Best Underrated Movies
by markalan2 | created - 25 Sep 2011 | updated - 18 Mar 2014 | PublicGreat films with little recognition.
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1. Gangster No. 1 (2000)
R | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Chronicles the rise and fall of a prominent, and particularly ruthless English gangster.
Director: Paul McGuigan | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis, Paul Bettany, Saffron Burrows
Votes: 14,544 | Gross: $0.03M
2. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A group of over-achieving East Asian American high school seniors enjoy a power trip when they dip into extracurricular criminal activities.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Shirley Anderson
Votes: 10,449 | Gross: $3.80M
3. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,716 | Gross: $0.71M
4. Layer Cake (2004)
R | 105 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.
Director: Matthew Vaughn | Stars: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon, Tom Hardy
Votes: 195,568 | Gross: $2.34M
5. The Faculty (1998)
R | 104 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
When Casey Connor, Herrington High School's newspaper photographer, witnesses the murder of a nurse and sees her alive again, he decides to investigate the bizarre happenings.
Director: Robert Rodriguez | Stars: Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Josh Hartnett
Votes: 135,080 | Gross: $40.06M
6. Mi vida loca (1993)
R | 92 min | Crime, Drama
Mousie and Sad Girl are childhood best friends in a contemporary Los Angeles poor Hispanic neighborhood. But when Sad Girl becomes pregnant by Mousie's boyfriend, a drug dealer named ... See full summary »
Director: Allison Anders | Stars: Angel Aviles, Seidy Lopez, Jacob Vargas, Devine
Votes: 2,410 | Gross: $3.27M
7. Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Drama
An awkward seventh-grader struggles to cope with inattentive parents, snobbish class-mates, a smart older brother, an attractive younger sister and her own insecurities in suburban New Jersey.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Heather Matarazzo, Christina Brucato, Victoria Davis, Christina Vidal
Votes: 37,168 | Gross: $4.77M
8. Palindromes (2004)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, Drama
Aviva is thirteen, awkward and sensitive. Her mother Joyce is warm and loving, as is her father, Steve, a regular guy who does have a fierce temper from time to time. The film revolves around her family, friends and neighbors.
Director: Todd Solondz | Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ellen Barkin, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Matthew Faber
Votes: 12,868 | Gross: $0.55M
9. Trees Lounge (1996)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama
Tommy is an unemployed mechanic who spends most of his time in a bar (Trees Lounge) in a small blue collar town. He seems to always be thinking, "If only X then I could stop drinking".
Director: Steve Buscemi | Stars: Steve Buscemi, Carol Kane, Mark Boone Junior, Bronson Dudley
Votes: 17,591 | Gross: $0.70M
10. Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)
G | 85 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Each night, young Nemo goes to Slumberland and has adventures and befriends the king of Slumberland, Morpheus. But one night Nemo discovers Nightmare Land, and the evil nightmare king, throwing Slumberland and Nemo himself into danger.
Directors: Masami Hata, Masanori Hata, William T. Hurtz | Stars: Gabriel Damon, Mickey Rooney, Rene Auberjonois, Danny Mann
Votes: 8,263 | Gross: $1.37M
11. Digimon: The Movie (2000)
PG | 82 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Throughout three different stories, Kari Kamiya and her friends take on explosive adventures involving digital creatures.
Directors: Bob Buchholz, Mamoru Hosoda, Jeff Nimoy, Shigeyasu Yamauchi | Stars: Lara Jill Miller, Joshua Seth, Bob Papenbrook, David Lodge
Votes: 7,954 | Gross: $9.63M
12. New Jersey Drive (1995)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama
Jason and Midget are two young, black teenagers living in Newark,New Jersey, the unofficial car theft capital of the world. Their favourite pastime is that of everybody in their ... See full summary »
Director: Nick Gomez | Stars: Shar-Ron Corley, Gabriel Casseus, Saul Stein, Gwen McGee
Votes: 3,452 | Gross: $3.57M
13. The Chipmunk Adventure (1987)
G | 77 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The Chipmunks compete with the Chipettes in a round-the-world race.
Director: Janice Karman | Stars: Ross Bagdasarian Jr., Janice Karman, Dody Goodman, Susan Tyrrell
Votes: 5,968 | Gross: $6.80M
14. Hangin' with the Homeboys (1991)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Drama
Four young friends spend one crazy Friday night on the streets of Manhattan that quickly turns into a night, they'll never forget.
