Underrated movies

[A-Yty]

So, what movies do you think never got the attention they deserve?

I'll start with Fortress from 1992. Starring the very wooden Christopher Lambert (AKA Rayden AKA Highlander), he fits well into the role of a former black beret living in a future (2017; we're living in the future now, people!) where the whole world (or the US at least) has apparently taken a lesson from China and enforced a one child policy. He and his wife break the rule and end up in a high-tech prison where he needs to make an escape. It also co-stars Vernon Wells (better known from Mad Max and the world's most unfair fight between him and Ahnuld in Commando) and Jeffrey "Re-Animator" Coombs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_(1992_film)



Also, Kurtwood Smith as the prison director. There's a twist to his character which makes me think of a Robocop-related casting gag.

The effects are decent, the acting's good (there's a definite b-list charm there, though) and..well, it's worth a watch. Apparently the film did well financially, so I'm not sure you could call it truly underrated. But hardly ever do I stumble upon it in lists of decent/great sci-fi movies from the 90's. And critics hated it, so..

[Andy]

I'll pick up Soldier from 1998, starring Kurt Russell. While not being a sequel, the movie takes place in the same universe as Blade Runner, altough years before that movie takes place. The main character is Sergeant Todd, who has been trained to be a soldier since birth. During an exhibition, Todd is injured and presumed dead, and tossed into a unhabited garbage planet. There he wakes up and finds a settlement of spacecraft crash survivors, unknown to public. He tries living with them, but being a different person, it becomes difficult.

The movie bombed during it's original release, and has been a low-key film since, generating only a small cult following. I personally like the movie, mainly because of the story and especially because of Kurt Russel's performance as Todd. During the film, he speaks under 100 words, but talks so much with his eyes. I found it moving at some points, which is rare with the action genre. The film was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, and written by David Webb Peoples. There has been a Blu-Ray release of the film, and it's definitely worth a watch.

[A-Yty]

I'll pick up Soldier from 1998, starring Kurt Russell. While not being a sequel, the movie takes place in the same universe as Blade Runner, altough years before that movie takes place. The main character is Sergeant Todd, who has been trained to be a soldier since birth. During an exhibition, Todd is injured and presumed dead, and tossed into a unhabited garbage planet. There he wakes up and finds a settlement of spacecraft crash survivors, unknown to public. He tries living with them, but being a different person, it becomes difficult.

The movie bombed during it's original release, and has been a low-key film since, generating only a small cult following. I personally like the movie, mainly because of the story and especially because of Kurt Russel's performance as Todd. During the film, he speaks under 100 words, but talks so much with his eyes. I found it moving at some points, which is rare with the action genre. The film was directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, and written by David Webb Peoples. There has been a Blu-Ray release of the film, and it's definitely worth a watch.

I remember this movie and I like it. Watched it back in the early 2000's when still renting VHS movies 

[A-Yty]

I think 1994's Wolf is surprisingly obscure and rarely brought up. I think it has a special kind of 1990's TV atmosphere and is a bit of a twist on werewolf movie tropes. It was a moderate box office success, but for some reason, it seems like kind of a black sheep on the filmography of all involved.

Ennio Morricone's music never fails and James Spader as the main antagonist is especially noteworthy. Pfeiffer and Nicholson do okay too.

Towards the end, it gets kind of generic with the wolf fighting. But that's only a small part of it.