Mystery Reviews and Features | Little White Lies

Genre Mystery

Two armed military or security personnel in combat gear, carrying assault rifles, standing in a dimly lit interior room.
Review

The Accountant 2 review – tonally wild and uneven but oddly sweet

by Hannah Strong

Ben Affleck­’s autis­tic hit­man with a gift for num­bers returns in Gavin O’Con­nor’s mis­matched action thriller.

2
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Silhouette of adult and child against blurred lights
Review

The Rule Of Jenny Pen review – a stand-out ageing horror

by Billie Walker

A for­mer judge finds him­self con­fined to a nurs­ing home where a sin­is­ter pup­pet rules the roost in James Ashcroft’s effec­tive horror.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Teddy bear in red hat and blue jacket against mountainous backdrop.
Review

Paddington in Peru review – a very well-executed threequel

by David Jenkins

It’s three for three in the beloved bear fran­chise, as our mar­malade-scoff­ing scamp heads off for an adven­ture in his South Amer­i­can homeland.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Close-up of a woman with blonde hair wearing a blue sequined top, crying with tears running down her face.
Review

Smile 2 review – this is going to ruin the tour

by Hannah Strong

Park­er Finn fol­lows up his 2022 smash with a suit­ably sil­ly sequel, in which a pop star becomes the lat­est vic­tim of the grin­ning demon who dri­ves vic­tims to suicide.

3
Anticipation
3
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect
Close-up of a woman's face, with vibrant orange and red lighting casting a dramatic glow on her features.
Review

Red Rooms review – a claustrophobic tech-tinged nightmare

by Hannah Strong

Pas­cal Plante’s haunt­ing dra­ma exam­ines the dark real­i­ty of the true crime indus­tri­al com­plex in ele­gant and aus­tere fashion.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a man and a woman, embrace in a cosy, dimly lit room with a painting on the wall and a table with plates of food.
Review

Only the River Flows review – a spellbinding nightmare

by Josh Slater-Williams

A detec­tive is haunt­ed by a mur­der case he can’t crack in Wei Shu­jun’s unset­tling crime drama.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Two people, a woman and a man, sitting on a sofa in a living room. The woman wears a light-coloured top and the man wears a dark top.
Review

Sleep review – Jason Yu has the juice

by Josh Slater-Williams

A new­ly­wed cou­ple are haunt­ed by sleep­less nights in Jason Yu’s con­fi­dent, dark­ly humor­ous debut feature.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A young woman with dark hair wearing a denim jacket and holding a map in a rural setting.
Review

Trenque Lauquen review – compulsive and completely absorbing

by David Jenkins

One of 2023’s most aston­ish­ing films comes in the form of a two-part opus about a woman drawn to mys­tery that takes a few cues from Twin Peaks.

4
Anticipation
5
Enjoyment
5
In Retrospect
Two women in red and black outfits conversing, with a man in the background.
Review

Eileen review – an impressively crafted noir

by Katherine McLaughlin

A shy young prison guard devel­ops an infat­u­a­tion with her work­place’s new psy­chi­a­trist in William Oldroy­d’s twisty new thriller.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
Person in floral dress holding cake in ornate hallway.
Review

The Eternal Daughter review – double your Tilda, double your pleasure

by Catherine Bray

Til­da Swin­ton plays both moth­er and daugh­ter in Joan­na Hog­g’s eerie and effec­tive explo­ration of par­ent-child relationships.

4
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
4
In Retrospect
A man in a black suit stands on a ladder in a dimly lit room with red walls.
Review

Reptile review – less “whodunit”, more “who cares?”

by Charles Bramesco

Music video main­stay Grant Singer makes the leap to fea­tures with this real estate-based detec­tive thriller, but the results are dis­ap­point­ing­ly underwhelming.

3
Anticipation
2
Enjoyment
2
In Retrospect
Eerie, sinister-looking puppet with red bowtie and tag, in a dark, moody setting.
Review

Saw X review – America’s most blood-thirsty civil engineer is back

by Hannah Strong

Tobin Bell returns as the twist­ed killer Jig­saw in this back-to-basics sequel, which sees him exact revenge on a group of med­ical scam­mers prey­ing on the ter­mi­nal­ly ill.

3
Anticipation
4
Enjoyment
3
In Retrospect