A List of The Most Underrated Movies You Should Not Miss
This is a list of movies that simply blew me away. Films that I feel is underrated by (or virtually unknown to) the average moviegoer, but should be seen by anyone who loves great movies.
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- DirectorRichard DonnerStarsJohn SavageDavid MorseDiana ScarwidHandicapped after an unsuccessful suicide attempt, a man finds common ground in the troubled souls at a local dive bar.Richard Donner's underrated and heartfelt masterwork took me by great surprise. John Savage should have gotten an academy award nomination. Strong film.
- DirectorStanley R. JaffeStarsKate NelliganJudd HirschDavid DukesEstranged New Yorker (Kate Nelligan) turns to the police after her son disappears.I love Judd Hirsch, but I did not expect this movie to touch me the way it did. A harrowing true story. As low key as they get, but deserves so much more praise. Check it out!
- DirectorMichael MannStarsPeter StraussRichard LawsonRoger E. MosleyA prisoner gets a chance to take part in the Olympics.Michael Mann's debut picture is one of the great TV-movie experiences. Peter Strauss is extraordinary in the lead role. He brings the lead character to life beautifully. A character full of demons, locked inside himself, but underneath.. his humanity shines through. A great film about the human spirit. It has all the right beats. I wish this would come out on Blu.
- DirectorBob FosseStarsMariel HemingwayEric RobertsCliff RobertsonA successful young model finds trouble when her obsessive manager-turned-husband becomes dangerously jealous.One of my favorite movies of all time. The aesthetic brilliance in this film is hard to explain, but it's beautifully done. A kinetic and energetic film that brings a brutal and sad true story to life on the big screen. Eric Roberts is just fantastic in this. The story might be hard for some to bear, but as a film.. it's brilliant.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsKaren MeagherReece DinsdaleDavid BrierlyThe effects of a nuclear holocaust on the working class city of Sheffield, England and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization.A movie that brought tears to my eyes. As with Star 80, a very hard movie for some to watch, but the filmmaking is stunning. A movie that will change you.
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsSteve McQueenRichard AttenboroughRichard CrennaIn 1926, a U.S. Naval engineer gets assigned to a gunboat on a rescue mission in war-torn China.A very fine motion picture. Saw it recently again on blu-ray and I have to admit, it is teriffic. Not normally mentioned in the same breath as Steve McQueen's or Robert Wise's other films. A thrilling underrated epic.
- DirectorBilly CrystalStarsBarry PepperThomas JaneAnthony Michael HallRoger Maris and Mickey Mantle race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record.The fact that Billy Crystal directed a film of this caliber, is maybe surprising. The fact that he has not received the acclaim he deserves for it, is just crazy. A fantastic sports movie. Billy Crystal directed a masterpiece? Yes, indeed.
- DirectorAndrey KonchalovskiyStarsJon VoightEric RobertsRebecca De MornayTwo escaped convicts and a female railway worker find themselves trapped on a speeding train with no brakes and nobody driving.Maybe not as underrated and underappreciated as the other films on this list, but a perfect thriller that deserves more attention nonetheless. What makes this great is that the human story - and the acting - is miles above what you would normally expect from a film like this. One of the best action movies.
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsRichard DreyfussJohn CassavetesChristine LahtiKen Harrison is an artist who makes sculptures. One day he is involved in a car accident, and is paralyzed from his neck down. All he can do is talk, and he wants to die. In hospital he make friends with some of the staff, and they support him when he goes to trial to be allowed to die.Touching and brilliant film. One of those films that when you watch it, you feel like you're watching something special. Richard Dreyfuss was ROBBED of an academy award nomination. Beautiful script and fine direction by John Badham.
- DirectorRobert BentonStarsPaul NewmanBruce WillisJessica TandyA stubborn man past his prime reflects on his life of strict independence and seeks more from himself.Maybe not criminally underrated, but a film that I'm guessing not a lot of people have seen. Small town life in America captured beautifully on screen in this elegant, funny and heartfelt movie. A movie that feels real about real people. Also a dazzling character study. What other words to describe Paul Newman's performance in this movie than... just perfect.
- DirectorRichard BenjaminStarsPeter O'TooleMark Linn-BakerJessica HarperAn aging, dissolute matinee idol is slated to appear on a live TV variety show in 1954, and a young comedy writer is tasked with the thankless job of keeping him ready and sober for the broadcast.Peter O'Toole - one of my favorite actors - is unforgettable in this hilariously funny and moving picture. Richard Benjamin is a talented director, and with this film I felt he gave us something special. It's a great character study disguised as a comedy. The themes of loss and sadness in the OToole character, is beautifully captured. Lovely film!