Director: Joseph B. Vasquez | Stars: Doug E. Doug, Mario Joyner, John Leguizamo, Nestor Serrano
Votes: 1,569 | Gross: $0.53M
15. Basquiat (1996)
R | 107 min | Biography, Drama
The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.
Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani
Votes: 22,064 | Gross: $2.96M
16. Black & White (I) (1999)
R | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Music
A group of white high school teens become involved with Harlem's black hip-hop crowd.
Director: James Toback | Stars: Ben Stiller, Allan Houston, Claudia Schiffer, Scott Caan
Votes: 6,052 | Gross: $5.24M
17. An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
An American man unwittingly gets involved with French werewolves who have developed a serum allowing them to transform at will.
Director: Anthony Waller | Stars: Tom Everett Scott, Julie Delpy, Vince Vieluf, Phil Buckman
Votes: 26,982 | Gross: $26.57M
18. Akira (1988)
R | 124 min | Animation, Action, Drama
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath who can only be stopped by a teenager, his gang of biker friends and a group of psychics.
Director: Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Stars: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda
Votes: 205,191 | Gross: $0.55M
19. Rock-A-Doodle (1991)
G | 77 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In order to defeat the wicked Grand Duke of Owls, a young boy, transformed into a cat, teams up with a group of barnyard animals to find the rooster who can raise the sun.
Directors: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Dan Kuenster | Stars: Glen Campbell, Christopher Plummer, Sorrell Booke, Eddie Deezen
Votes: 10,532 | Gross: $11.66M
20. Felix the Cat: The Movie (1988)
G | 82 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
In another dimension, the villainous scientist Duke of Zill, with the help of his mechanical, geometric army, takes over the Land of Oriana, prompting Felix the Cat to save its princess and restore order once again.
Director: Tibor Hernádi | Stars: Chris Phillips, Marbry Steward, Peter Newman, Alice Playten
Votes: 1,578
21. Legend (1985)
PG | 94 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance
A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, Tim Curry, David Bennent
Votes: 72,471 | Gross: $15.50M
22. Fresh (1994)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Death and violence anger a twelve-year-old drug courier, who sets his employers against each other.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, N'Bushe Wright
Votes: 14,584 | Gross: $8.09M
23. Heathers (1988)
R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime
At Westerburg High where cliques rule, jocks dominate and all the popular girls are named Heather, it's going to take a Veronica and mysterious new kid to give teen angst a body count.
Director: Michael Lehmann | Stars: Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk
Votes: 115,827 | Gross: $1.11M
24. Clockers (1995)
R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Young drug pushers in the projects of Brooklyn live hard dangerous lives, trapped between their drug bosses and the detectives out to stop them.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Harvey Keitel, John Turturro, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer
Votes: 23,529 | Gross: $13.04M
25. Labyrinth (1986)
PG | 101 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Sixteen-year-old Sarah must solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother when he is taken by the Goblin King.
Director: Jim Henson | Stars: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud, Shelley Thompson
Votes: 149,565 | Gross: $12.73M
26. Once Were Warriors (1994)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama
A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.
Director: Lee Tamahori | Stars: Rena Owen, Temuera Morrison, Mamaengaroa Kerr-Bell, Julian Arahanga
Votes: 36,837 | Gross: $2.20M
27. The Frighteners (1996)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
After a tragic car accident that kills his wife, a man discovers he can communicate with the dead, and he uses that gift to con people. However, when a demonic spirit appears, he may be the only one who can stop it from killing the living and the dead.
Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Peter Dobson, John Astin
Votes: 95,482 | Gross: $16.76M
28. City of God (2002)
R | 130 min | Crime, Drama
In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.
Directors: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Matheus Nachtergaele, Phellipe Haagensen
Votes: 800,972 | Gross: $7.56M
29. Garden State (2004)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
Director: Zach Braff | Stars: Zach Braff, Peter Sarsgaard, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm
Votes: 223,185 | Gross: $26.78M
30. Finishing the Game (2007)
Not Rated | 84 min | Comedy
Bruce Lee's shocking death left legions of stunned fans and a legacy of 12 minutes from his unfinished Game Of Death. Undeterred, studio executives launched a search for his replacement chronicled here through the eyes of five aspiring thespians who find out what the real game is.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: Roger Fan, Dustin Nguyen, Sung Kang, Josh Diamond
Votes: 1,904 | Gross: $0.05M
31. The Ewok Adventure (1984 TV Movie)
TV-G | 96 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Wicket the Ewok and his friends agree to help two shipwrecked human children, Mace and Cindel, on a quest to find their parents.
