The 10 Most Underrated Heath Ledger Movies, Ranked (From Least to Most Underrated)

Heath Ledger’s reputation often centers on a few towering titles that shaped his legacy, yet his filmography covers a wide range of genres and collaborations that reveal how carefully he chose projects. This list gathers ten features that spotlight roles across period epics, Australian indies, experimental dramas, and studio adventures, with attention to the people he worked with and the production contexts that shaped each film.

You will find directors with distinct signatures, international shoots, and ensembles filled with future headliners. Each entry notes the role Ledger played, the core premise, key collaborators, and relevant production details such as locations and source material. The goal is to map where these films sit in his career timeline without repeating broad praise, and to give you concrete information that makes a rewatch or a first look easier to plan.

‘The Order’ (2003)

Ledger plays Alex Bernier, a young priest who investigates unexplained deaths connected to an ancient ritual known as sin eating. The film reunites him with writer and director Brian Helgeland and features Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Peter Weller, and Benno Fürmann. It was produced by Regency and released by 20th Century Fox after principal photography in Rome and other European locations.

The story follows a trail that moves from church politics to folklore, positioning its mystery inside Catholic history and myth. Costume work focuses on clerical garb and medieval references, and the production design mixes modern Rome with older quarters to ground the investigation in recognizable streets and churches.

‘The Brothers Grimm’ (2005)

Ledger portrays Jacob Grimm opposite Matt Damon as Wilhelm in a fantasy adventure directed by Terry Gilliam. The cast includes Lena Headey, Peter Stormare, Jonathan Pryce, and Monica Bellucci. Filming took place largely in the Czech Republic with stages in Prague, where large forest and village sets were built to blend folklore with period detail.

The plot sends the brothers through occupied villages where staged hauntings collide with real supernatural threats. The production is notable for practical effects, elaborate creature makeup, and Gilliam’s preference for in-camera tricks, with Eastern European locations doubling for nineteenth century Central Europe.

‘Ned Kelly’ (2003)

Ledger plays Australian bushranger Ned Kelly in a biographical drama directed by Gregor Jordan and adapted from Robert Drewe’s novel ‘Our Sunshine’. The ensemble includes Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts, Geoffrey Rush, and Joel Edgerton. Principal photography took place in Victoria, with locations chosen to echo the Kelly country associated with the historical siege at Glenrowan.

The film covers the formation of the Kelly Gang, the issuing of the Jerilderie Letter, and the sequence of robberies that led to the final confrontation. Costumes reproduce the iron armor that has become part of Australian folklore, and the production makes use of period firearms, police uniforms, and rural town sets built around rail spurs and hotels.

‘Casanova’ (2005)

Ledger appears as Giacomo Casanova in a romantic period tale directed by Lasse Hallström and produced under the Touchstone banner. Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Oliver Platt, and Lena Olin round out the principal cast. The production filmed on location in Venice, including the Doge’s Palace and the Piazza San Marco, with additional work in historic palazzi and along the city’s canals.

The narrative follows Casanova’s entanglements with a masked writer and a visiting merchant as church authorities keep surveillance on his movements. The film uses authentic Venetian Carnival costuming, hand crafted masks, and water transport logistics, which required coordinated boat choreographies and careful rigging to protect centuries old interiors.

‘The Four Feathers’ (2002)

Ledger stars as Harry Faversham in an adaptation of A. E. W. Mason’s 1902 novel, directed by Shekhar Kapur. The supporting cast includes Kate Hudson, Wes Bentley, and Djimon Hounsou. Large scale sequences were staged in Morocco to recreate Sudanese battlefields, with additional photography in the United Kingdom for barracks, parlors, and clubs.

The story follows a young officer who resigns his commission before deployment and receives four white feathers from friends and fiancée, then travels to North Africa to make amends. The production mounted cavalry charges with trained riders, built encampments in desert conditions, and emphasized late Victorian military uniforms and period kit.

‘I’m Not There’ (2007)

Ledger plays Robbie Clark, an actor whose career and private life reflect one facet of the film’s multi character portrait of Bob Dylan, here divided among several performers. Todd Haynes directs a cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw, Richard Gere, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Michelle Williams. The film was shot in Montreal and other locations that stood in for different periods and regions of the United States.

This approach assigns distinct visual textures to each persona, from black and white photography to stylized color palettes. Ledger’s thread tracks a marriage under strain alongside scenes from a film within the film, with licensed music and newly recorded covers shaping transitions across timelines.

‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ (2009)

Ledger appears as Tony in a fantasy directed by Terry Gilliam and completed through an ensemble solution after his death, with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell taking on aspects of the same character. Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Waits lead the company. The production combined London location work with visual effects by multiple vendors and stage builds for the Imaginarium’s shifting worlds.

The plot centers on a traveling theater whose leader has a pact with a mysterious figure, and a newcomer whose past complicates the troupe’s bargains. Design choices include mirror portals, oversized props, and digital matte work that turns painted backdrops into moving dreamscapes, while the narrative alternates between contemporary streets and imagined landscapes.

‘Two Hands’ (1999)

Ledger plays Jimmy, a young man in Sydney who loses a cash delivery for a local crime boss and scrambles to repay the debt. Gregor Jordan directs, with Bryan Brown as the gangster Pando and Rose Byrne as Alex. Location shooting used Kings Cross and surrounding suburbs, with additional scenes on beaches and in small town settings to widen the chase.

The film blends heists and neighborhood dynamics, and it tracks a string of improvised plans that involve friends, family, and low level enforcers. Production notes point to practical stunts, handheld camera work, and a soundtrack that reflects late nineties Australian pop and rock, anchoring the action in recognizable streets and bars.

‘Lords of Dogtown’ (2005)

Ledger appears as Skip Engblom, co founder of the Zephyr surf shop and mentor to the Z Boys skating crew in a drama directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Stacy Peralta. Emile Hirsch, John Robinson, and Victor Rasuk portray Jay Adams, Stacy Peralta, and Tony Alva. Filming took place around Venice and Santa Monica, with sequences staged in drained pools and on the Santa Monica Pier.

The film chronicles how polyurethane wheels and drought conditions opened new skating possibilities, moving the crew from local competitions to national exposure. Production design recreates mid seventies storefronts and workshops, while wardrobe pulls focus to vintage tees, denim, and team jackets that match period photography of the scene.

‘Candy’ (2006)

Ledger plays Dan, a poet navigating heroin addiction alongside Candy, played by Abbie Cornish, in a drama directed by Neil Armfield. Geoffrey Rush appears as Casper, a lecturer whose scenes provide context for drug culture and academia. The film adapts Luke Davies’ novel and was shot in Sydney and surrounding suburbs, with interior sets designed to track the couple’s changing finances and health.

The narrative is divided into sections that mark courtship, dependence, and withdrawal, which allows the production to shift color temperatures and shooting styles as circumstances worsen. The soundtrack mixes Australian acts with restrained scoring, and the film uses hospital locations, social services offices, and small apartments to map the practical realities faced by the characters.

Share which Heath Ledger film you think deserves more attention in the comments.