Many of the best filmmakers of this generation once started off as actors.Robert Redford, Leonard Nimoy, Clint Eastwood,andGreta Gerwigamong otherswere all movie stars before they became better known as directors. It’s not surprising that so many actors decide to step behind the camera after a career in front of it. While playing a great character may be enough for some, getting involved in a story’s inception and the physical production of a film offers a different type of reward. While movie stars have a limited amount of time when they can remain at the center of the cultural conversation, a filmmaker has the ability to continue pushing the boundaries of the medium well into the later stages of their career.
In many ways,being an actor is a great way to learn about the filmmaking process. While an actor’s responsibilities are bound to their individual role and character, a director must be involved in every level of a film’s production. It’s not an easy transition to make; whilethere have been many successful actors-turned-directors, some performers simply aren’t up to the challenge. This makes the more memorable directorial efforts from established actors even more impressive. Here are ten underrated movies directed by acclaimed actors, ranked.
10’Rosewater' (2014)
Directed by Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart’s subversive, creative sense of humor madeThe Daily Showinto a lynchpin in American culture. Stewart found ways to poke fun at both sides of the political spectrum, and often offered more insight than what could be found in traditional news programs. These skills prepared Stewart for his impressive directorial debutRosewater, which starredGael Garcia Bernalas the Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was imprisoned in the Middle East for filming an active political revolution.
Bernal’s performance is an inspiring tributeto anyone that has ever put their life on the line for the truth. The film shows thatgood journalism is important, even if it comes at a great personal cost.
Watch On Apple TV
9’The Gift' (2015)
Directed by Joel Edgerton
Joel Edgertonis a severely underrated actor who spent years giving great performances in a supporting capacity. Although Edgerton was often brilliant, he rarely got the chance to play a juicy role that he could sink his teeth into. In order to get around this issue, Edgerton cast himself in his directorial debutThe Giftas the main antagonist. The film didn’t just give him his best role in years; it revealed thatEdgerton could create dark, nasty thrillersthat pushed the boundaries of good taste.
Edgerton’s performance as the enigmatic stranger “Gordo” is chilling, but it’s reallyJason Batemanwho steals the filmwith his performance as Gordo’s childhood friend Simon. Simon is a pretentious, manipulative childhood bully who has never completely grown up.
In a small Southern town, a widowed psychic named Annie Wilson becomes entangled in a murder investigation when her visions reveal clues about a missing woman. As Annie struggles to unravel the mystery, she finds herself facing a web of dark secrets that threaten to consume her.
Watch On AMC+
8’Blaze' (2018)
Directed by Ethan Hawke
Blazewasan underrated directorial effort from the greatEthan Hawke.Beyond his catalog of great performances,Hawke is also a writer, director, stage performer, documentarian, and musician of great acclaim. Hawke often spotlights underrepresented artists who never got the credit that they deserved in their lifetime. InBlaze, his subject is the country music legendBlaze Foley, who tragically died in 1979.
While Foley’s tragic life makesBlazea rather melancholy film to watch at some points, the film leans on the positive side when it shows his impact on the music industry.Blazeis set in Hawke’s hometown of Austin, Texas; it made sense that he would want to pay tribute to a local artist who continues to inspire musicians from the area.
7’Vengeance' (2022)
Directed by B.J. Novak
Some directors take the opportunity with their directorial debuts to show a different side of their personalities. WhileB.J. Novakwas best known for his scene-stealing performance as Ryan onThe Office, his feature film debutVengeanceis adark satire about the obsession over true crime. The film questions the responsibility that journalists have to their subjects, and questions how an outsider can ever bring justice to an unsolved case.
Vengeanceconsidershow important framing is for a storyteller, especially when dealing with sensitive subject material. While this is shown in the film through the character arc of Novak’s character Ben Manalowitz, it may represent the same anxieties that he had as a first time filmmaker.
