The Most Underrated Movies From Iconic Directors

Movies are far more than just a good story and a collection of great actors. Without a skilled director, even the most brilliant script featuring an incredible roster of stars can fall flat for audiences. Over the years, cinema has seen plenty of great filmmakers directing the action, with some early greats including Howard Hawks, Frank Capra, and Ida Lupino. Directing movies became an art form all its own, and some of the best directors are often among the most influential people in Hollywood.

However, even the greatest directors can't make every movie a winner, and some have nearly as many misfires as massive hits. Then again, not every great film is beloved right out of the gate, while others are overshadowed by more prominent works from an auteur. 

From William Wyler to Kathryn Bigelow, we've zeroed in on some of the most talented and influential filmmakers in history and collected their most under-appreciated movies. These films are every bit as good as their best but never received the level of acknowledgment they deserved. So dim the lights and prep the popcorn, because it's time to give these overlooked gems the spotlight.

Along with Frank Capra, John Huston, and John Ford, William Wyler is considered one of the best directors of the Golden Age of Hollywood. His most celebrated films span just about every genre, from the fanciful romantic comedy of "Roman Holiday" to the epic biblical adventure of "Ben Hur." He won the Academy Award for best director three times and was nominated nine more, including for a 1952 film often left off lists of his best-known works — the Kirk Douglas crime drama "Detective Story."

Though the film's plot is driven by Detective Jim McLeod (Douglas), a righteous cop who will stop at nothing to pursue justice, "Detective Story" is far more than a simple police adventure. McLeod's quest is to take down a man named Karl Schneider (George Macready), a man who is wanted for murder but is actually an abortion doctor whose clients are unfaithful women. When McLeod finally closes in on Schneider, he discovers that one of his most recent patients may be his own wife.

A story with a lot to say about an important and controversial social issue that remains a touchy subject to this day, "Detective Story" was greeted with warm reviews on its release, with The New York Times calling it "bruisingly real." As the years passed, the film has fallen by the wayside, overlooked in favor of Wyler's bigger films — despite being just as good as his more notable work.

When it comes to crime dramas, Martin Scorsese could be king, producing some of the most iconic films in the genre of the last 50 years. From "Mean Streets" to "The Irishman," Scorsese excels at gritty character dramas, and while he has veered outside crime dramas from time to time, the genre is his bread and butter. So it should be no surprise that critics regularly pass over his 1997 biopic "Kundun" when discussing his best work, as it feels like a major departure from his more widely accepted films.

"Kundun" chronicles the life of Tenzin Gyatso, the spiritual leader of Tibet better known to the world as the Dalai Lama. The film follows his youth as he was anointed the reincarnation of the Buddha, the invasion of Tibet in 1950, and his complicated relationship with the communist regime that took control of the Tibetan people. Praised by critics on its release for its lush cinematography, some felt it lacked character and story. 

In its glowing review, The Chicago Tribune summed it up best, calling the film "hauntingly beautiful, raptly serious and vastly ambitious, 'Kundun' is exactly the sort of movie that critics complain the major Hollywood studios never make — and then tend to ignore or underrate when it finally appears." Unfortunately, the film was a flop at the box office, which didn't help its place in the minds of many.

Brian De Palma has produced an all-time great cinematic classic in just about every major genre. This includes his seminal 1976 adaptation of the Stephen King novel "Carrie," the 1983 gangster groundbreaker "Scarface," and the spy movie franchise starter "Mission: Impossible" in 1996. However, back in 1981, he directed a forgotten thriller starring John Travolta, a major star then fresh off a string of hits including "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease," and "Urban Cowboy."

Perhaps looking to reshape his image, Travolta took the role of Jack Terry, a sound engineer who uncovers a sinister assassination plot. It all starts when he's working on recording audio for a low-budget movie and inadvertently records the death of a prominent political figure. When he realizes he has the only evidence of what quickly becomes clear is a murder and subsequent coverup in a political conspiracy, Terry becomes the assassin's next target.

