Movies are great when they take you out of your comfort zone and challenge your senses by twisting your perception of reality. The subversion of expectations is always good, especially when a competent filmmaker handles it.The best films with great plot twistsdo not always have an extensive profile. Many of them are underrated gems that hide one solid script that goes unnoticed for lack of support from the studio or poor marketing.
The following offerings are underrated gems that came and went without gathering the critical acclaim they deserved. Many arebeloved cult classics among niche fandoms, while others are the best entry points for the cinematic offering from foreign nations. One thing is assured: these films are designed to churn your insides with impactful revelations that will keep you at the edge of your seat, wanting more.
We hope you enjoy our ranking of the most underrated movies with massive plot twists.
20Sisters (1972)
Sistersis an early classic from the mind of Brian De Palma. Aspiring actress Danielle Brenton hooks up with a man named Phillip; after spending the night together, she informs him about a visit from her twin sister and asks him to run an errand. Written and directed by him, the movie includes the talents of Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt, Charles Durning, and Bill Finley.
By the time Phillip returns home, he’s stabbed to death by an unseen assailant. The police won’t pay attention to the casesince Phillip is a black man, but a reporter decides to dig deeper and find out the truth behind Danielle’s sister and why we never get to see her. It’s a great story with a ton of social commentary.
19Angel Heart (1987)
Another incredible neo-noir psychological thriller, with a few horror elements sliding in for good measure. Written and directed by Alan Parker,Angel Heartfeatures Micky Rourke, Lisa Bonet, and Robert De Niro. The story begins in New York when a private eye named Harry Angle is hired by an eccentric man named Louis Cyphre to track down a crooner named John Liebling. Harry manages to track down the last location of Liebling and must travel to New Orleans.
The story has a sudden change of pace as the New Orleans background fills the ambiance with mystery and intoxicating visuals related to sorcery and black magic. Each time Harry gets close to a lead, the person who reveals anything to him dies violently. He meets a girl named Epiphany Proudfoot, who might prove crucial to crack the case.The big twist revealed in the end is that Cyphre is the devil himselfcoming to collect Liebling’s soul, but there’s more o this claim than we are led to believe.
18The Game (1997)
David Fincher knows how to tell a good mystery.The Gameis one of his early works, written by John Bracanto and Michael Ferrisand starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, and Deborah Kara Unger. The story seems simple enough as Nicholas Van Otto gets gifted by his brother an entry into a game that affects his everyday actions. Against his better judgment, Nicholas accepts to participate in the Game by visiting the so-called quarters of the CRS.
Immediately after signing on, Nicholas’s life turns for the worst in every aspect. His brother abandons him as he’s being pursued. His bank accounts are drained. Nicholas is left to die by a cab driver. Seeking a safe place, he tracks down the waitress from the restaurant where he accepted his brother’s gift to find out she’s on the payroll of the people directing the Game; Nicholas forces himself into the agency conducting the Game, only to find out everything that has happened to him has been indeed part of the Game he signed on for.
17The American (2010)
Based on the novelA Very Private Gentleman, Rowan Joffé adapted this excellent spy thriller with Anton Corbijn directing.The Americanstars George Clooneyand Violante Placido. A dormant operative named Jack lives quietly in the Sweden wilderness with a girl. When hired guns come looking for him, Jack quickly dispatches them, but he also kills the girl he is with.
After a quick escape to Rome, Jack contacts his handler, a man named Pavel. Pavel sends him to Castelvecchio and hands him his last assignment. Jack is reluctant, but the pay is excellent, so he accepts the offer. It’s a straightforward operation where he must build a custom-made weapon and train another operative to use it. Pavel is setting up Jack to be killed by his replacement, but Jack knows how to stay one step ahead of the game.
Related:10 Comedy Movie Plot Twists That Came Out of Nowhere
16Moon (2009)
Space stories have a unique appeal when they are surrounded by mystery. Such is the case ofMoon. The sole cast memberyou need to care about is Sam Rockwell, who plays Sam Bell, a lone worker for Lunar Industries, a company solving the problem of depleted energy on EarthEarth by mining a compound named helium-3 on the Moon. This underappreciated film was written by Nathan Parker and directed by Duncan Jones.
