Every now and then we all stumble upon a film we instantly love but for some reason when we tell our family, friends or work colleagues about said film they’ve never heard of it. These are the so called “underrated” films we all love to find, rather than spend hours searching for the next cult classic check out these 5 flicks that never made it big.

5) Rocknrolla (2008)

You may think a Guy Ritchie film with a cast that includes Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton & Toby Kebbell would have no issues becoming an instant hit but you’d be wrong. Only 55th in the uk box office ratings for 2008 the film had a very mild initial reception. The film itself is an extremely well executed east end gangster movie with each party stealing from and one uping the other, a fast paced blend of humour and and action will make it a favourite for fans of lock stock or snatch.

4) Triangle (2009)

This one slipped under the radar completely, with no superstars in the cast it’s easy to see why but triangle is truly one of the greatest horror/thrillers in recent history. Melissa George puts in her greatest performance to date in this Bermuda Triangle style mystery that is made with clear inspiration from “the shining”. With multiple twists and turns its a film that requires massive attention to detail but is well worth it in the end with a highly rewarding conclusion for those that can piece together the clues.

3) Drive (2011)

Ryan Gosling’s powerhouse of a performance in drive has been criminally underrated or overlooked since its 2011 release. 80’s style visuals and costume combined with just the right amount of gore make Drive a throughly enjoyable watch, it’s hard to understand why the film did not get a better reception but it definitely has a large cult following now.

 

2) A history of violence (2005)

A history of violence is a classic story of a family man who leads a not so desirable second life and has been trying to escape his past, however the past usually catches up with you when you’re an ex gangster and all sorts of chaos ensues in cronenbergs masterpiece. With Viggo Mortensen giving a superb lead role performance it’s astonishing that this film never made the main stream, this being said AHOV is much loved by the more hardcore film community and is by no means a flop, however, it is still massively underrated.

 

1) Cape fear (1991)

A Scorsese remake starring a psychotic stalker played by De Niro? How have people not seen this? The scorsese twist on the original “cape fear” is that no one in the film is a true hero, each member of the family stalked by Max Cady (De Niro) has their own faults, As diabolical as Cady is he sheds light on the evil in each character or maybe even the evil in all of us. With tension and suspense at every turn cape fear is a must see for any thriller fan and  even film fans in general, this is a truly remarkable film executed perfectly by a legendary director, therefore making number one on this edit of “5 underrated films”.

 

Jake Raynes