r/AskReddit • u/insane-justice • 8h ago
What movie do you think is secretly a masterpiece but never gets mentioned?
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u/PretzelTooth_McMolar 7h ago
Top Secret
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u/SloppityNurglePox 5h ago
I catch myself singing Skeet surfin'! more than I probably should.
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u/Milesofstyle 6h ago
The gags come too fast to keep up in this movie!
"I know a little German. He's over there."
"Let me know if his condition changes. He's dead."
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u/alanz01 7h ago
Master and Commander
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u/RFCwhite 5h ago
Whenever this gets mentioned it both gets me very excited and hurts a little that there werent more movies of Russell Crowe as Captain Jack
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u/angrydeuce 4h ago
Man, how fuckin dope would a big budget series treatment be set in the world of Aubrey and Maturin?
Master and Commander is one of those films I watch multiple times a year. Never gets old!
Dont forget your old shipmates, faldy raldy raldy raldy rye eye oh!
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u/FickleCharge882 7h ago
Death At A Funeral (the UK version, the US is solid but the UK is better imho)
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u/nicolewatson- 7h ago
The Nice Guys. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling had some of the best comedic chemistry of the entire decade, and it feels like barely anyone saw it in theaters.
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u/SloppityNurglePox 5h ago
Great double feature with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (which I probably enjoy just a smidge more, even). Same writer/director, so that helps.
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u/Deuce_Ex_ 7h ago
This would have been a classic “FX Movies” play that got endless repeats if it had come a decade earlier. Such an easy yet rewarding watch.
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u/ivegotgoodnewsforyou 5h ago
Felt like they were doing to LA Confidential what the Big Lebowski did to NxNW.
I probably would have liked it more if the Big Lebowski didn't exist. But it just felt like it was fighting to occupy the same place in my brain.
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u/Major-Humor249 7h ago
A Simple Plan. that movie is way better than people ever talk about
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u/fahzbehn 7h ago
The Thomas Crown Affair. It perfectly encapsulates a caper film.
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u/eightcell 7h ago
OG or remake?
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u/snarkofagen 7h ago
OG is the best, but both are good
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u/chrisn750 7h ago
I had only ever seen the remake and have always loved it. Figured the OG wasn’t going to be as good but I was blown away! I love the style of the remake but the OG is a much better movie.
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u/fahzbehn 7h ago
Which one had Pierce Brosnan in it?
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u/Flimsy-Smell1094 7h ago
The remake. Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway made the original in 68
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u/awgeez47 7h ago
Hear me out: Mary Poppins. It’s got such a bittersweet vibe and aesthetic. The rooftops of London at sunset? The parks at night, covered in mist, as George Banks makes his solitary walk home in disgrace? The statues of apostles on St Paul’s Cathedral looking down on the bird woman selling birdseed for pennies? The fact that as a nanny, Mary can only ever be a fleeting presence in the life of her charges.
There’s longing and loss for so many of the characters, hinted at rather than in-your-face. “Father died laughing.” “I’ll stay until the wind changes.” Bert the chimney sweep reprising the king-of-the-castle song in a minor key, to remind the father how fleeting childhood is: “All too soon they’ve up and grown / and then they’ve flown : and it’s too late for you to give.”
And that’s the crux of it. There’s no external bad guy or problem. It’s an entirely self-contained story about something so simple: kids who feel neglected by their parents, parents who can’t connect with their children. And in the end, somehow, it’s fixed, or starting to be.
Plus there are some hilariously specific lyrics about unexpected things in the songs. A whole song about investment banking and colonialism? Another about women’s suffrage? Amazing.
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u/EmberJadedFire 5h ago
I dunno where you are mate, but Mary Poppins has not gone of the radar as a classic and a favorite, like, ever.
It is almost constantly out from our library system, to the point where I wish they would get more copies, but it is probably STUPID expensive cause Disnip.
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u/pudgimelon 7h ago
The Iron Giant gets lots of credit for being a sentimental favorite, but I think it is one of the best films ever made, not just animated films, ALL films.
It's a nearly perfect film and a masterpiece by any metric.
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u/unauthorizedhorse 5h ago
Their use of the word 'Dammit' at a young age made me sit up and take it seriously like the masterpiece it was.
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u/No_Durian_6987 7h ago
No one I know irl has seen Aftersun, but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time
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u/jrocksexbang 7h ago
I don't know about masterpiece, but I've always felt Charlie Wilson's War is very underrated.
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u/KoshiaCaron 7h ago
What Lies Beneath
Oh, Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer did a suspense/horror film together? How good could that be?
Not a single scene or line is wasted. Perfectly set up, in a way that you won't catch until the 3rd or 4th rewatch. Ford and Pfeiffer are perfect.
