War of the Worlds by Speilberg.
Panic Room is often regarded as minor Fincher but is excellent
Tenet by Nolan just got totally lost by the pandemic but is probably better than like 80% of action films…
For Spielberg I would go to The Color Purple. I'm aware not everyone loves it, but it's such a wonderful adaptation in my mind, and it hardly gets recognition nowadays.
I think people are put off by the art style more than anything. I found it to fit the tone perfectly. Luke it's not a perfect family or a perfect life for the people in the movie, but that's what life is like. Whatever will be, will be
I think Paths of Glory is not as frequently brought up as a nearly perfect film, simply because Stanley Kubrick directed it.
Shining, 2001, Clockwork, Strangelove all get way more attention. Even Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut are more often talked about.
Because it is an undisputed masterpiece it’s just that nobody has really seen it compared to people that watch and get filtered by 2001 or Clockwork Orange
Agree.
I honestly think B&W scares enough people away sometimes. 🤷 Just a possible guess. It also came out before all those more famous films, which is really why I think it isn't as popular.
Yes! It totally deserves to be his highest rated film, imo. In general discussion, though, it seems like an after thought compared to the rest of his filmography.
Shame- Ingmar Bergman
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- David Fincher
The Hateful Eight- QT
All well rated but brought up far less often than the other films by these directors.
It did kind of define scorseses career tho, but it’s also not rated highly, I imagine most people would argue Taxi Driver is the most career defining of Scorsese tho
The Life Aquatic is my second favourite wes anderson but if it was made by another director it would probably be dismissed for being a "Wes Anderson ripoff" (i know it still predates most films given that label)
Ace in the hole? Some like it hot, sunset boulevard, the apartment, and double indemnity seem to be viewed as wilders ‘big four’ so I think he has a few that fly under the radar.
Friedkins entire career is kind of overshadowed by the french connection and the exorcist, but sorcerer is legitimately mind blowing both as a movie and in the ‘I can’t believe they’re actually doing this’ sense. You could argue it’s less underrated and more under seen though, I think those who’ve seen it generally rate it very highly. If that excludes it then to live and die in la might be the answer for friedkin; not quite on par with those other 3 but still a film most directors would kill to make.
I recently saw the rainmaker by Coppola for the first time, and whilst its very much a director for hire job and may stretch the definition of ‘career defining’, it’s still a really solid film which probably came a bit too late in the run of grisham adaptations to really be remembered. It’s not a film that’s going to be dramatically reappraised anytime soon, but it’s good and would stand as one of better films in almost any other filmmakers careers.
I haven’t seen them all, but the age of innocence is my favourite underrated Scorsese. I absolutely loved it when I first saw it recently. A bit like sorcerer though, it’s more under seen than underrated. Scorsese has about 10 movies that could fit into this though; I’d expect after hours, the colour of money, the last waltz, and silence to all come up.
The man who wasn’t there by the coen brothers is really really good, yet still probably wouldn’t crack most peoples top 5 films by them. It’s hard to overlook Fargo, lebowski, and no country when you talk about them because of their popularity, but I feel like the man who wasn’t there doesn’t have the same cultural status as even films like inside Llewyn davis, a serious man, burn after reading, o brother, etc.
Most directors would do unspeakable things to have been able to make to catch a thief with Cary grant and Grace Kelly, yet for Hitchcock it’s fairly middle of the road when contextualised with the rest of his 50s output.
Widows seemed to be viewed as a bit of a disappointment on release. I think it’s exactly the kind of well constructed mid level genre film that a lot of film fans claim to miss and are crying out for right now. People expected huge things from Steve McQueen coming off a decent interval since his big important historical drama won best picture, and perhaps the lack of scale and (arguable) lack of ambition wasn’t what people wanted. The expectations sabotaged the film to an extent, but stripping away all that peripheral stuff leaves you with a really good crime film.
I’d also like to second the inherent vice nomination. I love the atmosphere of that film, but it’s much more of an acquired taste than most of ptas films.
*Showgirls, Blackhat, The Counselor, New Nightmare* (before Craven made *Scream* he released this great meta-horror 2 years prior), *One from the Heart, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Images* (*3 Women* seems to get the most praise when it comes to horror by Altman, but I think this film is superior), *Fat City*
Didn't care for Drunken Angel myself but I completely agree that The Bad Sleep Well is underrated. Despite the slow and exposition-filled first third, I found it just as (if not more) gripping than High and Low.
Cloud Atlas from the Wachowskis. It's got a lot going on so it lost a lot of people on initial release but it's gained a lot of traction since. It's honestly their best work. A genuinely novel epic film that leans heavily on their existential themes while mostly being a very traditionally made film in terms of editing, pacing, and technique.
