From forgotten gems to overlooked masterpieces, we're diving deep into the vault to spotlight some incredible films that deserve more recognition. Join us as we explore mind-bending sci-fi, gritty crime dramas, and hidden comedic treasures that time forgot. These phenomenal features deserve another chance to shine!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the best movies you may
00:11have never seen.
00:24It's not often that you can call a Disney movie underrated, but The Hunchback of Notre
00:28Dame fits the bill.
00:29Although it may not be quite as obscure as some of the company's early package films,
00:33it is still criminally underappreciated.
00:35Based on the work of Victor Hugo, Hunchback is one of Disney's darkest offerings, focusing
00:40on a hunchbacked orphan named Quasimodo.
00:50His begrudging guardian, Frollo, acts as the film's antagonist, and is one of the scariest
00:55and most realistic villains in the House of Mouse's repertoire.
01:06Hunchback is a film that deals with real-world issues, some of which are still relevant to
01:10the modern day.
01:11And for that, it is worth a second look.
01:26Based on Lorenzo Carcatero's memoir of the same name, Sleepers adapts the harrowing true
01:30story of four boys who are taken advantage of by guards at a juvenile detention centre.
01:41They all take radically different paths in life, but end up reunited after two of them
01:45kill one of their former abusers.
01:46The case is taken to court, and the truth is revealed.
01:49Featuring big names like Kevin Bacon, Robert De Niro, Justin Hoffman and Brad Pitt, it's
01:54hard to understand just how Sleepers managed to fall into obscurity.
02:00Luckily, there's still time to make Sleepers a sleeper hit in the modern age.
02:07Just be sure to have your tissues ready.
02:15By the mid-1990s, the internet was beginning to become a regular part of the average person's
02:19everyday life.
02:20Nora Ephron would famously capitalise on its growing popularity with her 1998 film, You've
02:25Got Mail.
02:26Unbeknownst to most, Japan was already ahead of the curve.
02:36Two years earlier, director Yoshimitsu Morita released Haru, a strikingly realistic depiction
02:41of online friendship turned courtship.
02:52At a time when many laughed at the idea of making genuine connection through a computer
02:56screen, Haru treated its protagonist's bond with the same seriousness and gravity as any
03:01in-person relationship.
03:02It's a beautiful and comforting slow burn of a film, perfect for anyone who's ever
03:06felt understood by someone miles away on the other side of a screen.
03:17Critics in 1995 weren't sold on Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead, but its action-packed,
03:31dynamic style feels like a breath of fresh air in our modern cinematic landscape.
03:40A subversive spin on the spaghetti western, the film stars Sharon Stone as The Lady, a
03:45gunslinger who rides into town hoping to avenge the death of her father through a series
03:49of duels.
03:51It's a briskly paced romp of a western, mixing familiar genre tropes with modern character
04:00writing and killer editing.
04:02The fact that it has continued to fly under the radar in spite of Raimi's rising fame
04:06in the industry, is criminal.
04:14The Watermelon Woman
04:22Film history is filled with so many firsts, that some of them fall through the cracks,
04:27no matter how good they are.
04:28The Watermelon Woman, which has the distinction of being the first feature film directed by
04:32a black lesbian, has unfortunately suffered this feat.
04:41Cheryl Dunye, the film's director, also acts as its fictional protagonist, a video
04:45store clerk working on a documentary about a black actress of the 30s and 40s who was
04:50credited only as the Watermelon Woman.
04:58The film is as fascinating as it is funny, examining the history of on-screen representation
05:03with a healthy dose of 90s humour.
05:05If you have an interest in film and its history, we consider it a definite must-watch.
05:25Nowadays Peter Jackson is best known for bringing J.R.R.
05:28Tolkien's Fantasy World to the big screen with the Lord of the Rings film series.
05:32But before Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson was a small New Zealand filmmaker making schlocky
05:37horror films and the hauntingly beautiful crime drama, Heavenly Creatures.
05:47The latter was released in 1994, and starred actresses Kate Winslet and Melanie Linsky,
05:53in early roles.
05:54An atypical approach to the true crime genre, the film tells its story from the perspective
05:58of two teenage girls, whose unique connection with each other grows into all-out obsession.
