Underrated Films...

Broadway Danny Rose.

Snap, Marko!
Now you’re talkin’.

Coen Brothers-Millers Crossing & The Hudsucker Proxy
Oliver Stone-U Turn
Stanley Kubrick-Barry Lyndon
Michael Mann-Collateral
Don Siegel-Charley Varrick

Don Siegel’s The Beguiled
Thanks for the point, Steve.

IN an effort not to sit at my computer and think of this question all day, I will simply second a few choices that people have already given:

Eyes Wide Shut (probably underrated only because of the ridiculous hype the movie had surrounding it before it came out)
The Thin Red Line
Ed Wood
Punch-Drunk Love

Rian Johnson’s – Brick

John Carney – Once

Under rated and under exposed

Jiang Wen’s Devils On The Doorstep

Claude Jutra’s Mon Oncle Antoine (1971). Criterion finally released it about a month ago, but I don’t think anyone noticed. If you get the chance, see this beautiful film.

Would loudly second Monsieur Hire for Michel Blanc’s fine performance (he may have one of the most compelling heads in all of film, and we get to see it up close and often), with some solid help from Sandrine Bonnaire. This is a film that didn’t get the attention it deserved world-wide. Poor Hire,in the end hanging from the rooftop gutter just like James Stewart in Vertigo, but does not make a magical escape.

Withnal and I is good enough in its minor key: hedonistic drinking-buddy comedy reminiscent of Donleavy’s The Gingerman. I thought the beat-up robin’s egg blue Jag should have gotten equal credit with the lads.

Would throw out The Misfits for reconsideration. Over-hyped upon release and broadly panned, But take another look. It can with be viewed along with McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Lonely Are the Brave and Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue as good solid films which finally put a much wanted period to the long ago exhausted American dream of the West.

Otherwise: Downhill Racer. Fairly obscure now. But Bob Redford’s best performance by far (was it his first?). And a young Gene Hackman as the Bob Beattie-like ski coach was quite fine.

Rogue Male, Murphy’s War….. both with the inimitable Peter O’Toole
Agreed with… Withnail And I, McCabe and Mrs Miller and especially The Beguiled…. Clint’s best performance I gthink.

The Thin Red Line
Women in Love
Barry Lyndon
The New World
Munich
The Americanization of Emily

Uhhhh……Attack of the Puppet People?

Beyond that, I’d have to say that Lynch gets a really bad shake from folks regarding Fire, Walk With Me. How anyone could have loved the series and not been blown away with what he did in the feature, (most especially his direction of Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise) is beyond me. I was pretty aghast to see it residing in people’s 10 Worst lists on Netflix. I’ve heard such negative reaction to that film, I’d start to doubt myself for holding it so highly, except that Lynch, (who has a very balanced view on his own work) considers it on par with his other work. (I feel the exact same way about Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.) Go figger. And to round the number out to three, I’d have to add Walter Hill’s Southern Comfort, just to see if there are any other takers out there. It’s been six or seven years since I’ve seen it, and my tastes and exposure have widened considerably, but I’ve loved it for years and never hear it talked about much.

Yeah Stuart…I was a huge fan of Twin Peaks (and remain a fan of the majority of Lynch’s work), but the film was really what brought the whole messed up story together. In its own dark, depraved way it suited (if not at least condensed) the ideas of the series quite well. It was definitely more watchable than the latter part of the second season.

Another film I wish had more recognition is Malick’s ‘Badlands’.

Nice call on “Southern Comfort,” Stuart. I’m a fan of Hill’s “The Long Riders,” too, although its reception was overshadowed by the novelty casting of all those brothers. While I’m on the topic of overlooked westerns, I’ll put in another pitch for “Will Penny.” Let’s see, what else? I’d love to see Alan Arkin’s “Simon” again, and there’s a little film called “Orphans” that might well have Albert Finney at the top of his game. (I really liked “The Dark Knight,” too, but I haven’t heard a peep about it since it opened.)

Anything by Sidney Lumet besides 12 Angry Men
Force of Evil (dir. Abraham Polonsky)
Bigger Than Life (dir. Nicholas Ray)

Ed Wood

Aki Kaurismäki’s DRIFTING CLOUDS, LIGHTS IN THE DUSK, ARIEL

A Boy and His Dog
Big Trouble in Little China
They Live
The Saddest Music in the World
Chop Shop
Killer of Sheep
Burn After Reading (it wasn’t that bad)

I definitely would second Collateral and 13th Warrior (I think it was just too muddy to become a hit?)

Exorcist III.

READ MY LIPS (France, 2001) Jaques Audiard

RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES (HK-PRC-Japan, 2005) Zhang Yimou

IL LADRO DI BAMBINI / THE STOLEN CHILDREN (Italy, 1992) Gianni Amelio

Probably more under-known than under-rated,
Robert Benton’s BAD COMPANY (1972)

Danny Boyle’s The Beach

I remember seeing it on HBO way back in the day (’99?) and taping it when it aired on a second time. It always stuck with me. I just watched it last week for the first time since then and I was amazed at how excellent I still thought the film was 10 years later. Really wish more people would check this out/catch on to what I think will end up becoming a revered film in future years.

The original “The Mummy” directed by the famous cinematographer Karl Freund with Boris Karloff. It is a beautiful film.

Miami Vice – arguably Mann’s greatest visual achievement
A.I.
Running Scared
Sunshine – I’m sensing a pattern here with Mr. Boyle.
The Mist – Easily the best horror movie made in years (for me)
Marie Antoinette
25th Hour – I think it’s Spike’s best behind Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X
The Shining – It’s my favorite Kubrick flick

Shining absolutely is not underrated!

@Justin Galvin

“Miami Vice – arguably Mann’s greatest visual achievement.” Excellently qualified. I would have been bored stiff by that movie, and Colin Farrell’s short grunts subbing for actual dialogue, had it not been awfully pretty.

I like 25TH HOUR too, despite the shovelled in bit about 9/11 that didn’t fit with the rest of the film.

John Sclesinger’s Day of the Locusts
Arthur Penn’s Night Moves
Alan J. Pakula’s The Parallex View
Antonia Bird’s Ravenous

I second Ravenous. I love that movie. Damon Albarn’s score was fantastic and really set a creepy town to the civil war.

“blue gate crossing” is my most favourite title that no one has heard about :) it’s from taiwan

My stock answer is always John Huston’s “Red Badge of Courage” great performances and an awful tight script and AMAZING cinematography. I think John Huston has a lot of underrated work.

Munich, is also up there, I think it is probably the best movie in the last 25 years, at least the last 10. My mind is blown every time I see it.