Unlucky For Some: The 13 most underrated movies of all time
Hundreds of movies are released annually, with 403 films hitting the US in 2021 and 792 in pre-pandemic 2019. These releases vary in quality, however, with some being giant blockbuster hits and others being tiny independent movies filmed in someone’s garage with neighbours being used as assistant producers, editors and actors. With so many films being released each year, it’s almost inevitable that some gems will slip through the cracks.
While this is too often the case for small independent films, iconic filmmakers can also be victims to the incessant ebb and flow of contemporary cinema, where a new release can wash away as quickly as it arrived. In the past, films from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, John Carpenter and Michael Mann have each gone under the radar.
Focusing on movies that received a poor critical reception upon their release or films that don’t get the credit they deserve in a particular director’s filmography, our list of 13 of the most underrated movies of all time was not easy to compile. Elevating filmmakers who don’t get the credit while shedding light on modern masterpieces which have never gained the appreciation they deserve, we’ve chosen a diverse range of films from across the modern industry.
Take a look at our complete list of 13 of the most underrated movies of all time below, featuring such filmmakers as Stanley Kubrick, Lynne Ramsay, Harmony Korine and Todd Haynes.
The most underrated movies:
After Hours (Martin Scorsese, 1985)
We can already hear some people spit at their screen in rage: ‘After Hours isn’t underrated!’. Indeed, in cinematic circles, Martin Scorsese’s Palme d’Or-nominated classic is highly respected, yet among casual moviegoers, the film wouldn’t scrape into the director’s top five. With films like Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, Casino and The Departed taking all the praise, Scorsese’s 1985 comedy is too often forgotten.
A Kafkaesque nightmare, the movie shines thanks to some incredible performances from the likes of Rosanna Arquette and Griffin Dunne, who help to make the dark comedy about a man’s spiralling exploration of New York City a lesser-spotted classic.
The Beach Bum (Harmony Korine, 2019)
The American indie filmmaker Harmony Korine is a divisive creative. Whilst many of his films are celebrated by fans and critics alike, including 1997s Gummo and 2012s Spring Breakers, his latest movie, The Beach Bum came and went with very little fanfare, despite being one of his most enjoyable flicks. Threading a patchwork of hyper-real America, Korine creates a fairy-tale of the patriotic dream, which mirrors the subversive reality that the video game Grand Theft Auto famously presents.
Traversing a surreal contemporary reality, the film follows Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), a hedonistic writer who enjoys life’s more chaotic side whilst preaching a nihilist word.
Birth (Jonathan Glazer, 2004)
Since the release of the transcendental 2013 sci-fi movie Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson, British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer has been taken far more seriously. Any fan of the filmmaker should’ve known that he was capable of such greatness, however, having made the brilliant Sexy Beast in 2000 alongside the spellbinding romantic mystery Birth with Nicole Kidman in 2004.
A peculiar, tender love story about a young boy who attempts to convince a widow that he is her reincarnated husband, Birth is a strange movie that merges fantasy and reality, tossing you into a spiral of anxiety at the very same time.
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
The American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick is famously known as one of the greatest directors of all time, with fans citing such classics as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove and The Shining as proof of his supremacy. Whilst these films are championed, his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, is often thought to be his worst, even though the film is a complex, majestic piece of Kubrick magic.
Starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, the film tells the story of a fragile married couple whose love life is tested when the wife admits to having unfulfilled longing, and the husband embarks on a night of sexual adventure.
The Godfather Part III (Francis Ford Coppola, 1990)
The final film in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy is not bad at all, even though some fans consider the film to be a catastrophic failure. Whilst the film couldn’t live up to the enormous critical and commercial success of the previous two instalments, it remains a great crime drama in its own right, merely speaking to how highly Coppola is respected as a filmmaker working at the height of his game.
With Al Pacino at the helm alongside Sofia Coppola, Andy Garcia and Diane Keaton, the cast makes a decent effort to match the stunning work of such previous stars as Robert De Niro and Marlon Brando.
Little Joe (Jessica Hausner, 2019)
Slipping through the release schedule back in 2019, this clever little science fiction flick from the Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner is a nicely constructed, thought-provoking drama about paranoia and the danger of constructed realities. Telling the story of a single mother and dedicated senior plant breeder at a futuristic company who gifts a flower to her teenage son against the laws of her company, Little Joe is a peculiar film with genuinely innovative ideas.
