Movie critics are a tough crowd to please. Some critics have seen so many movies that it’s seemingly impossible to show them something that will impress them. It seems like some critics are always looking for the nextCitizen Kane, a movie so epic that it knocks their socks off in the first viewing. When a movie earns critical acclaim, it should be celebrated. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Hollywood pumps out so many movies every year that it’s nearly impossible to hear about all of them. Sure, big-budget films like 2023’sBarbieare all over the news (and for good reason), but there are plenty of other critically acclaimed movies that deserve attention too. These films earned critical acclaim upon their initial release, but time has not been good for them. Here are some of the best critically acclaimed movies that nobody seems to talk about or remember.
There’s no denying that Alfred Hitchcock is one of the best directors that’s ever walked the face of the Earth. He was an epic horror, suspense, and mystery filmmaker with memorable hits that most film buffs know, likePsycho,The Birds, andVertigo. In 1972, he directedFrenzy, a British thriller about a man who is framed for his wife’s murder. The movie was one of the last movies that Hitchcock filmed in England.
Frenzywas released to critical success, with glowing reviews coming from theNew York TimesandVariety, among others. Roger Ebert gave the movie four out of four stars and called it “a return to old forms by the master of suspense.” Hitchcock made a ton of great films during his lifetime, andFrenzyis one of hismost underrated.
12My Left Foot
Actor Daniel Day-Lewis may be retired, but his legacy lives on. As one of the most intense method actors of his generation, Day-Lewis starred in several memorable films likeGangs of New York,There Will Be Blood, andPhantom Thread. He alsoturned down plenty of rolesthat weren’t right for him. Before all of those, he started inMy Left Foot,a drama about a boy named Christy born with cerebral palsy who learns that he can move his left foot. He then preservers and ends up becoming a successful painter, poet, and author.
My Left Footis an insanely critically acclaimed movie, but it’s been buried under all of Day-Lewis' other great roles over the years. He won his first Oscar for his portrayal of Christy and his acting career took off. The film currently has an incredible 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes.My Left Footwas the rocket fuel that Day-Lewis' trajectory to becoming a major movie star.
11The Player
The Playeris a 1992 movie directed by the late great Robert Altman. The film is written by Michael Tolkin, who earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for his efforts. Tim Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a Hollywood studio executive who kills a disgruntled screenwriter he mistakenly believes is sending him death threats. When Mill continues to get messages from his stalker, he realizes that he’s in trouble and that he has to escape the police.
The Playerwas released to critical acclaim and was nominated for 3 Oscars in total. Unfortunately for the filmmakers, the movie was lost among all the other classic films that came out in 1992, likeUnforgiven,A Few Good Men, andBatman Returns. It’s still worth checking out as it contains one of Tim Robbins' best performances. He’s a little indifferent about reviving some of hislesser-known characters, though.
RELATED:Best Robert Altman Movies, Ranked
10Man Bites Dog
Man Bites Dogis another highly underrated movie from 1992. It’s a French-Beligian black comedy mockumentary about a film crew who follows a serial killer named Ben (Benoit Poelvoorde). Ben is witty and charming, but also psychopathic and egotistical. He shows the crew his family and brags about murdering people and dumping his victims in bodies of water.
The film is shot in black and white, which gives it a raw, realistic feel. It premiered at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and went on to play at film festivals in Toronto and New York before getting a wider release.Man Bites Dogdidn’t get a ton of marketing when it came out, but it’s worth checking out if you like neo-noir thrillers. It might not be one of thebest mockumentaries of all time, though.
9The Wedding Banquet
Ang Lee’s 1993 movieThe Wedding Banquetwas ahead of its time. It follows Gay Wai-Tung, a gay Taiwanese man living happily with his partner in New York City. To appease his parents, Wai-Tung tries to start dating but has no luck. He carries on the rouse by agreeing to marry Wei-Wei (May Chin), a woman who lives in his building and needs a green card to stay in the United States.
