pioneer Pictures)
• Byomkesh O Agnibaan (2017, R.P. Techvision/Eskay Movies)
• City of Tiny Lights (2017, BBC Films)
• Eddy Deco (2017, Helix Films)
• K: Secret Eye (2017)
• Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017, Voltage Pictures)
• Reflections of a Private Eye (2017, Deep Fried Noir)
• Small Town Crime (2017, 6 Foot Films)
• Suburbicon (2017, Paramount)
• Trouble is My Business (2017, Lumen Actus)
• You Were Never Really Here (2017, Film 4/BFI/Why Not)

2018

• The Accidental Detective 2: In Action (2018)
• Biday Byomkesh (2018, Shree Venkatesh Films)
• The Big Frozen Gumshoe (2018, Very Serious Films)
• Byomkesh Gotro (2018, Shree Venkatesh Films)
• The Equalizer 2 (2018, Columbia)
• The Girl in the Spider’s Web (2018, MGM)
• Help! My Gumshoe is an Idiot! (2018, Gumshoe Productions)

2019

• Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya (2019, Swadharm Entertainment)
• City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes (2019)
• Colourblind (2019, NH Productions)
• Da zhen shen huo sang (2019; China; aka “The Great Detective”)
• Knives Out (2019, Lionsgate)
• Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2019, Every Cloud Productions)
• Motherless Brooklyn (2019, Warner Bros.)
• The Poison Rose (2019, JTP Films/March On Productions/Millennium Media/Poison Rose Productions)
• Satyanweshi Byomkesh (2019, Green Touch Entertainment)
• Shaft (2019, Warner Bros)

2020

• The Kid Detective (2020, Woods Entertainment & JoBro Productions & Film Finance)
• Scoob! (2020, Warner Bros)

2021

• Bad Detectives (2021; aka “Year of the Detectives”)
• Blade Runner 2049 (2021, Columbia)
• Death on the Nile (2021, 20th Century Studios)
• Ramsey: The Vandy Case (2021)
• Respite (2021)
• Silent Hours (2021, Gallery Pictures)
• Tamjung Hong Gil-dong: Sarajin ma-eul (2021; aka “The Phantom Detective)

2022

• Byomkesh Hatyamancha (2022, Shree Venkatesh Films)
• Last Looks (2022, Head Gear/MadRiver/Metrol Technology/Romulus/Waldo Films)
• Confess, Fletch (2022, Miramax)
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022, T Street/Netflix)
• L’autre Laurens (2023, France; aka “The Other Laurens”)
• Marlowe (2022, Open Road/Briarcliff Entertainment)

2023

• Byomkesh O Durgo Rahasya (2023, Dev Entertainment/Shadow Films/Zeal Z)
• Barber (2023, Fubar)

2024

• Blue Christmas (2024, Dreampost Media)
• The Fall Guy (2024, Universal Pictures)
• The Private Eye (2024, Illusion Islands)
• Wolfs (2024, AppleTV+)

2025

• Honey Don’t (2025, Focus Features/Working Title Films)

FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS

• Private Eye Films: An Alphabetical Listing
• TV Eyes: The Made-For-Television Movies

Respectfully compiled by Kevin Burton Smith.