The Bone Collector

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, The Bone Collector is available in Australia on BINGE and Foxtel Now, and in the US on Starz Apple TV Channel right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 3,916 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Denzel Washington anchors it, but the writing does the real work. Put it on tonight on BINGE and see for yourself.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Bone Collector is worth clearing space for. The plotting in The Bone Collector is tight enough that the twists feel earned rather than assembled. Lincoln Rhyme was the department's top homicide detective and leading expert in criminal forensics until an injury left him paralyzed, depressed, and incapable of working. But when a gruesome murder in Manhattan leaves detectives baffled, they call on Rhyme to help solve the mystery. Amelia Donaghy, a rookie cop whose quick thinking preserved a gruesome murder scene, is enlisted by Rhyme to be his on-the-scene forensics expert. The writing gets a boost from Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, who sell every scene they're in. It hit screens in 1999. What makes The Bone Collector hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in The Bone Collector. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch Denzel Washington work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.