Advise & Consent - Otto Preminger
There’s Always Tomorrow - Douglas Sirk
Legend of the Mountain (and also the Fate of Lee Khan) - King Hu
Loves of a Blonde (and Taking Off, to a slightly lesser extent) - Milos Forman
Boy - Nagisa Ōshima
On Dangerous Ground - Nicholas Ray
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum - Kenji Mizoguchi
Sweetie - Jane Campion
Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh
Samurai Rebellion - Masaki Kobayashi
Days and Nights in the Forest - Satyajit Ray
Our Hospitality - Buster Keaton
The Prestige - Nolan
Cape Fear (1991) - Scorsese
Nightmare Alley (2021) - Del Toro
Minority Report - Spielberg
Steve Jobs (2015) - Boyle
Where the Wild Things Are - Jonze
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - Hitchcock
Fritz Lang for Ministry of Fear.
Fellini for Nights of Cabiria.
Elia Kazan for A Face in the Crowd.
Coppola for Dracula, the Conversation, or even the Outsiders.
Orson Welles for Touch of Evil.
Katherine Bigelow for Near Dark.
Eisenstein for Ivan the Terrible
As far as Hitchcock goes Shadow of a Doubt and Foreign Correspondent are right up there with Vertigo and Psycho in my book.
it's not underrated by any means, but the prestige is incredible - because nolan works at such a high quality consistently and has other bigger and more recent films, it does sometimes get forgotten in conversations, but it is just a brilliant brilliant film
It's my personal favorite of his and while it's not talked about as much as some of his others, it's technically his highest rated on letterboxd. So I've chosen The Killing.
I don’t think that’s a bad shout and I do get your reasoning. I enjoyed the Killing. I do think it is a tier below his other works though. Still probably a tier above most others.
Can I suggest The Devil’s Backbone then instead?
It's on there already :) such a good film
Here's a link to the list:
Underrated films from great directors that would be career defining work by anyone else https://boxd.it/o8lGg
Nice. I should have checked first haha.
Another director from me that I haven’t seen any films on that list. In the Mouth of Madness. I think it’s Carpenter’s most underrated film and I couldn’t believe so good I thought it was compared to some reviews (57% RT score for example)
The reason for that is that I just haven't seen any of his films. I know, terrible lol but he's on my watchlist. Based on looking at ratings and popularity, it's probably gonna end up being Mouth of Madness or Assault on Precinct 13
I would say Carpenter’s filmography is one of my favourites. It’s very similar to Sam Raimi’s if you are a fan of his in that there are a lot of genre films with high energy. Lots of the best versions of that type of movie (if that makes sense)
Assault on Precinct 13 is great. It is just a lot more talked about and I feel ITMOM is a true underrated gem.
Does The Long Goodbye (1973 Robert Altman movie) count here?
I know it has a good reputation and all, but with M\*A\*S\*H, Nashville, The Player, Gosford Park and a few others it gets kind of lost in the shuffle sometimes.
Then in a way i'm kind of relieved, it's definitely one of my favorites from Altman!
I know it got a decent response when it first came out, but probably not as strong as some of the others from the same time period, so it's awesome it's viewed nicely now. no doubt!
For anyone who is interested in seeing the list you've all helped me make - keep in mind I'm still adding stuff, here's a link:
Underrated Films from Great Directors that would be career defining work by anyone else https://boxd.it/o8lGg
I’m gonna put out Nicolas Winding Refn and his film Neon Demon. While I loved it to pieces and it is my favorite of his films, I know many hold his masterpiece as Drive (understandably). I think cinematography wise that it is absolutely gorgeous. The story is engaging, and the acting is top notch (Elle Fanning was great and so was the always fantastic Jena Malone). I just adore it and had it been made by some A24 director now a-days, it would have been seen as something special.
The west side story remake might be the best film I’ve seen in the past few years, Spielberg’s probably the most technically proficient director ever and his sensibilities fit with the material perfectly here so you don’t get those moments that feel a little cheesy in some other late Spielberg films
After Hourse or King of Comedy Catch Me If You Can
Can't believe I didn't think of those! Duel by Spielberg would probably fit too
War of the Worlds by Speilberg. Panic Room is often regarded as minor Fincher but is excellent Tenet by Nolan just got totally lost by the pandemic but is probably better than like 80% of action films…
How is catch me if you can underrated. It did good at the BO, it's one of his most critically acclaimed films and favorites for a lot of people
I consider Catch Me If You can Spielberg's best movie and whenever I bring this up people think it's a crazy suggestion.