Many fans knowAng Lee’s best movies, likeCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,andBrokeback Mountain. ButThe Wedding Banquetis also deserving of praise for its well-rounded characters and charming East-meets-West storyline. The film was praised upon its release, with Roger Ebert commenting that he was surprised by how much he cared about the characters by the end.
8A Serious Man
The 2009 Coen Brothers movieA Serious Manis a film that says a lot without relying on a fast-paced plot to drive the message home. The movie takes place in the 1960s and centers around Larry Gopnik (Micheal Stuhlberg), a professor who’s having a midlife existential crisis. He’s confused as to why everything around him seems to be falling apart and seeks advice from the local Rabbi to no avail.
A Serious Mandigs deep and attempts to answer some of life’s great questions, like why we exist, what are we meant to do, and how fate affects our daily lives. The movie was met with critical and commercial acclaim but has been lost to time. Most people tend to remember the bigger Coen Brothers movies instead, likeNo Country For Old MenandFargo.
RELATED:Best Coen Brother Films, Ranked
La Haineis a 1995 French crime film. The title translates to “Hatred” in English and the movie follows a group of delinquent juveniles who live on the outskirts of Paris. The three boys roam the streets at night and one of them finds a police officer’s gun that was thought to be lost in a riot. With a deep hatred of the police, the kids decide to keep the gun rather than attempt to return it.
Later, the boys hunt down a drug user that owes one of them money. Then, they cause trouble in an art gallery and try to steal a car. The movie ends with a tense scene involving the gun, and it leaves the viewer unnerved as to who was the recipient of the final bullet.La Hainewas hailed as one of the best foreign language films of the year when it was released, but it never took off in the mainstream media. Many critics believe it’s one of thebest foreign films of the 1990s.
Steve McQueen’s 2008 filmHungeris a raw and devastating film. It focuses on the Irish Republican Army hunger strike that occurred at Maze Prison in the 1970s. Michael Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, an inmate who is part of the IRA. When the IRA prisoners refuse to eat or wash themselves, it leads to tension among the guards and more political unrest across the country.
Hungeris one of thebest Michael Fassbender movies. Peter Travers from Rolling Stone called the movie “shockingly immediate and philosophically reflective” and gave the movie 3.5 out of 4 stars.Hungerreceived critical acclaim, but its difficult political subject matter makes it a hard film to watch or revisit more than once.Hungerdidn’t get a huge marketing budget either as it’s not exactly a feel-good summer popcorn movie.
5Winter’s Bone
In 2010’sWinter’s Bone, Jennifer Lawrence is Ree Dolly, a teenager who lives in poverty with her family in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. When her family faces eviction, she must find her estranged father to help. Her mother is mentally ill and Ree takes care of her, as well as her little brother and sister. Along the way, Ree runs into several difficult townsfolk who warn her not to keep looking as her father has been known to run with some dangerous people.
Winter’s Bonewas a critical and commercial hit for Lawrence. The movie was shot on a measly $2 million budget, but it turned out to be her breakout role for the actor. She’s been staring at bigger, more expensive pictures ever since. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards but didn’t win as it was overshadowed by bigger movies likeInception,The King’s Speech, andThe Social Network.Winter’s Boneis worth seeking out for those who enjoy mystery movies.
RELATED:All of Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar-Nominated Performances, Ranked
4Secrets & Lies
Secrets & Liesis a 1996 comedy/drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. A woman named Hortense (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) who was adopted as a baby tracks down her birth mother. But Hortense is surprised to find out her mother Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) is white a from a fragmented working-class family. Cynthia works a modest job at a box factory while trying to keep up relationships with her other biological daughter, brother, and sister-in-law. Cynthia refuses to tell Hortense who her real father is and all the characters in the movie have their strange quirks.
The movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Highlighted by excellent acting, intriguing twists, and funny dialogue,Secrets & Lieswas met with critical acclaim. The film never got its proper due, however, probably because it doesn’t include any big-name Hollywood stars. It made over ten times its production budget at the box office, but nobody seems to rememberSecrets & Liesin 2023.
