15 Underrated Films by Gary Oldman You Simply Cannot Skip

Gary Oldman’s reputation rests on towering turns in films like ‘Leon: The Professional’, ‘The Dark Knight’, ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, and ‘Mank’—performances so definitive they can eclipse the quieter gems scattered across his filmography. Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find a run of daring choices, offbeat indies, and genre outliers where he experiments, takes risks, and steals scenes with the precision of a master craftsman.

This countdown spotlights fifteen underseen or underappreciated entries that deserve a fresh look. Some feature him in the lead; others find him sharpening the entire movie from the edges. All of them showcase the nervy intelligence, musicality, and sly humor that make Oldman one of the most versatile actors of his generation.

15. ‘The Backwoods’ (2006)

A lean survival thriller set in a remote forest, ‘The Backwoods’ pairs Oldman with Paddy Considine for a tense tale of outsiders who stumble into a local nightmare. Oldman plays the seasoned friend whose pragmatism keeps panic at bay, grounding the film with a wary, lived-in authority.

What makes it underrated is how patiently it breathes. Rather than rushing to shocks, it lets Oldman’s wary gaze and clipped line readings pull you deeper into the moral snarl, making the bursts of violence feel earned rather than engineered.

14. ‘Criminal Law’ (1988)

In ‘Criminal Law’, Oldman is a hotshot defense attorney who wins big and then must live with the fallout of freeing a very dangerous client. It’s a sleek, late-night legal thriller anchored by Oldman’s whiplash shifts between swagger, guilt, and obsession.

He plays the courtroom peacock and the chastened conscience in the same breath, giving the film a restless energy that elevates it beyond its pulpy premise. Watch how he weaponizes charm until it curdles into self-reproach.

13. ‘Murder in the First’ (1995)

This prison-set drama often gets filed away as a showcase for its other leads, but Oldman’s warden is the flinty, unsettling engine of ‘Murder in the First’. He resists caricature, playing power as procedure—terrifying precisely because it’s so methodical.

The performance is a study in restraint. A raised eyebrow, a clipped command, and suddenly the room belongs to him. It’s chilling because he never has to raise his voice to make the walls close in.

12. ‘Lost in Space’ (1998)

As Dr. Smith, Oldman injects ‘Lost in Space’ with silken menace and sly comedy, slaloming between arch villainy and droll self-preservation. Even when the effects flex, your eye goes to his elegantly poisonous asides.

The film’s reputation as glossy spectacle hides how finely tuned his work is—he calibrates every beat so the character feels both ridiculous and legitimately dangerous, the kind of pop-opera villain only he could make memorable.

11. ‘We Think the World of You’ (1988)

This tender, thorny drama about class, desire, and a beloved dog gives Oldman a chance to play raw youth without the glamor. As a volatile young man pulling people into his orbit, he vibrates with need and defensiveness.

What lingers is the fragility he allows to leak through the bravado. The film’s quiet power comes from watching him fend off kindness like it’s a threat, then reach for it when he thinks no one’s looking.

10. ‘A Good Man in Africa’ (1994)

The sardonic tone of ‘A Good Man in Africa’ can mask how deftly Oldman threads humor with melancholy. In a diplomatic farce full of egos and blunders, he sidesteps caricature and plays human—funny, flawed, and unexpectedly moving.

His comic timing lets the satire bite without turning bitter. A sideways glance here, a softening there, and suddenly a breezy scene lands with surprising weight.

9. ‘Track 29’ (1988)

Nicolas Roeg’s ‘Track 29’ is a delirious psychodrama where Oldman toggles between impish fantasy and threatening fixation. He leans into the film’s dream logic, making the character’s volatility feel like a cracked mirror of desire.

It’s fearless, specific work—sing-song lilt one moment, knife-edge menace the next. If you enjoy Oldman in wild, theatrical registers, this is a hidden treat worth savoring.

8. ‘Chattahoochee’ (1989)

In ‘Chattahoochee’, Oldman charts a veteran’s descent and recovery with unvarnished honesty. He never begs for sympathy; he earns it, letting pride, pain, and stubborn hope fight it out on his face.

The film’s advocacy streak could have turned preachy, but Oldman’s humility keeps it grounded. He makes resilience feel like a daily practice rather than a big speech.

7. ‘The Firm’ (1989)

Alan Clarke’s ‘The Firm’ is blistering social realism, and Oldman’s football hooligan is one of his scariest creations—charismatic, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it funny, and utterly chilling. He shows how violence can masquerade as community.

What’s underrated is how much empathy the performance smuggles in without softening the guy. Oldman makes you understand the seduction of belonging even as he exposes its cost.

6. ‘Interstate 60’ (2002)

A cult road fantasy, ‘Interstate 60’ hands Oldman a trickster role he plays with glee—part genie, part devil, part life coach from the edge of reality. He’s playful without winking, the mischievous conscience of the movie.

The film’s shaggy structure works because Oldman keeps the moral compass spinning. He turns each vignette into a sly parable, landing hard truths with a grin.

5. ‘The Contender’ (2000)

Oldman’s congressman in ‘The Contender’ is a masterclass in controlled fury. He’s principled, petty, brilliant, and blinkered—often in the same scene—and he frames political combat as a clash of egos disguised as ethics.

Rather than twirl a mustache, he sharpens rhetoric into a weapon and lets wounded pride do the rest. It’s a performance that deepens the film’s debate instead of stacking the deck.

4. ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead’ (1990)

As half of a bewildered duo in ‘Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead’, Oldman turns verbal pyrotechnics into something warm and human. His curiosity, exasperation, and wonder feel delightfully spontaneous.

The joy here is in the musicality—how he rides language, flips a rhythm, and makes philosophy bounce. It’s comic precision with a melancholy aftertaste.

3. ‘State of Grace’ (1990)

‘State of Grace’ is a gritty crime drama with heat to spare, and Oldman brings the wildfire. His volatile gangster is all heart and hair-trigger impulse, a walking contradiction who can turn a barroom into theater.

What sticks is the tenderness under the bravado. Oldman lets loyalty and fear rub against each other until sparks fly, giving the film its bruised soul.

2. ‘Romeo Is Bleeding’ (1993)

Neo-noir excess becomes poetry in ‘Romeo Is Bleeding’, and Oldman’s crooked cop is its bruised narrator. He threads desperation with dark humor, making moral collapse feel seductively inevitable.

It’s a big swing that lands—voiceover, paranoia, and romantic doom all funneled through his jittery presence. Few actors can make bad decisions feel this tragically human.

1. ‘Immortal Beloved’ (1994)

As Beethoven in ‘Immortal Beloved’, Oldman delivers a performance of volcanic intensity and private grace. He finds the tenderness within the tempest, letting genius and woundedness coexist without apology.

The film’s reputation has always lagged behind his work, which is a shame: he makes the great composer’s contradictions feel immediate and alive, turning a biopic into a living, breathing mystery.

Share your own picks for underrated Gary Oldman films in the comments—and tell us which performance you think deserves a second look.