Though it is armed with a cold, distant tone, break through the barrier, and you’ll find a barbed hug of a sci-fi treat that will bury under your skin and keep you thinking for days.
Mr. Brooks (Bruce A. Evans, 2007)
A little like Mary Harron’s 2000 classic American Psycho, Bruce A. Evans’ Mr. Brooks is a violent thriller that tells the story of a well-respected businessman with a split personality, sharing his mind with his murderous alter ego. Starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and William Hurt, the film may indeed be one of Costner’s greatest-ever roles, even if remarkably few people actually saw him in the role.
Dark, twisted and surprisingly intricate, Bruce A. Evans’ 2007 drama is well worth a visit if you’re a lover of strong crime stories and terrifying character studies about twisted, psychopathic minds.
Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)
Sure, Todd Haynes’ 1995 film Safe may be rated by critics, but we don’t think it gets the attention that it well and truly deserves. Playing a woman who develops multiple chemical sensitivities and is forced to leave her world of comforts behind, Julianne Moore is this film’s beating heart, providing an eerie performance that makes Haynes’ film a masterpiece of dramatic tension and narrative mystery.
Starring alongside Xander Berkeley, Dean Norris and Jodie Markell, Moore delivers a standout performance in Haynes’ extraordinary film that explores themes of modern consumerism and the contemporary obsession with beauty and wellness.
Speed Racer (Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski 2008)
There’s no doubt that the Wachowski sisters are best known for their 1999 science fiction classic The Matrix, a film that would forever change the makeup of modern Hollywood cinema. It’s easy to forget, however, that the sisterly duo were also responsible for a host of other idiosyncratic releases, most notably the 2008 adaptation of the Japanese comic Speed Racer, which flash-banged audiences upon its release thanks to its stunningly vibrant visuals.
Whilst not many people were too keen on the tale that follows a young racer who wants to save his family business and be a racing champion, the distinctive visual style of the film elevates it into something far more interesting, profound and surreal.
Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995)
There’s a reason why Kathryn Bigelow is known as one of the greatest female filmmakers of all time, with the director earning great critical acclaim in 2008 for her Oscar-winning war movie The Hurt Locker. However, Bigelow was a success long before this, releasing the underrated sci-fi flick Strange Days in 1995, which tells a compelling story of genuine creativity and ingenious flair starring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett and Juliette Lewis.
It follows the tale of Lenny Nero (Fiennes), a former police officer turned street hustler who accidentally uncovers a conspiracy in LA at the turn of the 21st century. Crammed with stylish imagination, Bigelow’s impression of America at the precipice of the new millennium is extraordinary to behold.
Thief (Michael Mann, 1981)
The late James Caan named his role in Michael Mann’s 1981 classic, Thief, as his all-time favourite, beating out the likely winner, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. There’s good reason why Caan chose the Mann classic, too, with the actor giving a terrific performance in the underrated crime thriller that follows an ace safecracker who wants to do one more big heist before going straight.
A tense, highly enjoyable crime movie that differs from Mann’s popular Heat and Collateral, Caan makes Thief a compelling watch alongside a supporting cast that includes Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson and Dennis Farina.
Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe, 2001)
Announcing the Spanish actor Penélope Cruz to the international stage, the Cameron Crowe movie Vanilla Sky is a sumptuous romantic thriller. The bizarrely named film follows David Aames (Tom Cruise), a vain, privileged man who becomes disfigured in a car crash with his jealous girlfriend, Julie (Cameron Diaz), after she discovers his newfound love and drives the car off the road.
With the help of Cruz, who delivers an enchanting performance, Crowe creates a curious cinematic oddity with the release of Vanilla Sky, a film that is itself based on the 1997 movie Open Your Eyes, also starring Cruz.
You Were Never Really Here (Lynne Ramsay, 2017)
Deserving to be recognised as one of the greatest filmmakers of contemporary cinema, the Scottish director Lynne Ramsay is responsible for such classics as 1999’s Ratcatcher, and 2011’s We Need to Talk About Kevin. Following her success with the latter, Ramsay teamed up with Joaquin Phoenix for the dark independent crime drama You Were Never Really Here, which told the story of a traumatised veteran who tracks down missing girls for a living.
A deep, dark character study, Ramsay’s film didn’t get the credit it deserved in 2017, especially when considering that the Phoenix-led Joker movie of 2019 copied much of the same imagery.