Sam’s days are uneventful, and he sticks to a daily routine until something happens and he finds a crashed rover on the lunar surface. He rescues the pilot only to find out it’s himself. An AI named GERTY reveals Sam is a clone with a three-year lifespan (the duration of his contract). Once he dies, he’s replaced by a new one. After doing his best to evade the measures to keep in place, Sam must escape to Earth and reveal the truth to the world.
15Inside Man (2006)
Inside Manlooks like your standard police heist drama, but it’s much more once you get past the initial setup. Written by Russell Gewirtz and directed by Spike Lee, this is one of the most overlooked films in his works. He brings along his perpetual partner in crime, Denzel Washington, and heavy hitters such as Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, and Christopher Plummer.
A group of four robbersdevises the perfect plan to rob a bank, but no one has a single idea of what they are doing or how they manage to make their way out of the bank without getting shot. Detective Keith Frazer deduces the man is stalling for time to make his move, but the leader of the robbers, Dalton Russel, has always been one step ahead of him. It’s an incredible film, full of twists and turns and multiple satisfying endings.
14The Mist (2007)
Based on a story written by Stephen King,The Mistis a horror film with science fiction elements that touch upon many themes, such as fear of the unknown, proselytization, faith, and survival. It all begins in a convenience store located in rural America. The ensemble cast includes familiar faces such as Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, and Laurie Holden. The adaptation was written and directed by Frank Darabont.
A deranged man enters the store, signaling the coming of a mysterious mist covering the town. The people inside have to fend off with the resources they have.While some choose to hold on to their religious beliefhoping to be saved, others take action by fighting the horde of creatures. After multiple attempts at survival, the last remaining few of the group decide to take their own lives instead of being slaughtered by the invading creatures, with a very unexpected outcome after most of them have parted this world.
13A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Koren cinemahas been elevated to an art formin the past 20 years,A Tale Of Two Sisters. It’s an early offering written and directed by Kim Jee-woon in 2003. It’s a classic folk tale in the country that has been romanticized and adapted into a modern story. The story begins with a girl named Su-Mi being treated in a mental institution; she’s released and allowed to return home. Once settled, her rude stepmom mistreats her and her sister Su-Yeon.
Strange occurrences occur as the family photos are altered to replace her mother’s face with her stepmom’s. Su-Yeon also claims his father is blind to the actions of her stepmom. The big reveal comes when the father tells her daughter she’s imagining everything. Her stepmom and her sisters are only fractions of her imagination. The big twist, however, comes after Su-yeon is institutionalized again.
12Predestination (2014)
Predestinationis one of those films you must pay close attention to lest you get lost in the plot. It’s a time travel story about three different characters whose destiny is dictated by an agency named Temporal Bureau.Written and directed by The Spierig Brothersand starring Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, and Noah Taylor, the movie is based on the novel All You Zombies by Robert Heinlein.
Without dwelling too much on the plot details, the story touches upon intersex people and the nuances of time-traveling paradoxes. The three actors play a singular role after the agency places the same person in specific timelines to encounter himself and exist. It also offers a slight nod to roman catholic mythology by making our main character mother, father, and son in a single spirit.
Related:The Biggest Summer Blockbusters From Before the Avengers Took Over Our Screens
11Buried (2010)
European talent always delivers when it comes to shocking thrillers.Buriedis a film written by Chris Sparlin and directed by Rodrigo Cortes. It’s a daunting story taking place in a coffin. The film’s sole star is Ryan Reynolds, who had to endure long hours in a confined space to make this movie rollercoaster. The film opens with a man named Paul buried with a few items in a coffin in the middle of nowhere in the Middle East.
A cell phone rings, and the plot begins to unfold. Paul has been kidnapped by a group of terrorists who make a series of demands. It’s up to Paul to do everything he can to ensure he gets out of this situation alive. The emotions conveyed in this film are exasperating.This movie is made to make you feel desperate by design. The betrayals and double-crosses experienced by someone already in the hot seat are only surpassed by the crushing ending of this story.
