20 Most Underrated Films of All-time
After making the list for the most overrated films, I started to think of the most overlooked film classics. Of course, this list is purely subjective, but most of the films are constantly over-looked or undervalued as classics.
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- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsNobuko OtowaJitsuko YoshimuraKei SatôTwo women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.Somehow this film made it onto my blockbuster queue and blew my mind. I couldn't believe I was watching such a film from 1960's Japan. Whereas the few films I had seen from this era of Japanese filmmaking portrayed the Japanese people from feudal Japan as honorable, wise, and generally good, this film does the opposite. All of its characters are selfish and strong, fighting for survival in a desolate world. The acting is overwhelmingly superior and the direction is unbelievable. I could not believe such a great film had had existed without my knowledge. Well, now I know, and so should you. Watch it, you will not be disappointed.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJeremy IronsGeneviève BujoldHeidi von PalleskeTwin gynecologists take full advantage of the fact that nobody can tell them apart, until their relationship begins to deteriorate over a woman.The best film David Cronenberg has yet to make. The B-movie title is deceiving. This film is a cold metitation on a multitude of subjects, ie. simbling relationships, narcissicm, identity, addiction, etc. Not to mention Cronenberg's continual obsession with erotiscism and weirdly designed but functional tools. This film is bursting at the seems with ideas that not all of them can be explored fully, yet film does not suffer for it. Yet the best piece of this film is the mesmerizing performance of Jeremy Irons. He subtly gives the twin brothers their own identity so that one can tell the two apart almost immediately. Expertly crafted, brilliantly designed, superbly acted, and well written, this movie is one of the best, and creepiest, horror movies ever made.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsZero MostelGene WilderDick ShawnA stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.Most likely the funniest film ever. Period. Oh, and Zero Mostel, you were insane.
- DirectorPaul HaggisStarsTommy Lee JonesCharlize TheronJonathan TuckerA retired military investigator works with a police detective to uncover the truth behind his son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.A poignant, immediate film which debates the notion of sacrifice for one's country. Tommy Lee Jones is devasting as the father of a young man who is sent to war in Iraq. After returning home, he is murdered. Charlize Theron plays the detective assigned to his case. Jones, a military man himself, is hostile to Theron, a civilian, and works to investigate his son's murder himself. The murder mystery is resolved, but is merely the framework for writer-director Paul Haggis to ask serious questions about the notion of sending our young men and women to war. Haggis has yet to top this film, and may never. Easily better than the his Oscar-winner "Crash". No easy answers are given, no nice ending. Only a powerful film filled with deeply convincing characters that are not easy to forget.
- DirectorPeter SegalStarsChris FarleyDavid SpadeBrian DennehyAfter his auto-parts tycoon father dies, the overweight, underachieving son teams up with a snide accountant to try and save the family business.Regardless of what you think, Tommy Boy is one of the funniest films of all-time. No, this is not Billy Wilder or Alec Guiness. No acerbic wit or clever puns. Only comedy that is genuinely hilarious. Unapologetically crass, it is filled with uproaringly funny physical humor. One only has to think of "fat guy in little coat" to see the brilliant stupidty on display. I dare you to watch it without smiling.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroJerry LewisDiahnne AbbottA passionate yet unsuccessful comedian stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself.
- DirectorPeter FarrellyBobby FarrellyStarsJim CarreyJeff DanielsLauren HollyAfter a woman leaves a briefcase at the airport terminal, a dumb limo driver and his dumber friend set out on a hilarious cross-country road trip to Aspen to return it.
- DirectorWilliam A. WellmanStarsHenry FondaDana AndrewsMary Beth HughesWhen a posse captures three men suspected of killing a local farmer, they become strongly divided over whether or not to lynch the men.Probably the greatest western not directed by John Ford, this dark and devasting tale of lynching in the Old West continues to move audiences. Henry Fonda is again brilliant as the stranger who wanders into town and becomes mixed up in a posse bent on lynching three men who they believe are murderes. This film's climatic scenes were shot on a soundstage, yet the filmmakers turned what could have been a negative, into a positive. The camera movements and lighting that a fabricated environment afford add the somber, picturesque quality of the film. Man's inhumanity, and the ease with which it can flourish, in on show here.
- DirectorEdward ZwickStarsDenzel WashingtonMeg RyanLou Diamond PhillipsA U.S. Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.This excellent movie only enjoys a 6.6 rating by the good folks at IMDB. Somehow that puts it on par with "Wild Things", "Mrs. Doubtfire", and the horrible "Eagle Eye". Somehow this does not seem fair. How does a movie with the ever great Denzel Washington, a host of strong character performances from a bevy of actors, and strong direction by the reliable Edward Zwick amount to such an average rating? As usual with such rankings on IMDB, I just sigh and move on. As long as "Shawshank Redemption" is still considered the greatest film in the history of cinema, then there will always be a bigger battle to fight.
- DirectorLewis TeagueStarsDee WallaceDaniel Hugh KellyDanny PintauroCujo, a friendly St. Bernard, contracts rabies and conducts a reign of terror on a small American town.This is how horror should be. Put victims in a horrible situation, unleash a horrible, seemingly undefeatable beast on them, and watch them dissolve into true terror. Lewis Teague would never come close to directing anything this good again. This is a truly scary B-movie that is even better than Stephen King's excellent book.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Titanic suffers from the unavoidable backlash that always accompanys overwhelming success. It became bigger that a movie. Movies such as Avatar and the Lord of the Rings trilogy have suffered from the same problems. What other hugely succesful film lacked, however, was the remarkable performances of the Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio. Neither were really stars at the time, though those that closely followed films knew of their talent. Yet, James Cameron trusted them enough to carry their characters above all of the special effects that were happening around them. When I think of this film an instant film comparison comes to mind, "Gone With the Wind" Just as Viven Leigh and Clark Cable will always be Scarlett and Rhett, forever will Winset and DiCaprio be Jack and Rose. What makes "Titanic" a much superior film to "Gone With the Wind" is the strength of the story, the meladrama intercut with historical significance and great action.
- DirectorRaoul WalshStarsGeorge RaftHumphrey BogartAnn SheridanWhen one of two truck-driving brothers loses an arm, they both join a transport company where the other is falsely charged as an accessory in the murder of the owner.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsDemi MooreViggo MortensenAnne BancroftLt. Jordan, a US Navy topographic analyst, joins the US Navy Special Warfare Group and struggles to prove her worth in a unit dominated by men. But a cynical woman Texan senator has sold her out.This is easily Demi Moore's best performance. I know, you're saying that doesn't mean much. But add in a great turn by Viggo Mortensen and strong direction by Ridley Scott, and this movie is severely underrated.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsSigourney WeaverCharles S. DuttonCharles DanceReturning from LV-426, Ellen Ripley crash-lands on the maximum-security prison Fiorina 161, where she discovers that she has unwittingly brought along an unwelcome visitor.
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsRyo IshibashiEihi ShiinaTetsu SawakiA widower takes an offer to screen girls at a special audition, arranged for him by a friend to find him a new wife. The one he fancies is not who she appears to be after all.