Some of the greatest movies ever made have been inspired by mystery and crime novels. One has only to think of Howard Hawks’ adaptation of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, John Huston’s take on Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon or Billy Wilder’s rendition of James M. Cain’s Double Indemnity. And I’ll include Carol Reed’s The Third Man in this list, even if Graham Greene’s novella was published after the movie came out (he was writing the screenplay at the same time).  In honour of TIFF, here are some lesser known and foreign films worth checking out (almost all are available on DVD).

If you like film noir, then rent 1948’s The Big Clock, directed by John Farrow, based on the novel by Kenneth Fearing in which our main character is ordered to find the main suspect in a murder case – which turns out to be himself.  Or from the great German director Fritz Lang, there is 1941’s Man Hunt based on the novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household in which a man accused of an attempted assassination on Hitler is hunted down by the Germans in a dark and foggy London. 

Many French directors have played homage to American noir and a favourite is Francois Truffault’s Shoot the Piano Player based on the novel by David Goodis. It’s a stylish spoof on the gangster movie with a great performance from crooner Charles Aznavour. The French are also great at adapting thrillers.  There’s a terrific cast including Kristin Scott Thomas, in Guillame Canet’s adaptation of Harlan Coben’s Tell No One (look for the author to make a tiny cameo in the film). And if you liked Antony Minghella’s version of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, then you must watch René Clément’s 1960 version Plein Soleil (Purple Noon is the English title), starring Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet.  This more closely follows the book and answers the question of what Minghella’s movie might have looked like if Jude Law had played Ripley instead of Matt Damon. Cult favourite Jim Thompson has had many of his novels adapted, but Coup de Torchon, directed by Bertrand Tavernier, and based on the novel Pop. 1280 , takes a small town American sheriff and transports him to French West Africa.

And finally for the more traditional mystery reader, see what happens when famed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar takes on Ruth Rendell’s Live Flesh, in his 1997 movie Carne Trémula, or when Iceland’s Baltasar Kormákur films his country’s most famous moody detective, Erlendur in Jar City, based on the novel by Arnaldur Indridason. This is currently only available on DVD in the U.K. so you’ll need a multi-region player but fingers crossed it releases soon in North America.

Oh! Watch for Michael Winterbottom’s adaptation of The Killer Inside Me coming out next year.

Click here for a list of other great books that have been made into movies.