Mr. Holmes

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, Mr. Holmes is available in Australia on Foxtel Now and Beamafilm, and in the US on Kanopy and Hoopla right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. Its 6/10 TMDB score, built from 1,969 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Ian McKellen's performance alone is worth the time investment. Start it on Foxtel Now whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Mr. Holmes arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The plotting gives Mr. Holmes its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement. Ian McKellen and Laura Linney lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2015. What distinguishes the best crime dramas from the rest is whether the character work can carry scenes where the mystery takes a breath — Mr. Holmes passes that test consistently. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find Mr. Holmes proves them wrong. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Ian McKellen carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.