06:08With fantasy elements that hint at Jackson's future as a director, Heavenly Creatures is
06:12a masterfully crafted tragedy about the dangers of repression and isolating relationships.
06:25The 90s and rom-coms go hand-in-hand.
06:31It was the age of Sleepless in Seattle, She's All That, Notting Hill and countless others.
06:36Unfortunately, with an over-saturated market, some gems became lost to time, like this darkly
06:41comedic spin on the sub-genre, starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver.
06:47Cusack's character, Martin, is a hired assassin with a growing sense of guilt about his offence,
06:56whose latest assignment lands him right next to his high school reunion.
06:59He ends up linking up with his teenage sweetheart, Debbie, and struggles to juggle his deadly
07:03job with his old flame.
07:10It's a more adult, and decidedly weirder, alternative to the previous decade's Heathers,
07:15and is long past due for a similar cult-classic treatment.
07:36There's no denying the fact that Denzel Washington is one of the best to ever do it,
07:40so it's surprising that more people don't talk about his 1990 thriller, Fallen.
07:49Sure, they may not reach the dramatic peaks of Malcolm X or Remember the Titans, but its
08:01hair-raising supernatural premise is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout
08:05its entire two-hour run-time.
08:15Critics were unimpressed with it upon its release, but it's been gaining a small-yet-passionate
08:20cult following over the years.
08:21The MCU series, Loki, even notably featured an homage to the film in its first season.
08:32Wes Anderson has become well-known in spite of his small budget, in part due to his extravagantly
08:45symmetrical sets and talented arsenal of character actors.
08:48Nonetheless, there's not nearly enough love for the director's feature-length debut,
08:52Bottle Rocket.
09:00Starring brothers Luke and Owen Wilson, the 90s crime comedy isn't quite as polished
09:04as Anderson's more well-known works, but it still contains many of the trademarks that
09:08make up his now-signature style.
09:11Number one amongst them is his unique brand of quirky comedy.
09:22The dialogue of Bottle Rocket is endlessly quotable, and its delivery pitch-perfect,
09:27making for an unforgettably hilarious heist.
09:46David, Juliet and Alex are looking for a new roommate.
09:49Trouble is, none of them are what you'd call a people person.
09:53During a series of hilariously abrasive interviews with prospective sub-tenants, they settle
09:57on the strangely interesting Hugo, only to find him dead shortly after.
10:08This is where the real story begins, as the trio of friends find themselves at odds over
10:12what to do with his body, and more importantly, his money.
10:16Written and directed by the duo responsible for Trainspotting, the darkly funny shallow
10:20grave stars Kerry Fox, Hugh McGregor and a pre-Doctor Who Christopher Eccleston in
10:25leading roles.
10:30While its central theme of money's corruptive power may feel overdone, it's hard to deny
10:34the sheer watchability of its uniquely fun execution.
10:55This movie, a science fiction classic as far as we're concerned, was destined for failure
10:59from the very beginning.
11:01For the theatrical release, New Line Cinema was concerned that audiences wouldn't understand
11:05the story of an amnesiac who is accused of murder, and therefore asked the director to
11:10integrate voice-over narration to the beginning of the movie.
11:13And really, that explains everything.
11:21This neo-noir, despite being refreshingly original and a visual masterpiece, did not
11:25sit well with audiences, and bombed at the box office.
11:29The mysteries of Dark City, however, are well worth uncovering.
11:46Boogie Nights would eventually solidify director Paul Thomas Anderson as one of the greats,
11:50but his mastery of filmmaking was clear even early on in his feature debut, Hard Eight.
12:05The crime film featured a small but stacked cast, even by today's standards, including
12:09John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
12:14Alongside Philip Baker Hall, they each give stellar performances, upholding the film's
12:18small-scale story of gambling in deceit with ease.
12:26Sure, it's not PTA's strongest film, but that's hardly saying much considering just
12:35how impressive the rest of his filmography has been.
12:38Hard Eight still accomplishes far more than the average film, and is more than worth a
12:42watch.
13:00Another underrated science fiction tour de force, the story of Strange Days follows a
13:04former cop, played terrifically by Rolf Fiennes, who sells black market videos that allow people
13:09to experience the experiences of others.