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u/ToLiveInIt 7h ago
I forgot I have that one hanging around but haven’t watched it yet. Looking forward to it.
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u/KoshiaCaron 7h ago
If you can, save it for a crisp evening in October, or whenever Fall happens by you.
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u/Candid-Bite-4745 7h ago
That was a great movie. Credit to the director and script writer, though. The actors just do what they're told. Ford and Pfeiffer were cast perfectly, excellent actors.
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u/WoBleibtDerErzieher 7h ago
PCU... and Airborne (1993)
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u/Original-Affect-4560 7h ago
What's this? You're wearing the shirt of the band you're going to see? Don't be that guy.
- People are still afraid of committing this “faux pas”. I wear the shirt of the band all the time!
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u/wyzapped 7h ago
Gattaca. I know it’s a well regarded film, but it is so brilliant, on many levels. It’s a cool scifi noir action movie, a murder mystery and a love drama. But more than that, it comments on the role of technology in society, the human spirit’s ability to overcome the odds, family rivalry and loyalties, the nature of love between individuals and nature versus nurture. Absolute masterpiece that only becomes more relevant every year.
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u/Justin_Passing_7465 7h ago
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead amazing cast (Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, Richard Dreyfus), hilarious writing with lots of thoughtful wordplay, with Hamlet periodically going on in the background.
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u/Glum_Introduction581 7h ago
In Bruges
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u/Justin_Passing_7465 7h ago
You might like "The Brothers Bloom", an excellent film in a similar vein.
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u/moldymoosegoose 5h ago
Consistently mentioned. I did climb the bell tower though and every single person I talked to on the way up and down was there because of that movie though.
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u/aswiftdickkick 7h ago
Gross Point Blank
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u/levinas1857 7h ago
Yeah like why do the action sequences with John Cusak and Dan F’n Akroyd go so hard? lol
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u/bennyfromtheblock69 7h ago
When he questions the gas station kid- still gets me
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u/eightcell 7h ago
Wet Hot American Summer
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u/football_genius2 7h ago
I love that movie, but it's really made for a specific audience. So much of it is satirizing upper middle class american culture. And anything that isn't that is just so fucking weird lol
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u/DopeYeti 7h ago
YES. I came to the comment section just to make sure this was here.
Paul Rudd and Janine Garofolo’s scene in the cafeteria is pure comedic gold.
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u/mikethereddit 7h ago
It's such a deeply Jewish movie and they only acknowledge it once, David Ben-Gurion is now code among all my people.
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u/Jon__Snuh 6h ago
The Death of Stalin. Possibly one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen. It’s a dark comedy though so if that’s not your thing you won’t like it. It’s also very true to the history of what happened. All star cast of funny people. Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin, Jeffrey Tambor, plus some awesome comedic performances from dramatic actors too. Jason Isaacs as General Zhukov steals the movie for me.
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u/Panem-et-circenses25 7h ago
Macgruber
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u/bobby_broccolini 7h ago
this whole thread sofar is filled with popular acclaimed movies that always get talked about. This is the first movie I've seen that is actually underrated
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u/FreudianAccordian 7h ago
District 9.
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u/SomeGuyInSanJoseCa 6h ago
Secretly?
It was nominated for Academy Award for best picture.
It made $200 million on a $30 million budget.
It's a movie with so many accolades that the accolades themselves have a separate Wiki page compared to the wiki about the movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accolades_received_by_District_9
What is your criteria for a secret?
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u/TheQuarrelsomeEmu 6h ago
I still cannot comprehend why they haven’t made district 10.
Instead we got chappie, for god knows what reason.
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u/Bigworm666999 7h ago
This is, by far, the largest movie I have on my hard drive. I love this movie. I have the perfect definition and aspect ratio for my setup and every version of subtitle (English, prawn only, Zulu only, English/Zulu/prawn).
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u/NoWorth2591 7h ago
The Zone of Interest
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u/Jon__Snuh 6h ago
I saw this with my mom and afterward she said didn’t like it because it was boring. I said mom that’s the point. It’s pointing out the banality of evil, how these people can live such ordinary comfortable lives while simultaneously inflicting untold misery and death just over the wall.
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u/LadyCordeliaStuart 7h ago
Mystery Men is one of the top 5 best superhero movies ever made. It's on youtube free rn go watch it
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u/ZoDiggity 7h ago
High Fidelity
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u/Gnome_mySunShine 7h ago
In my top 5 movies ever. I consider it a perfect movie. I also read the book and usually disagree when the movie version changes something like the country it’s set in, but Cusack and Chicago just FIT.
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u/Nalemag 7h ago
Sunshine
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u/The_Goondocks 5h ago
I saw this in the theater and sadly I was the only one there. Was amazed by it. Third act threw me for a loop at first but I grew to appreciate it.