A stunning suspense story, "Blow Out" was well-reviewed but ended up a dud at the box office and is seldom uttered as one of the director's best. Still, it was once cited by Quentin Tarantino as one of the films he'd take with him to a desert island, high praise from one of Hollywood's greatest directors (as well as a reason he cast Travolta in "Pulp Fiction"). That he lauded De Palma as one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation while not picking one of his better-known classics proves just how underrated the film really is.

Director Stanley Kubrick has one of the most interesting careers of all the filmmakers on this list. Though he has just 12 feature films spanning five decades, nearly all of them are universally beloved, with his movies earning scores of Academy Award nominations, including four for best director. From "Paths of Glory" to his final film "Eyes Wide Shut," nearly every movie on his resume is well-known and easily recognized by most audiences. That is, all except for the 1975 drama "Barry Lyndon."

A rare period piece for Kubrick, "Barry Lyndon" focuses on the titular Lyndon (Ryan O'Neal), a charming 18th-century commoner who always seems to be getting into trouble. After crossing paths with a wealthy widow (Marisa Berenson), Lyndon schemes his way into a position of standing when he steals her heart and takes up the role of her late, well-to-do nobleman husband.

At the time, some mistook it for little more than a painstakingly authentic visual treat and criticized it for being too slow. As a result, it never gained the popularity or had the cultural impact of Kubrick's more noteworthy films. Still, recent years have seen new viewers rediscover its brilliance. "Taste of Cinema" applauded the movie for its subversive themes and philosophical undertones while calling it Kubrick's "overlooked masterpiece" and a "much more piercing insight into the human condition" than some of his previous work. 

Ranked the greatest director of all time by "Entertainment Weekly," Alfred Hitchcock's contribution to cinema is immeasurable. Beyond his incredible filmography, Hitchcock practically rewrote the rules of cinema and invented an entirely new visual language for film (per Farout Magazine). With a career that spans the silent era through the 1970s, everyone is familiar with Hitchock's best, but his most underrated has to be the 1945 Gregory Peck psycho-drama "Spellbound."

In "Spellbound," the master of suspense crafts a groundbreaking thriller with a stunning twist that would influence any number of following films. Gregory Peck stars as Dr. Anthony Edwardes, a debonair and charming new hospital director who beguiles the long-time and well-respected psychiatrist Dr. Constance Petersen (Ingrid Bergman). When questions arise about Edwards' past that he seems powerless to answer, Peterson must work with him as her newest patient, delving deep into his psyche, breaking down the walls of his mind, and learning if he is actually a murderer.

Admittedly, few Hitchcock aficionados probably would balk that we're calling "Spellbound" underrated, as it's always been regarded as a great film, full of stunning imagery and a captivating mystery. While it received Oscar nominations for best picture, best supporting actor, and best director, it still doesn't come close to being as well known as the likes of "Psycho," "The Birds," and "Dial M For Murder." In fact, the film doesn't even rank in our list of the director's 20 best.

The Coen Brothers are best known for their gritty, violent, and often unexpectedly funny thrillers like "Blood Simple," "No Country for Old Men," and "Fargo." Any major movie fan could rattle off a number of their famous, beloved films that deftly mix dark comedy with clever crime capers. Sadly, their 1991 comedy "The Hudsucker Proxy" rarely gets much love.

Just as funny, clever, and charming as any film they've ever made, "The Hudsucker Proxy" may be overlooked because it's more of a straight comedy than many of their bigger works and lacks a big-name superstar actor in the lead role. While George Clooney and Tom Hanks lead "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and "The Ladykillers," respectively, this one has Tim Robbins. While Robbins is just as good — if not better — than both, he was not a high-profile draw. Co-written by Sam Raimi, the film stars Robbins as Norville Barnes, a low-level clerk at Hudsucker Industries who is put in charge of the entire company by scheming executive Sidney Mussburger (Paul Newman) in an attempt to weasel his way into power.

A fun, stylish production, "The Hudsucker Proxy" is a critique of big business that, while not hitting every note perfectly for critics, delivers dark satire by the bucketful. The cast — which includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Campbell, and Steve Buscemi — is a treat giving appropriately over-the-top performances. Though not as well-remembered as "The Big Lebowski," it might deserve to be.