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With acclaimed roles in both film and television, Woody Harrelson He is one of the biggest working actors in Hollywood today. He’s worked with talented and well-known directors throughout his career, appearing in dozens of critical hits.
But as with any successful actor, Harrelson has his fair share of underrated films under his belt, too. You may have heard of these features, but they’re nowhere near as name-worthy as they should be when calculating the efforts a lead actor puts in. All told, these are the 11 most underrated Woody Harrelson movies.
11 Triple 9
Although it’s not the best movie you’ll read about today, Triple 9 (2016) is nonetheless a solid project with a great spin on its film slice. It is best classified as an action thriller, specifically in the heist subgenre. It follows a group of professional thieves who are ordered by their boss to pull off a high-risk robbery after failing at their latest job.
Here’s the twist, though: The crew of criminals includes two corrupt police officers played by Anthony Mackie and Casey Affleck. But with other talented artists emerging (not just Harrelson), this might be the most star-studded cast on the list. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot, and Kate Winslet. Those are quite the common names, and they all help with landing Triple 9 Here at number 11.
10 LBJ
In this biographical drama, Woody Harrelson plays Lyndon Johnson during the beginning of his US presidential administration. The plot picks up after the assassination of his predecessor John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, leaving the titular character here in LBJ (2016) in a major role filled with political turmoil and social unrest.
And with legendary American director Rob Reiner at the helm, this ship has been steered in all the right directions despite some lackluster success. No movie of this caliber should make $2.5 million against a $20 million budget – and to top it all off, critics were less than impressed. In fact, if resumes are for you, then they are LBJ.
9 The Prairie Home Companion (2006)
Despite garnering rave reviews from critics upon release and collecting decent money at the worldwide box office—$25 million against a $10 million budget—it left a dearth of contemporary name value. Prairie House Companion (2006) In the Cold Lately. Its title is taken from the public radio program of the same name, and the film follows the behind-the-scenes antics of its longtime cast and crew.
The plot kicks off just as the show is preparing for its final live broadcast, and what might be most worth writing about here aside from its intriguing premise is its star-studded cast: not just Harrelson, but also Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan and John C. Riley and Meryl Streep. Although you may not have heard of it before Prairie House CompanionYou undoubtedly recognize these names among the impressive cast list. In the end, I landed here at number nine.
8 Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)
A war drama that came in very short in ticket sales—less than half a million dollars, in fact, against a budget of $9 million— Welcome to Sarajevo (1997) doesn’t quite flaunt proper name value through a contemporary lens, either. And this is all despite some rave reviews from critics which were well justified in hindsight.
Harrelson appeared in Supporting Fashion as a star journalist named Jimmy Flynn who befriends the film’s protagonist, a reporter named Michael Henderson who was played by Stephen Dillane. And the actors themselves develop a fascinating dynamic as they document the war in the titular city of Sarajevo.
7 Trans-Siberia (2008)
Aboard the titular Trans-Siberian Train, an American couple embarks on a path of deception, crime, and even murder in this psychological thriller from writer-director Brad Anderson. And of course, Woody Harrelson appears as one half of the aforementioned couple in Roy, while Emily Mortimer appears alongside Jesse.
And despite some very strong results from critics in general, Trans Siberian (2008) came out completely short in theatres. At the worldwide box office, it grossed $5.9 million against a budget of $15 million. For this fact alone, Trans Siberian It deserves a place on the list.
6 Kingpin (1996)
Sports comedy by Peter and Bobby Farrelly – or The Farrelly Brothers, one of Hollywood’s most iconic pairs of related creatives – Kingpin (1996) follows the protagonist Harrelson as a former professional bowler who spends his days drinking. But when an up-and-coming talent shows its face in the world of bowling, main character Roy Munson comes out of retirement and takes his protégé under his wing.
And with Bill Murray in a supporting role, you know this one has his fair share of laughs. However, critics were much less impressed, and audiences barely lost enough pocket money to allow movie tickets Kingpin What kind of real financial success. However, it did grab a spot on the list.
5 Defender (2009)
In the titular role, Harrelson plays an average grown man today who thinks he’s a crime-fighting superhero. And so, he sees a therapist, but the plot really blossoms Defender (2009) when the protagonist (who goes by the real name of Arthur Poppington) befriends a teenage girl named Angel, played by Kat Dennings.
The two develop a tangible bond early on that runs over the course of the movie, which in turn is funny through and through. Not only should this be cited among the most overlooked films of Harrelson’s career – it should also be listed among the most underrated superhero films of all time.
4 out of the oven
With Christian Bale in the lead role, out of the oven (2013) follows protagonist Russell Baez as he searches for his missing little brother, Rodney. Law enforcement has shown a poor approach to the case, and Russell’s strong sense of duty to his family sends him on a quest to find justice for “Rodney”.
Russell navigates his daily life as a steelworker, while Rodney gets involved in a series of dangerous misadventures with a ruthless crime boss. This is where Woody Harrelson comes in. He performs admirably as Harlan DeGroat, and so do the two in their respective roles. but somehow, out of the oven He came up completely short in all areas of success. If you’re deterred by the meager 54% approval rating on critical consensus site Rotten Tomatoes, rest assured this is ultimately worth your time.
3 Rampart (2011)
Directed by Oren Moverman from a script he co-wrote with James Ellroy, this crime drama follows Harrelson’s main character Officer Dave Brown, a 24-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department as he follows his own personal code of justice. His ruthless tactics appeared as video evidence of him hitting suspect skies on local TV stations.
And like Harrelson’s previous collaboration with Moverman – Also the next option in the list – a wall (2011) co-starring American actors Ben Foster and Steve Buscemi. They all star alongside others like Ned Beatty, Anne Heche, Ice Cube, Sigourney Weaver, and Robin Wright. Absolutely talented staff. But there are also high-quality behind-the-scenes filmmaking elements to play with a wall, such as thrilling cinematography with handheld tracking shots. This is just scratching the surface.
2 The Messenger (2009)
This war drama marked the debut of American-Israeli director Oren Mufferman, and co-stars Ben Foster in a truly poignant story of commitment, loss, and regret. Foster portrays the hero, a wounded soldier in the Iraq War who is ordered to spend the rest of his service in the film’s titular role: informing families of the deaths of their loved ones as the Army’s casualty notifications officer.
This premise facilitates particularly poignant performances from the cast along with individual plot points that will bring you to tears no matter which actors were in a particular scene in Prophet (2009). It’s just that, the dynamic duo of Foster and Harrelson when acting under Moverman succeeds across the quality board. This appears with the penultimate place in the list.
1 Dark Scanner (2006)
Written and directed by Richard Linklater, this animated adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel of the same name is set in a dystopian community where the majority of its residents are addicted to a drug known as D-substance. And in order to infiltrate the drug trade and find the source of the product, a police officer named Bob Arctor is called undercover.
Authenticates a group of users in Darkly Scanner (2006) and poses as himself, uncovering deep conspiracies in one of the most original movies you’ll ever see. And while much of this creativity flows from its premise, it can also be traced back to its visuals. Linklater has implemented a distorted rotoscope animation style that makes this watch unique from the first frame of the movie to its fantastic conclusion. It’s very underrated, and totally worth your time.