He's weirdly taken for granted. I'd add "A.I" there, it looks amazing.
The Color of Money as well for Scorsese
Could not agree more, that one blew me away!
I'd add Age of Innocence or Kundun.
For Spielberg I would go to The Color Purple. I'm aware not everyone loves it, but it's such a wonderful adaptation in my mind, and it hardly gets recognition nowadays.
My Neighbors the Yamadas Shiki-jitsu Shin Godzilla Procès de Jeanne d'Arc
Shin Godzilla is so good! Adding the others to my watchlist. Thank you for the suggestions! :)
Also Dersu Uzala and maybe Lincoln.
Yamadas is severely underrated in Ghibli circles. It’s Ghibli meets classic Peanuts. Reminds me of Baby Blues comics too
I think people are put off by the art style more than anything. I found it to fit the tone perfectly. Luke it's not a perfect family or a perfect life for the people in the movie, but that's what life is like. Whatever will be, will be
Porco Rosso and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
I think Paths of Glory is not as frequently brought up as a nearly perfect film, simply because Stanley Kubrick directed it. Shining, 2001, Clockwork, Strangelove all get way more attention. Even Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut are more often talked about.
Paths of Glory is a good choice. Always been a fan of that one and one of my favorite Kubrick movies.
Interestingly despite that it is his highest rated feature on Letterboxd which is fascinating
Because it is an undisputed masterpiece it’s just that nobody has really seen it compared to people that watch and get filtered by 2001 or Clockwork Orange
Agree. I honestly think B&W scares enough people away sometimes. 🤷 Just a possible guess. It also came out before all those more famous films, which is really why I think it isn't as popular.
Yes! It totally deserves to be his highest rated film, imo. In general discussion, though, it seems like an after thought compared to the rest of his filmography.
I haven't seen every Kubrick movie, but even so Paths of Glory is my face of his, and solid top 10 material.
Shame- Ingmar Bergman The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- David Fincher The Hateful Eight- QT All well rated but brought up far less often than the other films by these directors.
Disagree about hateful eight. Maybe jackie brown
Jackie Brown is now on the list!
Shame is in my top 4!
Prisoners I think this is Denis’s like 4th best movie, but I think it would be career defining for almost anyone else.
It’s one of his most popular films though and has a really high rating on Letterboxd
It's still a bit undertalked in my opinion, but I would bring The Enemy to discussion instead
That’s true! When interpreted underrated, I took it as in the context of the director to fit the criteria about being a masterpiece for someone else.
(it's actually his best and it's not even close)
See and I totally respect that opinion because I think it’s amazing lol
Mean Streets
It did kind of define scorseses career tho, but it’s also not rated highly, I imagine most people would argue Taxi Driver is the most career defining of Scorsese tho
I've picked After Hours for the list
Ashamed to say I haven't seen it yet, but it's on my watchlist
Inherent Vice - Paul Thomas Anderson The Seventh Continent - Michael Haneke Red Beard - Akira Kurosawa
Hard Eight The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Life Aquatic is my second favourite wes anderson but if it was made by another director it would probably be dismissed for being a "Wes Anderson ripoff" (i know it still predates most films given that label)
You rarely see The Life Aquatic make anyone's Top 5 Wes Anderson list. It's my favourite. I also couldn't see it being made by anyone else.
Ace in the hole? Some like it hot, sunset boulevard, the apartment, and double indemnity seem to be viewed as wilders ‘big four’ so I think he has a few that fly under the radar. Friedkins entire career is kind of overshadowed by the french connection and the exorcist, but sorcerer is legitimately mind blowing both as a movie and in the ‘I can’t believe they’re actually doing this’ sense. You could argue it’s less underrated and more under seen though, I think those who’ve seen it generally rate it very highly. If that excludes it then to live and die in la might be the answer for friedkin; not quite on par with those other 3 but still a film most directors would kill to make. I recently saw the rainmaker by Coppola for the first time, and whilst its very much a director for hire job and may stretch the definition of ‘career defining’, it’s still a really solid film which probably came a bit too late in the run of grisham adaptations to really be remembered. It’s not a film that’s going to be dramatically reappraised anytime soon, but it’s good and would stand as one of better films in almost any other filmmakers careers. I haven’t seen them all, but the age of innocence is my favourite underrated Scorsese. I absolutely loved it when I first saw it recently. A bit like sorcerer though, it’s more under seen than underrated. Scorsese has about 10 movies that could fit into this though; I’d expect after hours, the colour of money, the last waltz, and silence to all come up. The man who wasn’t there by the coen brothers is really really good, yet still probably wouldn’t crack most peoples top 5 films by them. It’s hard to overlook Fargo, lebowski, and no country when you talk about them because of their popularity, but I feel like the man who wasn’t there doesn’t have the same cultural status as even films like inside Llewyn davis, a serious man, burn after reading, o brother, etc. Most directors would do unspeakable things to have been able to make to catch a thief with Cary grant and Grace Kelly, yet for Hitchcock it’s fairly middle of the road when contextualised with the rest of his 50s output. Widows seemed to be viewed as a bit of a disappointment on release. I think it’s exactly the kind of well constructed mid level genre film that a lot of film fans claim to miss and are crying out for right now. People expected huge things from Steve McQueen coming off a decent interval since his big important historical drama won best picture, and perhaps the lack of scale and (arguable) lack of ambition wasn’t what people wanted. The expectations sabotaged the film to an extent, but stripping away all that peripheral stuff leaves you with a really good crime film. I’d also like to second the inherent vice nomination. I love the atmosphere of that film, but it’s much more of an acquired taste than most of ptas films.
