Many contemporary films use the familiar model of the detective genre, based on a conventional narrative structure of mystery and investigation. The well-known formula is elaborated in these films in unconventional, novel, ways which help represent complex thematic, ideological, and reflexive aspects of the  cinematic text. Examining the strategies of these movies, we will see how they use generic conventions and at the same time also diverge from them, creating multifaceted, polysemic, intriguing narratives. We will study the ways these “hybrid” movies integrate the popular and captivating detective schema with an “elitist”, “high-brow” approach that adopts philosophical, psychological, social, or political meanings, combined with “artistic”, innovative, modes of representation.