Just because a director is a well-known name doesn’t mean that all their movies are equally famous, and some great films might fly under the radar. Of course, it’s hard to put together a long career without any duds, but there are some brilliant movies which have been unfairly forgotten about.

Some directors become known for one particular thing, whether that’s a genre, a style or something else. Movies which don’t fit in with the rest of their output might therefore be less popular among their fan base, and less popular in general. This is a shame, because these movies can be the most interesting and unpredictable ones.

10

The French Dispatch (2021)

Wes Anderson

Wes Anderson’s movies have been becoming more and more entrenched in his unique style in recent years. While his recent works might not be as broadly successful as The Grand Budapest H๏τel and The Royal Tenenbaums, for example, there’s a lot to admire in his idiosyncratic worlds, especially his comedy anthology The French Dispatch.

The French Dispatch tells a few different stories, each with different styles and structures to mimic the voices of the writers making their final contributions to a literary magazine. It has an outstanding ensemble cast, like most of Anderson’s films, and there’s plenty to pull apart in each segment. Jeffrey Wright and Adrien Brody are particularly captivating.

9

Jackie Brown (1997)

Quentin Tarantino

Released between Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, Jackie Brown often gets overlooked within Quentin Tarantino’s filmography. In some ways, it’s an unusual offering from Tarantino, since it conforms to many of the conventions of the crime genre, unlike Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.

Jackie Brown evokes the ’70s era of blaxploitation movies, but Tarantino’s sharp dialogue offers something different to the genre. It also benefits from Pam Grier’s starring role and an underrated Robert De Niro performance. Tarantino gives his actors plenty of room to operate in Jackie Brown, and the languid pace sets up some nerve-shredding action scenes.

8

The Last Duel (2021)

Ridley Scott

Some of Ridley Scott’s best movies showcase his eye for spectacle in historical epics. Like Kingdom of Heaven and Gladiator, The Last Duel is a feast for the eyes, filled with gorgeous period details which help create an absorbing view of medieval France.

The Last Duel seems to be inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon, since the plot revolves around opposing recollections of an altercation. However, the narrative is drawn from a shocking true story that marks a shift in French history. Despite a great cast and plenty of simmering tension, The Last Duel was a box office flop, and it’s never reached the audience it deserves.

7

The World’s End (2013)

Edgar Wright

Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and H๏τ Fuzz announced Edgar Wright’s arrival as one of the most exciting directors working in the comedy genre, but the third movie in his Cornetto trilogy doesn’t enjoy the same reputation. The World’s End satirizes sci-fi movies, but it also demonstrates Wright’s love of horror.

The World’s End might not have the same rate of laugh-out-loud jokes as H๏τ Fuzz or Shaun of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, but there aren’t very many movies which do. What The World’s End does have going for it is a surprisingly affecting emotional story, as well as nail-biting horror scenes, just when Wright had teased out the narrative long enough for the audience to forget all about the coming alien invasion.

6

Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

Ethan Coen

Some of the best Coen brothers movies are crime comedies like Fargo, The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona. Ethan’s first solo movie without his brother Joel shows him returning to familiar territory, but Drive-Away Dolls is a different kind of movie. It’s a more lighthearted romp, with all the verve and entertainment value of a road trip movie.

Drive-Away Dolls might have suffered some negative reviews thanks to comparisons to older Coen classics, but it’s not trying to be as morally complex or thematically rich. It’s an unabashed good time, with Margaret Qualley showing off her comedy chops in a freewheeling crime caper. There’s also a strong supporting cast, including Colman Domingo, Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal.

5

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2016)

Terry Gilliam

The story behind The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is perhaps more famous than the movie itself. Terry Gilliam struggled for decades to bring his vision to life, and he had to abandon the project several times after catastrophic weather events, funding being pulled and even deaths to his cast members.

When The Man Who Killed Don Quixote did eventually hit the big screen, it arrived to a surprisingly muted response. It’s possible that many people just didn’t know what to make of the film, a strange odyssey that starts as a fairly grounded tale before spinning into abstraction and fantasy. It might not be for everyone, but those who can appreciate The Man Who Killed Don Quixote will find a unique, cerebral comedy with intriguing metatextual layers.

4

The Prestige (2006)

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan’s movies are known for bringing highbrow concepts to large audiences with plenty of action and spectacle. For whatever reason, The Prestige isn’t as popular as the likes of Interstellar and Inception, but it’s just as gripping and intelligently plotted.

The Prestige tells the story of two magicians in Victorian London, whose intense rivalry drives them to increasingly desperate and violent ends. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are both in fine form, and Nolan’s non-linear narrative drags them through the full gamut of emotion. Nolan’s twists are famous, and The Prestige has several which can leave audiences in shock.

3

The Killer (2023)

David Fincher

Based on David Fincher’s other crime thrillers, like Zodiac, Se7en and Fight Club, audiences probably expected The Killer to be another intense, twisty drama with plenty of bloodshed. Instead, The Killer is slow and meditative to the point of being almost mundane, as Fincher seeks to bring the audience into his nameless ᴀssᴀssin’s shoes.

The Killer has a streak of dark comedy running throughout it, with the character’s wry asides a common theme in his constant narration. This is part of what makes The Killer surprisingly relatable, even though it’s about a life that can scarcely be imagined. On a basic level, it’s a story about a man screwing up at his job and going through hell to put things right.

2

Okja (2017)

Bong Joon Ho

Two years before Parasite, Oscar-winner Bong Joon Ho released Okja, an underrated environmental fable about a near future in which super pigs are genetically engineered as a solution to agricultural concerns in an increasingly overpopulated world. This brings Bong’s environmentalist message from Snowpiercer into the spotlight.

Okja is a strange dark comedy, with Jake Gyllenhaal getting a rare chance to play a funny character and Tilda Swinton also shining in a dual role as two sisters. The light fantasy and the enjoyable comedy comes to a jarring halt as the true nature of the super pig project is laid bare. This highlights the gulf between how corporations present themselves as forward-thinking and eco-friendly, and how they really operate.

1

The Killing (1956)

Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick’s filmography shows that he was a master of moving between genres, and he made some of the best sci-fi, horror, war and comedy movies of all time. The Killing helped create the heist genre, alongside other classics of the 1950s like The Asphalt Jungle and Rififi.

It’s remarkable to see how many of the tropes invented by The Killing are still in use today. Even something as superficial as the dramatic finale at an airport has been echoed in other classic heist movies like Heat and Dog Day Afternoon, just as the thieves look set to escape. There’s still a lot about The Killing that can surprise audiences though, like the non-linear structure and the no-nonsense nature of the robbery.