13:12He then discovers a conspiracy regarding the police force.
13:21Co-written by James Cameron and directed by eventual Oscar winner Catherine Bigelow, it
13:26has all the ingredients for a fantastic movie, but never received the praise it merited.
13:41The gritty and fast-paced drama took in just $8 million on a $42 million budget, and remains
13:47largely ignored despite its excellence and the fantastic crew behind the camera.
14:06Just a year after breaking onto the scene with Reservoir Dogs, Quentin Tarantino teamed
14:10up with Top Gun director Tony Scott for this darkly comedic crime film.
14:20Titled True Romance, the film follows the strange plot of an Elvis fanatic, compelled
14:24to kill by the ghost of the king himself.
14:26It's just as fun as it sounds, and, as its title implies, has an added dash of romance
14:31between lead actors Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette.
14:43While it's true some of its dialogue may not fly in the modern day, its cinematic style
14:48is the perfect blend of Tarantino and Scott's best qualities.
14:51There will never be anything else like it.
15:08A sci-fi film with horror elements, Existence is a little-known movie by Canadian director
15:13David Cronenberg, whose 1996 film Crash also deserves more respect than it gets.
15:26Existence is set in the future, when video games are no longer played on consoles but
15:30through virtual reality by inserting a cord into players' spines.
15:45The story serves as a statement on our relationship with technology, and does so in an exciting
15:50fashion.
15:51Unfortunately, it never reached an audience, and has seemingly disappeared from existence.
16:10A classic comedy directed by the Fairley brothers, Kingpin is a largely ignored entry on their
16:15filmography despite the fact that it's just as hilarious as any of their other movies.
16:27The story follows Roy, a skilled bowler, and Ishmael, an Amish man, who go to compete in
16:32a bowling tournament to save Ishmael's land.
16:35The movie's cast is fantastic, including Woody Harrelson and an always hilarious scene
16:40stealing Bill Murray.
16:47It also features the staple raunchy Fairley humour that made the brothers so famous.
16:52It truly is an uproarious film that deserves far more attention.
17:10Don't let the goofy title fool you, the movie is not actually about a spectral pooch.
17:14Ghost Dog is a hitman for the mob, who adheres to the ancient samurai code in his proceedings,
17:19and is portrayed perfectly by Forrest Whitaker in one of his most underrated roles.
17:28The movie is refreshingly unique, as it organically blends the completely differing styles of
17:33gangster and samurai films.
17:35And it was even nominated for various prestigious accolades, including an Independent Spirit
17:39Award for Best Feature.
17:40Despite all of this, we bet there's a good chance you've never even heard of it.
17:56This movie is a classic noir with Nicolas Cage in the leading role, and he was actually
18:00quite good in it.
18:01The story follows Cage's character, who is mistaken for the hitman that another man
18:05hired to kill his wife, and as such, unpredictable chaos ensues.
18:16Everybody involved in the film is fantastic, but if you've never heard of it, we don't
18:20blame you, as it was sent direct to video, even after an enthusiastic response at the
18:24Toronto International Film Festival.
18:29Everyone loves the Coen Brothers, so why doesn't everybody love this movie?
18:47The most anyone knows about it is the famous Forrest scene, but there's so much more
18:51in the story of a man who plays both sides of a gangster family rivalry.
19:01It features the signature Coen intensity, and the performances are all outstanding.
19:06The film was released before the brothers became popular, and consequently, was quickly
19:10forgotten.
19:11That's not to say this outing isn't just as fantastic as their other efforts.
19:40Easily the most underrated film of the decade,
19:49A Simple Plan has an A-list cast and the fantastic Sam Raimi behind the camera.
19:53The flick follows Billy Bob Thornton and Bill Paxton as brothers who discover over $4 million
19:58in cash and begin to doubt each other in their plan to keep it secret.
20:09The story plays out intensely and unpredictably, and the performances are all mesmerising,
20:15with each character reaching their breaking point in realistic fashion.
20:18It was even nominated for two Academy Awards, but sadly never got a fraction of the audience
20:23it should have.
20:28So which of these underrated movies will you be adding to your watchlist?
20:32Let us know in the comments.