10 Underrated Films by Ben Mendelsohn You Must See

Ben Mendelsohn has built a career that stretches from Australian indies to international dramas. He has played leads, scene-stealing character parts, and complex supporting roles across genres, often inside films that flew a little under the radar for many viewers.

This list focuses on ten features where his work anchors stories with distinctive settings, sharp writing, and memorable ensembles. You will find early Australian highlights, mid-career festival discoveries, and strong later turns in literary and stage adaptations.

‘The Big Steal’ (1990)

This Australian comedy is directed by Nadia Tass and stars Ben Mendelsohn as Danny Clark, a teenager who dreams of owning a sleek Jaguar and sets his sights on impressing Joanna, played by Claudia Karvan. The plot follows Danny’s deal with a dodgy used car salesman named Gordon Farkas and the chain of misadventures that follow in suburban Melbourne.

The production filmed on location around Melbourne and uses the city’s streets and car culture as a backdrop for Danny’s schemes and setbacks. Tass and cinematographer David Parker give the chase and showroom scenes a lively energy, while the soundtrack and period details ground the story in local youth life.

‘Cosi’ (1996)

Based on Louis Nowra’s stage play, this film casts Ben Mendelsohn as Lewis, a young director hired to stage Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’ with patients in a psychiatric hospital. The ensemble includes Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Barry Otto, and David Wenham, and the story tracks the rehearsals as Lewis learns to manage clashing personalities and limited resources.

Director Mark Joffe keeps the action inside rehearsal rooms and hospital spaces, blending scenes of musical preparation with the everyday routines of the ward. The screenplay by Nowra adapts the play for the screen by opening up the setting and weaving in moments that show how the cast builds a working company.

‘Mullet’ (2001)

Ben Mendelsohn plays Eddie Mallet, known as Mullet, who drifts back to his coastal hometown on the New South Wales South Coast and tries to reconnect with estranged friends and family. Susie Porter and Andrew S Gilbert join the cast as locals whose lives have moved on since Eddie left, and the story observes fishing shifts, footy talk, and small town rituals.

Writer director David Caesar filmed around Kiama and Gerringong, giving the film beaches, breakwaters, and weathered streets that feel lived in. The production’s modest scale supports a focus on community habits and workday routines, and it screened at Australian festivals before reaching a wider audience.

‘Beautiful Kate’ (2009)

Adapted and directed by Rachel Ward from Newton Thornburg’s novel, this drama centers on Ben Mendelsohn as Ned Kendall, a writer who returns to a remote family property to see his dying father, played by Bryan Brown. The visit forces Ned to confront long buried memories involving his sister, portrayed by Sophie Lowe, with Rachel Griffiths as the partner who urges him to face the past.

Filming took place in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, using an isolated homestead and surrounding scrub to frame the family history. The adaptation relocates the American source material to the outback and builds its narrative through flashbacks that mirror the rugged landscape.

‘Animal Kingdom’ (2010)

David Michôd’s crime drama places Ben Mendelsohn as Andrew Pope Cody inside a Melbourne crime family under intense police pressure. The ensemble features Jacki Weaver, Joel Edgerton, James Frecheville, and Guy Pearce, and the plot tracks shifting loyalties, surveillance, and a tense push and pull between family bonds and law enforcement.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the World Cinema Jury Prize, which helped it reach international distribution. Jacki Weaver received an Academy Award nomination for her performance, and the concept later expanded into the US television series ‘Animal Kingdom’ that ran on TNT.

‘Starred Up’ (2013)

Directed by David Mackenzie, this prison drama casts Ben Mendelsohn as Neville Love, who shares a facility with his estranged son Eric, played by Jack O’Connell. The film follows Eric’s transfer into an adult prison and his volatile path through group therapy sessions led by Rupert Friend’s character, while the father son dynamic drives the conflict.

Screenwriter Jonathan Asser drew on his experience working with violent offenders to shape the dialogue and therapy scenes. Production used the decommissioned Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast for cells and corridors, creating a contained environment that supports the story’s emphasis on routine, control, and rehabilitation methods.

‘Mississippi Grind’ (2015)

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck direct this road movie about gambling partners who head south in search of a big score. Ben Mendelsohn plays Gerry, a down on his luck card player who teams up with Curtis, played by Ryan Reynolds, and the pair move through poker rooms, bars, and racetracks as they travel toward New Orleans.

The shoot covered multiple states along the Mississippi River, with locations in Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, and Louisiana. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released by A24, and its production design leans into real card rooms and neighborhood hangouts to capture the rhythms of regional travel.

‘Una’ (2016)

This adaptation of David Harrower’s play ‘Blackbird’ is directed by Benedict Andrews and stars Ben Mendelsohn as Ray, who is confronted at his workplace by Una, played by Rooney Mara. The narrative unfolds through a difficult conversation that revisits their past, with flashbacks that fill in earlier events and Riz Ahmed appearing as a colleague who becomes entangled in the meeting.

The film relocates the play’s concentrated setting into an industrial complex, using warehouses, break rooms, and loading areas to widen the space around the dialogue. Harrower’s screenplay reworks the stage text for the screen by adding exterior scenes and layered time shifts that clarify character histories.

‘The Land of Steady Habits’ (2018)

Nicole Holofcener adapts Ted Thompson’s novel with Ben Mendelsohn as Anders Hill, a former finance executive who leaves his job and marriage in a comfortable Connecticut suburb. The story follows Anders as he navigates family fallout and new relationships, with Edie Falco, Thomas Mann, and Elizabeth Marvel in key roles.

The film was produced by Likely Story and released by Netflix after a premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Filming took place in the New York metropolitan area and in Connecticut neighborhoods, and the production design uses quiet residential streets and shopping centers to mirror Anders’s routine.

‘Babyteeth’ (2019)

Shannon Murphy directs this drama about Milla, played by Eliza Scanlen, a teenager who forms a relationship with a troubled young man named Moses, portrayed by Toby Wallace. Ben Mendelsohn appears as Henry, a psychiatrist and Milla’s father, with Essie Davis as Anna, and the story observes how the family responds to the new presence in their home.

The production filmed in Sydney and surrounding suburbs, giving the film a mix of coastal light and suburban interiors. It screened in competition at the Venice Film Festival where Toby Wallace received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for an emerging actor, which brought added attention to the film’s international release.

Share your own picks for overlooked Ben Mendelsohn performances in the comments so we can compare watchlists.