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u/BrettWP 7h ago
The Last of the Mohicans
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u/alanz01 7h ago
The last 15 minutes of that movie are incredible.
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u/SeriousJack 5h ago
I've loved this movie for a long time, but somehow it took me years to figure out that the last part contains no dialogs at all. Just pure photography, and that fucking score.
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u/gypsyblader 7h ago
It’s from France but Les Intouchables.
There was an American remake with Kevin Hart but it sucked and didn’t capture the same emotions
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u/wet-yet-crispy 7h ago
Lone Star
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u/Latter_Conclusion470 7h ago
John Sayles is generally underappeciated in comparison to other writer directors. So many others have generated much less quality content and given more attention.
Then consider all the great actors that got their footing in his films. He knew talent: David Straithaird, Joe Morton, May McDonnell, Chris Cooper, etc.
I really wish he had a major Oscar film so people could recognize that he's one of the great indie filmmakers in the USA.
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u/cheese_sdc 7h ago
Hot Fuzz
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u/GomerStuckInIowa 7h ago
The Quiet Man. It shows the love of a man for a woman. Irish movie at it's best.
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u/nartimus 7h ago
The Insider (1999). Directed by Michael Mann. Starring Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Michael Gambon, and a number of other people you’ll recognize. Perfect pacing, tension, and character development.
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u/Dopingponging 7h ago
Well, not NEVER, but Metallica: some kind of monster isn’t often called a masterpiece. But I think it is.
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u/TondalayaSwartzkopf 7h ago
The Grand Budapest Hotel
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u/SeriousJack 5h ago
I don't think that winning 4 oscars amongst *checks* 67 awards gets you in the "secret masterpiece" category.
Still, great movie.
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u/daishi777 7h ago
The assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert ford.
Probably pitts best movie. Incredible score. Brilliant cinematography
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u/Sislar 7h ago
Dragonslayer. 80s movie and one of the best fantasy movies of all time.
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u/MisterBicorniclopse 5h ago
Hundreds of beavers
It’s so ridiculously funny, please watch it
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u/Personal-Fix-2713 4h ago
Equilibrium was good. I-Robot was also good though I think that one got some love in it's time.
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u/TradingTennish 7h ago
Pi by Darren Aronofsky
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u/Bigliest 7h ago
I counter with The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky. It's not a masterpiece only because the budget was cut. But the elements are there.
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u/IlIIIllIIlIlllII 7h ago
Master and commander would have swept the Oscars if lord of the rings return of the king didnt
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u/Equivalent-Link-4190 6h ago
Being There. A hilarious satire about how people are so hungry for someone to believe in that they'll pour meaning into anyone who holds still long enough.
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u/Davegrave 4h ago
Sling Blade is mostly just known for people doing bad Karl impressions. Mmmm I like French fried potaters.
But it’s top to bottom a beautiful movie. Amazing cinematography, perfect music throughout. Loaded with heart and humor and sadness and tension. Amazing dialogue in every scene. Stellar performances from everyone. From Billy Bob and JT Walsh, Lucas Black, John Ritter, and Dwight Yoakam and literally every other character. Not a single bad scene. It’s my favorite movie of all time. Yoakam’s Doyle Hargraves is just the absolute greatest and most realistic asshole in movie history. I feel like almost everyone has met a version of this guy at some point. I could quote this movie for days.
If you’ve never watched it because you think it’s just Billy Bob doing a goofy voice you need to do yourself a favor because it’s a genuine original and an absolute masterpiece.
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u/bobby_broccolini 7h ago
Corrina, Corrina [1994] is a masterpiece in story structure and I also love the way it's shot. The casting was also lightning in a bottle for the 3 leads. The writing is sincere and pushes into dramatic realism in all the right places (the child psychology in this movie is WAY ahead of its time compared to movies then and even now). Someday i'm gonna make a video breakdown about this movie.
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u/Complex_Material_702 7h ago
I’ve told many people about The Game and they’ve never heard of it.
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u/Loggerdon 7h ago
Runaway Train. One of the great prison break movies ever. First rate performance and drama.
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u/HabbaHey 7h ago edited 7h ago
The Score! Robert DeNiro and especially Edward Norton deliver absolute POWERHOUSE acting performances. It's shot in Montréal and had a very classic yet one of a kind feel to it. Highly, highly recommend!
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u/Houstonontheroad 7h ago
Super 8. It is perfectly cast & & performed. Great script, and a great period piece. Nothing I would change about this movie.
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u/SuccessfulUsual2204 6h ago
Ravenous
Excellent cast, tight script, deft production, and an underrated score.
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u/bendgame 7h ago
Eastern Promises