amateur sleuth

Hitchcock's signature style repeatedly features ordinary citizens drawn into criminal investigations, most notably in *Rear Window* and *Vertigo*, where amateur detection becomes both obsession and moral quandary.

Johnson crafts intricate mystery narratives centered on amateur investigators unraveling complex cases, exemplified by the *Knives Out* films where ordinary people piece together elaborate crimes.

Fincher's meticulous approach to puzzle-box narratives in *Gone Girl* and *The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo* showcases civilians methodically investigating dark secrets through detective work.