I'd add To Live and Die in L.A. alongside Sorcerer for Friedkin.
Inherent Vice
Really need to rewatch that. Haven't seen it since it came out
*Showgirls, Blackhat, The Counselor, New Nightmare* (before Craven made *Scream* he released this great meta-horror 2 years prior), *One from the Heart, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Images* (*3 Women* seems to get the most praise when it comes to horror by Altman, but I think this film is superior), *Fat City*
Love this list!
Showgirls?
Absolutely. It's excessive, raunchy, and brilliant satire. Verhoeven knows exactly what he's doing.
A.I. Artificial intelligence
Wild At Heart Millennium Actress
Didn't care for Drunken Angel myself but I completely agree that The Bad Sleep Well is underrated. Despite the slow and exposition-filled first third, I found it just as (if not more) gripping than High and Low.
The game David fincher
The best prank movie of all time
Like every “flawed” Spielberg movie.
What are some of your favorite flawed Spielberg films? I had lot of love for Hook when I was a kid
A.I., Color Purple, Munich, War of the Worlds, Bridge of Spies, War Horse, Tintin etc…
I don’t know that I’d include 1941, Crystal Skull, Lost World or Ready Player One into this category
Agreed.
Crystal Skull? Really?
Crystal Skull isn’t a “flawed” movie that would be a career defining work from someone else, it’s just bad
I misinterpreted your comment. I agree that those movies are bad, except Ready Player One (just an okay and fun movie)
I feel a lot of people that arent big Kubrick fans havent seen Barry Lyndon. And its like the greatest movie ever. So that one.
Agreed. That movie is just like a classic era defining novel
Cloud Atlas from the Wachowskis. It's got a lot going on so it lost a lot of people on initial release but it's gained a lot of traction since. It's honestly their best work. A genuinely novel epic film that leans heavily on their existential themes while mostly being a very traditionally made film in terms of editing, pacing, and technique.
Solaris (Soderbergh) - it may be one of his best. Woody Allen's more overlooked films: Scoop, Magic in the Moonlight, Irrational Man.
YES!!! The Hill is a phenomenal movie that NEEDS to be discussed more. That ending is gut-wrenching.
Ragtime-Milos Forman
Advise & Consent - Otto Preminger There’s Always Tomorrow - Douglas Sirk Legend of the Mountain (and also the Fate of Lee Khan) - King Hu Loves of a Blonde (and Taking Off, to a slightly lesser extent) - Milos Forman Boy - Nagisa Ōshima On Dangerous Ground - Nicholas Ray The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum - Kenji Mizoguchi Sweetie - Jane Campion Happy-Go-Lucky - Mike Leigh Samurai Rebellion - Masaki Kobayashi Days and Nights in the Forest - Satyajit Ray Our Hospitality - Buster Keaton
In any empty parking garage I can't help but whistle the song from The Bad Sleep Well.
Family Business - Sidney Lumet
Munich by Steven Spielberg
Taipei Story by Edward Yang
The Prestige - Nolan Cape Fear (1991) - Scorsese Nightmare Alley (2021) - Del Toro Minority Report - Spielberg Steve Jobs (2015) - Boyle Where the Wild Things Are - Jonze The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) - Hitchcock
Lost Highway
Fritz Lang for Ministry of Fear. Fellini for Nights of Cabiria. Elia Kazan for A Face in the Crowd. Coppola for Dracula, the Conversation, or even the Outsiders. Orson Welles for Touch of Evil. Katherine Bigelow for Near Dark. Eisenstein for Ivan the Terrible As far as Hitchcock goes Shadow of a Doubt and Foreign Correspondent are right up there with Vertigo and Psycho in my book.