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsRay MillandJane WymanPhillip TerryThe desperate life of a chronic alcoholic is followed through a four-day drinking bout.What is a classic doing on this list? It's on here because I have an intuition that not many of todays audience has seen it. Not only has it's power not diminished one iota since it's release in 1945, it's power was staggeringly evident to me when I saw it for the first time in 2012. Billy Wilder's best movie. One of the best movies I've ever seen, period. Have you seen it?
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsMarlon BrandoJoanne WoodwardAnna MagnaniValentine "Snakeskin" Xavier, a trouble-prone drifter trying to go straight, wanders into a small Mississippi town looking for a simple and honest life but finds himself embroiled with problem-filled women.Anna Magnani gives one of the finest female performances I've ever seen in this film. Marlon Brando, as usual, gives his character great humanity. A movie that goes places you wouldn't expect. It's a real movie that captures love in all it's harsh reality.
- DirectorRobert FuestStarsAnna Calder-MarshallTimothy DaltonHarry AndrewsDoomed lovers Catherine and Heathcliff are torn apart by their own selfishness and hate.I discovered this movie by accident, and it ended up almost becoming an obsession. And that's funny because the movie deals with obsession. A hauntingly beautiful film.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsSean ConneryHarry AndrewsIan BannenIn a North African military prison during World War II, five new prisoners struggle to survive in the face of brutal punishment and sadistic guards.Grown in stature over the years, but if you haven't seen it - you can do no better than this :)
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsRichard PryorHarvey KeitelYaphet KottoWhen three automotive factory workers who're struggling financially try to steal from their own labor union, they discover corruption, and reluctantly decide to use this information for blackmail.I was amazed by how entertaining and good this was the first time I saw it. Along with Hardcore (1979) this is Paul Sharder's best film.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsGeorge C. ScottPeter BoyleSeason HubleyA religious businessman from Michigan has to venture into the world of pornography in California, desperately searching for his runaway teenage daughter."Oh my God, that's my daughter." What more needs to be said? The film is a depiction of a fathers desperate journey into a dark and sleazy underworld of porn in search of his daughter. A movie that captures the loss of innocence.
- DirectorUli EdelStarsNatja BrunckhorstEberhard AurigaPeggy BussieckA teen girl in 1970s Berlin becomes addicted to heroin. Everything in her life slowly begins to distort and disappear as she befriends a small crew of junkies and falls in love with a drug-abusing male prostitute.A very powerful film that happens to be a true story of a girl not wanted by her parents, and ends up on the street. A depiction of teenage drug use and street hustling in the late 70's. A great german film that leaves an impression on you. The soundtrack by David Bowie is a major player in the films success.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsWilliam HoldenKay LenzRoger C. CarmelA young girl runs away from home and meets a grouchy older man who reluctantly takes her in. Eventually they develop a romantic and affectionate relationship.Not many people have heard of this little gem that Clint Eastwood directed. A touching film about a romance between a serious and stubborn older businessman and a younger quirky hippie girl. The story is very heartfelt and what transpires on screen feels very real. You care about the characters. You live this journey with them. Charming film.
- DirectorUlu GrosbardDustin HoffmanStarsDustin HoffmanTheresa RussellGary BuseyThe difficulties of a career burglar to reinsert himself after being released on parole.Dustin Hoffman is the greatest actor of all time. He has made 10 masterpieces - unequaled by any other actor - and this is one of them. Pretty much a hidden gem to most people. I've never seen Dustin Hoffman play a more dangerous character than he does here. He captures the criminal mind very well. A very tense - and at times electrifying movie.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsJack LemmonJack GilfordLaurie HeinemanA disillusioned war veteran has two days to let go of his shaken morals if he wants his small fashion company to survive.Jack Lemon won the oscar for his performance in this film, but have you seen it? A middle class american way over his head in debt tries a final solution to save his professional and domestic life. An ordinary man having to walk a tightrope between what's necessary and what's right. A thoughtful film with great acting.
- DirectorMichael BayStarsShia LaBeoufMegan FoxJosh DuhamelSam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.Ok, I'm being funny now - this is obviously a joke. Discard.