Director: John Korty | Stars: Eric Walker, Warwick Davis, Fionnula Flanagan, Guy Boyd
Votes: 12,508
32. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985 TV Movie)
TV-G | 94 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
Marauders raid the Ewok village and steal a power supply they believe to be magical. Wicket helps Cindel escape the evil witch Charal, and they befriend a hermit who may help them save the village.
Directors: Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat | Stars: Wilford Brimley, Warwick Davis, Aubree Miller, Siân Phillips
Votes: 10,779
33. American Me (1992)
R | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A Mexican-American Mafia kingpin is released from prison, falls in love for the first time, and grows introspective about his gangster lifestyle.
Director: Edward James Olmos | Stars: Edward James Olmos, William Forsythe, Sal Lopez, Vira Montes
Votes: 10,358 | Gross: $13.09M
34. Willow (1988)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh
Votes: 129,852 | Gross: $57.27M
35. Snatch (2000)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Crime
Unscrupulous boxing promoters, violent bookmakers, a Russian gangster, incompetent amateur robbers and supposedly Jewish jewelers fight to track down a priceless stolen diamond.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham, Vinnie Jones
Votes: 910,767 | Gross: $30.33M
36. Revolver (2005)
R | 111 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Gambler Jake Green enters into a game with potentially deadly consequences.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, André 3000, Vincent Pastore
Votes: 102,743 | Gross: $0.08M
37. Running Scared (2006)
R | 122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A low-ranking thug is entrusted by his crime boss to dispose of a gun that killed corrupt cops, but things get out of control when the gun ends up in wrong hands.
Director: Wayne Kramer | Stars: Paul Walker, Cameron Bright, Chazz Palminteri, Vera Farmiga
Votes: 103,668 | Gross: $6.86M
38. Mystery Train (1989)
R | 110 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Three stories are connected by a Memphis hotel and the spirit of Elvis Presley.
Director: Jim Jarmusch | Stars: Masatoshi Nagase, Yûki Kudô, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Cinqué Lee
Votes: 30,822 | Gross: $0.37M
39. This Is England (2006)
Not Rated | 101 min | Crime, Drama
A young boy becomes friends with a gang of skinheads. Friends soon become like family, and relationships will be pushed to the very limit.
Director: Shane Meadows | Stars: Thomas Turgoose, Stephen Graham, Jo Hartley, Andrew Shim
Votes: 128,723 | Gross: $0.33M
40. Higher Learning (1995)
R | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
People from all different walks of life, encounter racial tension, rape, responsibility, and the meaning of an education on a university campus.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, Michael Rapaport, Jennifer Connelly
Votes: 21,546 | Gross: $38.29M
41. Dead Presidents (1995)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A Vietnam vet adjusts to life after the war while trying to support his family, but the chance of a better life may involve crime and bloodshed.
Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes | Stars: Larenz Tate, Keith David, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodríguez
Votes: 24,483 | Gross: $24.20M
42. Heavyweights (1995)
PG | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
Plump kids are lured into joining a posh fat camp with the promise of quick weight loss and good times, only to find that it is a woodland hellhole run by a psycho ex-fitness instructor.
Director: Steven Brill | Stars: Tom McGowan, Aaron Schwartz, Ben Stiller, David Goldman
Votes: 30,660 | Gross: $17.69M
43. Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Black war hero is hired to find a mysterious woman, and gets mixed up in a murderous political scandal in 1948 Los Angeles.
Director: Carl Franklin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Tom Sizemore, Jennifer Beals, Don Cheadle
Votes: 24,205 | Gross: $16.03M
44. Kids (1995)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Director: Larry Clark | Stars: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Henderson
Votes: 84,636 | Gross: $7.42M
45. The City of Lost Children (1995)
R | 112 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.
Directors: Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet | Stars: Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Dominique Pinon
Votes: 71,661 | Gross: $1.51M
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