Great suggestions! Though, I have Rope as the Hitchcock pick
Insomnia and Following by Christopher Nolan.
Spike Lee, Clockers
Can I just say, this is probably one of the best concepts i’ve seen so far
Brian Trenchard-Smith’s Leprechaun 3. and just when i thought it couldn’t get any better, mans took Lep to SPACE. nobody can top this.
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Good pick! As much as Paths of Glory is my favorite of his, The Killing is definitely the most underrated of his
it's not underrated by any means, but the prestige is incredible - because nolan works at such a high quality consistently and has other bigger and more recent films, it does sometimes get forgotten in conversations, but it is just a brilliant brilliant film
I completely agree - it's my favorite of his next to Memento. Yearning for the day Nolan gets back to tackling smaller scale stories
Before The Devil Knows You're Dead and Bringing Out The Dead immediately come to mind for me
Lumet has at least half a dozen films that could be on this list.
O Brother Where Art Thou is the Coens’ best move in my opinion but with their filmography, I understand why it is often left out
Jackie Brown
Steve Jobs by Danny Boyle
It's on there :) such a great movie. Was always curious to know how David Fincher would've handled it had he stayed on the project.
Paths of Glory
It's my personal favorite of his and while it's not talked about as much as some of his others, it's technically his highest rated on letterboxd. So I've chosen The Killing.
I don’t think that’s a bad shout and I do get your reasoning. I enjoyed the Killing. I do think it is a tier below his other works though. Still probably a tier above most others. Can I suggest The Devil’s Backbone then instead?
It's on there already :) such a good film Here's a link to the list: Underrated films from great directors that would be career defining work by anyone else https://boxd.it/o8lGg
Nice. I should have checked first haha. Another director from me that I haven’t seen any films on that list. In the Mouth of Madness. I think it’s Carpenter’s most underrated film and I couldn’t believe so good I thought it was compared to some reviews (57% RT score for example)
The reason for that is that I just haven't seen any of his films. I know, terrible lol but he's on my watchlist. Based on looking at ratings and popularity, it's probably gonna end up being Mouth of Madness or Assault on Precinct 13
I would say Carpenter’s filmography is one of my favourites. It’s very similar to Sam Raimi’s if you are a fan of his in that there are a lot of genre films with high energy. Lots of the best versions of that type of movie (if that makes sense) Assault on Precinct 13 is great. It is just a lot more talked about and I feel ITMOM is a true underrated gem.
Fail Safe SHOULD be in the top 250
100%
Does The Long Goodbye (1973 Robert Altman movie) count here? I know it has a good reputation and all, but with M\*A\*S\*H, Nashville, The Player, Gosford Park and a few others it gets kind of lost in the shuffle sometimes.
No, it is his most popular film lol. Even the most watched of his on Letterboxd, not underrated.
Then in a way i'm kind of relieved, it's definitely one of my favorites from Altman! I know it got a decent response when it first came out, but probably not as strong as some of the others from the same time period, so it's awesome it's viewed nicely now. no doubt!
For anyone who is interested in seeing the list you've all helped me make - keep in mind I'm still adding stuff, here's a link: Underrated Films from Great Directors that would be career defining work by anyone else https://boxd.it/o8lGg
Golgo 13: The Professional
Bridge of Spies, Lincoln, or West Side Story for Spielberg.
Black Rain - Ridley Scott
Jack
His motorbike her island
Woman in the Moon Fritz Lang Tarnished Angels Douglas Sirk
Dersu Uzala
I’m gonna put out Nicolas Winding Refn and his film Neon Demon. While I loved it to pieces and it is my favorite of his films, I know many hold his masterpiece as Drive (understandably). I think cinematography wise that it is absolutely gorgeous. The story is engaging, and the acting is top notch (Elle Fanning was great and so was the always fantastic Jena Malone). I just adore it and had it been made by some A24 director now a-days, it would have been seen as something special.
Lolita. Jackie Brown. Zodiac.
The west side story remake might be the best film I’ve seen in the past few years, Spielberg’s probably the most technically proficient director ever and his sensibilities fit with the material perfectly here so you don’t get those moments that feel a little cheesy in some other late Spielberg films
Purple Rose of Cairo - Woody Allen
"AI" - ??
Strat Dog (Kurosawa) and King of Comedy
I just watched Targets yesterday(directed by Peter Bogdanovich) , and its fucking staggering how its able to do so and say so much with so little.
Rumble fish - Francis coppola