- DirectorDavid Hugh JonesStarsJeremy IronsBen KingsleyPatricia HodgeAn affair between a literary agent and his best friend's wife. The story unfolds in reverse-chronological order.If you can find this movie, I highly recommend it. A movie that played with the backwards story scenario long before Memento made it popular. An impressive film with great performances from Jeremy Irons and Ben Kingsley. It's puzzling to me that this film is not more avaliable.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsBilly CampbellJennifer ConnellyAlan ArkinA young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero.A great adventure movie that captures your imagination. Joe Johnston will have a lifetime pass with me because of this movie. Whatever film he makes, I will always think:
"This might be good because he directed The Rocketeer."
Timothy Dalton is excellent in this film and so is Billy Campbell. It's a wonderful movie. - DirectorCraig LucasStarsPeter SarsgaardCampbell ScottPatricia ClarksonA grief-stricken screenwriter unknowingly enters a three-way relationship with a woman and her film executive husband - to chilling results.A movie I saw at a film festival in Tromsø, Norway. Had it not been for that festival showing, I might never have discovered this hidden jewel. It impressed me greatly and I found it to be close to a masterpiece. Peter Sarsgaard is as always - fantastic.
- DirectorAnthony MannStarsJames StewartJanet LeighRobert RyanA bounty hunter trying to bring a murderer to justice is forced to accept the help of two less-than-trustworthy strangers.Overlooked western. Stunning in it's character complexity and beauty. It's also very entertaining. Succinctly said.. a western that has it all.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsMia FarrowDianne WiestMike StarrA nostalgic look at radio's golden age focusing on one ordinary family and the various performers in the medium.I know that most people have a love/hate relationship with Woody Allen. Mostly hate. And often just at face value. That is why so many people are deprived of the satisfaction of watching and enjoying some of his great films. So if you are willing to give Woody a chance, this is one of his most underrated, brilliant films.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsTimothy HuttonSean PennPat HingleThe true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.Held in high regard by the people who know it exists. If you haven't seen this film, I can't recommend it highly enough. A movie that makes you wonder why some people do what they do. And it explores the magnitude and the consequences of people's choices in life. A film that contains explosive acting by the two leads. A very good film.
- DirectorHerbert RossStarsRichard DreyfussMarsha MasonQuinn CummingsAfter being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.Such a charming film. When I saw it for the first time not long ago, I was struck by how modern and fresh it felt. Then I thought, why is this film almost forgotten today? If you want a good time watching a movie... watch this sweet and funny film. Richard Dreyfuss is so cool in this.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsClint EastwoodKyle EastwoodJohn McIntireA boy with a music talent goes on a journey with his uncle for a stage concert.A very good Eastwood picture. It might not seem like it at first glance. What you'll be surprised by is that Eastwood has directed a low key film that holds a lot of resonance and power. About a struggling musician who has eluded success all his life, but is given one last opportunity to hit the big time and he goes on a life altering road trip with his son. As underrated as they get.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsHarrison FordBetty BuckleyEmmanuelle SeignerIn a hotel room in Paris, a doctor comes out of the shower and finds that his wife has disappeared. He soon finds himself caught up in a world of intrigue, espionage, gangsters, drugs and murder.A vastly underrated thriller film from Roman Polanski starring Harrison Ford. It's one of those mystery films where the main character knows as much as you do. A story about an american couple on vacation in Paris, and suddenly his wife disappears. Absorbing and sophisticated film that keeps you on the edge of your seat.
- DirectorTony ScottStarsKevin CostnerAnthony QuinnMadeleine StoweA retired US Navy pilot comes to Mexico, where he falls in love with the wife of a powerful businessman. The consequences will be cruel and unforeseen.A gripping film. Watch the director's cut. I enjoyed the original, but in my opinion the director's cut is far superior. My favorite Tony Scott film.
- DirectorJohn LandisStarsSylvester StalloneOrnella MutiPeter RiegertA gangster attempts to keep the promise he made to his dying father: that he would give up his life of crime and "go straight".It must be the bad marketing (the poster being a prime example - not the one with the clock, but the one with the faces) because this underseen farce/comedy is hilariously funny. It's a movie that's not supposed to work -- but does anyway. I checked it out as a kid since I was a fan of Sylvester Stallone. I ended up wearing out the tape because I loved it so much. Then, as an adult, I decided to watch it again. Not only does it hold up, I found it to be even funnier than I did back then. A minor masterpiece from John Landis. You'll just have to take my word for it.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsGérard DepardieuAndie MacDowellBebe NeuwirthA man wanting to stay in the US enters into a marriage of convenience, but it turns into more than that.Severely underrated. Peter Weir's magic touch is all over this film.