Watch On Prime Video
6’Motherless Brooklyn' (2019)
Directed by Edward Norton
Motherless Brooklynisa beautiful tribute to the noir genrethat isn’t ashamed of its classical influences. While the original novel of the same name was not a period piece, directorEdward Nortonchose to set the film in the 1950s. This decision made the film’s commentary on New York’s corrupt infrastructure more profound. Norton uses the film to show how social discrimination and racism will always be intertwined with the Big Apple, despite the diversity of his inhabitants.
Norton delivers a great performance as the novice detective Lionel. While it may notrank among his best performances,Norton surrounds himself with a terrific supporting castthat includesAlec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale,andBruce Willisamong others.
Motherless Brooklyn
Directed By Mike White
Mike Whiteis a director of such notable acclaim that it’s easy to forget that he once played Ned inSchool of Rock. Although White has earned a significant amount of attention for creating thebrilliant HBO seriesThe White Lotus, he also helmed an underrated college comedy with 2017’sBrad’s Status.
Brad’s Statusexploreshow “coming of age” can be similar to a mid-life crisis. Both experiences are based on not knowing what the future holds, and facing it with some trepidation. WhileBrad’s Statusisn’t as brutal asThe White Lotus, it’s just as emotionally grueling.
Watch On Amazon Prime
Directed by Jim Cummings
Jim Cummingspulled triple duties as the writer, director, and star of 2018’sThunder Road. The film was based on a short of the same name in which Cummings had starred as Officer Jim Arnaud, a police officer mourning the loss of his mother. While the short film was only centered around a speech that Jim gives at his mother’s funeral,the filmshows how difficult the grieving process can be.
Although Cummings deserves credit for expanding the original concept, he deserves equal praise for his great performance.Cummings shows a more sensitive side of masculinitythan most stars would be incapable of depicting. As its turns out, a littleBruce Springsteenmusic can go a long way.
3’Rabbit Hole' (2010)
Directed by John Carroll Lynch
Not to be confused withthe acclaimedKeifer Sutherlandmystery series of the same name,Rabbit Holewas an underrated directorial effort from the great character actorJohn Carroll Lynch. The film centers on how a couple grieves the loss of their young son in a car accident. Instead of depicting the moments after the tragedy,Rabbit Holeshows the lingering effects that grief can have. It’s a mature examination of howtragedy can call into question the fundamentals of a marriage.
Nicole Kidmanreceived an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance. However, the film features an equally brilliant turn fromAaron Eckhartin one of his greatest performances. It’s a shame that the Oscars did not also recognize his work, as the film relies on both actors being on the same emotional wavelength.
Rabbit Hole
Life for a happy couple is turned upside down after their young son dies in an accident.
2’Mass' (2021)
Directed by Fran Kranz
Not every directorial debut is necessarily a “flashy one.Fran Kranz’s 2021 filmMassfeels almost like a stage play becauseit takes place in such an isolated environment with only four characters. The film details a discussion that takes place after a school shooting between the shooter’s parents (Ann DowdandReed Birney) and the parents of one of the victims (Jason IsaacsandMartha Plimpton).
The brilliance ofMassis that it does not try to offer a solution to the gun violence epidemic. However, seeing the mature, empathetic conversations that take place between these two sets of charactersmay help viewers grapple with real life violence.Masssuggests that empathy always has value, even when giving it can be uncomfortable.
Watch On Hulu
1’Wildlife' (2018)
Directed by Paul Dano
Wildlifefeels like the type of old-fashioned family drama that the film industry simply doesn’t make anymore. Based on the novel of the same name, the film shows how the young boy Joe Brinson (Ed Oxenbould), grapples with his parents’ splintering relationship. As his father Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) leaves home to find work, his mother Jeanette (Carey Mulligan) finds herself drawn to another man.Wildlifeis the directorial debut ofPaul Dano, who co-wrote the adaptation alongside his real life partnerZoe Kazan.
There’san understated beauty toWildlifethatfeels like the work of a master filmmaker, and not a first time director like Dano. While Dano still has a great career ahead of himself as an actor,Wildlifehopefully won’t be the last time that he steps behind the camera.
